Canadian HR Reporter

4 www.hrreporter.com N E W S (EAP). Peterson says she recently shared with her team that she called the EAP about a family member who was struggling and found it helpful. "That's risky for leaders, it puts you in a vulnerable position, but I had a lot of people come back to me and say they really appreciated it, sharing that personal story. And I had some people come back to me and say, 'I hadn't thought about the EAP, but maybe it could help me with this situation that I'm dealing with.'" Along the same lines, Sun Life has been sending staff weekly video messages from the CEO and executive team during the pandemic, encouraging people to do their best, take breaks and keep mental resilience in mind. In these videos, the leaders welcome people into their homes, sharing their own challenges and approaches to mental wellness, says Peterson. "Employees want and need and benefit from that additional communication; we'll keep doing it through the pandemic and that's one of the areas that I think is going to be a sustained change in how we communicate with our employees in that it may be more frequent, more informal, more willing to take questions," she says. "It's a new era of communication going forward." Sun Life also put out a tip sheet for leaders around having those important conversations with the people on their team, creating that connection and that space to get past "I'm fine" and find out how they're really doing, says Peterson. "We're trying to help both employees but also leaders identify what might be some of the signs of strain, whether it's low energy, irritability, sadness, poor concentration — there's some specific things that we could be looking for if people aren't quite themselves." Companies have seen really good successes when their leaders are not afraid to show vulnerability, says Trottier. KPMG, for example, has had a video series called "This is who I am" featuring leaders being interviewed and sharing their lived experience. "We all have a personal battle, but the day that we're brave enough to talk about it and share it is where I've been seeing the best impact and getting traction on the mental health threat by far," he says. It's also so important to be checking in with employees to see how they're doing, says Trottier. "[It's about asking] 'How are you? Really, how are you? Is everything OK?'... and not being afraid to show vulnerability because in the professional [world] sometimes, especially the more senior people, it's almost by human nature, you forget you're human as well." That can also help with retention, he says. "Employees will remember how they were treated, so that humanity around mental health and just being there for people is critical." Oftentimes, when people start to struggle, they tend to pull away and become somewhat more elusive, says Dobson. "That's the time when the manager has a special responsibility to recognize the change in functioning and to potentially ask for a one-on-one meeting with the individual," he says. " There's a fine balance between people's rights to privac y versus their responsibility to the workplace. And depending on the nature of the workplace now, people have to find that balance." That connection should continue when people get back into the office, to see how they're making the transition, says Ferguson. "It's well worth the investment." CHRR ONTARIANS FEAR IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC "Whether it's low energy, irritability, sadness, poor concentration — there are specific things that we could be looking for if people aren't quite themselves." Shelley Peterson, Sun Life 69% Number of people who believe Ontario is headed for a mental health crisis as it emerges from the pandemic 79% Number of people who worry about what the future will look like after the outbreak is over 87% Number of people worried about the impact of the pandemic on the older generation 71% Number of people worried about the impact on the younger generation 69% Number of people concerned about the impact the pandemic has on their personal finances 36% Number of people more likely to feel their mental health has worsened than their physical health (26 per cent) Source: Forum Research

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