Canadian HR Reporter

risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors FEATURES Credit: AFPics (Shutterstock) Better management practices can help reduce effects of mental illness BENEFITS By Virginie Gosselin I n any given week, more than half-a- million Canadians are unable to work because of mental health problems, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. At the same time, mental illness is one of the fastest-growing diagnostic categories, which represent one in three disability claims in the country, and it is estimated to cost the Canadian economy more than $50 billion per year. Employers are facing a mental health cri- sis — one that's having devastating impacts on individuals, families and workplaces. And the problem is only getting worse. Against this backdrop, researchers from three Canadian universities set out to iden- tify the risk factors that trigger major men- tal health disorders (psychological distress, depression and burnout) and provide an- swers about what employers can do to help reduce the eff ects of mental illness in the workplace. For the Salveo Study (Salveo is Latin for "to be well"), researchers studied 2,162 em- ployees with an average age of 41. Employ- ees came from 63 organizations of all sizes. e research included interviews with 75 HR managers and looked at the impact of management practices on mental health claims. In addition to fi lling out questionnaires consisting of nearly 300 questions, 401 of the study participants agreed to have their saliva tested to determine their levels of cor- tisol, a stress-related hormone. " e decision to include saliva testing made the study quite unique," says Pierre Durand, co-lead on the study at the Univer- sité de Montréal. " is is something that has never been done before in the Canadian workplace. It's pretty common for an employee to say, 'I'm feeling burned out' but here, we could actually look at their cortisol levels in con- cert with their questionnaire responses and it provided yet another level of credibility." Over a period of about two years, re- searchers analyzed the work life, home life and individual characteristics of the em- ployees who took part in the study. Results from the questionnaires were matched with employees' biological indicators, including their cortisol levels. Following fi ve years of data analysis, the Salveo researchers identifi ed fi ve manage- ment practices that can help companies lower mental health and disability claim rates in their organizations. " ere are specifi c management practic- es that can positively impact mental health claim rates," says Alain Marchand, co-lead- er of the study and a professor at the School of Industrial Relations at the Université de Montréal. " ese practices are proving to be par- ticularly eff ective in the prevention of men- tal health problems in the workplace and reducing disability claim costs." e researchers made several fi ndings: • Designing jobs, employees' direct partici- pation and promoting autonomy has an 87 per cent probability of reducing claims. • Enhancing work-life balance opportuni- ties has a 77 per cent probability of reduc- ing claims. • Employee recognition programs have a 74 per cent probability of reducing claims. • Promoting physical activities has a 69 per cent probability of reducing claims. • Implementing strategies to help employ- ees maintain a reasonable workload in particular (demands) has a 64 per cent probability of reducing claims. "Taking these actions can make a posi- tive impact in your workplace," says Chris MacDonald, assistant vice-president of wellness, disability and life at Manulife in Kitchener, Ont., which participated in the study. "It's easy to say that some of this is in- tuitive. Of course, we should all treat our employees right. But this data serves to reinforce that when you implement these steps, not only are your employees better off , but your company also gets rewarded by having less people going off work and fewer disability claims." Variety of factors e study revealed that psychological dis- tress, depression and burnout are linked to both personal and workplace issues, which may have an impact on absenteeism and presenteeism. The researchers compiled tables il- lustrating the key organizational and in- dividual factors contributing to mental health disorders. Some of the prominent factors included psychological demands, abusive or aggressive behaviours and work insecurity. Some of the prominent individual fac- tors included marital stress, parental stress, work-family conflicts, being a woman, chronic health problems and abusive alco- hol consumption. Integrated approach has impact Organizations that adopt an integrated ap- proach, targeting stressful workplace con- ditions and individuals, are more eff ective than other organizations in preventing ab- senteeism due to mental health problems. For example, if an organization's manage- ment practices target both stressful work- place conditions and employees, the orga- nization will be almost three times more likely to experience lower mental health claims and costs and prevent absenteeism due to mental health issues. Companies of all sizes ere's a common misconception that well- ness programs and strategies are only acces- sible to larger organizations. However, the research validated that even if someone is working for a small or medium-sized com- pany, there are many things the employer can do to help reduce mental health claims. " is is a really important point," says MacDonald. "Companies often say, 'We're too small for that to be eff ective' but the research has shown that's not really the case." A few examples of eff ective management practices at small and medium-sized com- panies would include controlling employ- ees' workloads, reducing hours, increasing work autonomy, providing a clear career path, encouraging exercise in the workplace and providing fl exible working hours. Taking action on mental health "Taking a strategic approach can have a positive impact on employees' level of en- gagement and productivity, and help lower mental health and disability claim rates," says MacDonald. "Our hope is that the fi ndings from this study will help encourage HR managers to raise mental health as a critical issue in boardrooms across Canada. Leadership teams need to understand that investments will pay signifi cant dividends down the road, in terms of a healthier, more produc- tive workforce and lower mental health and disability claim rates." Virginie Gosselin is a health and wellness senior consultant at Manulife in Montreal. e Salveo Study was conducted jointly by the Université de Montréal, Université Laval and Concordia Uni- versity, in partnership with Manulife, and was co-led by professors Alain Marchand and Pierre Durand from the Université de Montréal. risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors risk factors 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