Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER June 12, 2017 24 FEATURES CAREpath is the only Canadian Health Care navigation program of its kind offered in Canada. We have extensive experience in navigating Canadians through the health care system. Cancer Assistance Seniors' Care Assistance HealthCare Assist Your Wellness Partner MENTAL HEALTH The importance of training for mental health Choosing right program critical to ensuring maximum effectiveness By Jacqueline Delfosse and Denise Richardson M any Canadian employ- ers have come to real- ize that supporting and promoting workplace mental health off ers real advantages in terms of reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and bet- ter overall employee well-being. And yet only 39 per cent have implemented a mental health strategy, according to the Con- ference Board of Canada's 2016 study Healthy Brains at Work: Employer-Sponsored Mental Health Bene ts and Programs. One of the reasons why — cited by 32 per cent of the 239 respondents — was a lack of corporate knowl- edge on how to do so. ere is no single approach applicable to all workforces: An eff ective mental health strategy focuses on specifi c workplace needs. However, even very diverse organizations agree that one essential component for a mental health strategy is train- ing — although exactly when, how and who receives that train- ing varies. Prep work Before off ering a mental health training program, it is valuable to develop a comprehensive strategy so the organization has a clear idea of how training fi ts into the big picture and complements other wellness initiatives. at involves understanding what issues exist in the workplace, what needs to change and how training can help eff ect the transformation. "It's not enough to simply estab- lish a need for mental health train- ing," says Holly Britton, manager of health, wellness and safety at Durham Regional Police Ser- vices (DRPS) in Ontario. " at's relatively easy to do, especially if people managers are requesting guidance. What's important is to identify what you want the train- ing to accomplish and how you will measure success." Even before an organization determines how training fi ts into its mental health strategy, it is im- portant to "lay the groundwork," according to Mike Murray, man- ager of HR and employee well- ness at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont. And at his organization, that means communicating the tools available for staff . "First, we informed employees about support that was already available to them," he says. " is was followed by developing a com- prehensive, multi-year communi- cation program with an emphasis on the importance of good mental health as a natural extension of the company's previous focus on phys- ical health and fi tness. We wanted to help employees see that going to a psychiatrist was the same as go- ing to a dentist." Another important preliminary step may be gaining the support of senior leadership. e fact that leaders at DRPS were committed helped set the tone for the organi- zation's work culture aspirations, says Britton. "We're in the fi rst-responder industry, so our employees often experience stress and trauma," she says. "A top-down approach led by our innovative leadership team was especially important in our case for reducing stigma and gaining traction for the program." In some cases, having the lead- ers themselves take mental health training early in the process of de- veloping a strategy can help gain their support. Equally important is ensuring the organization "walks the talk" and its human resources policies and procedures are aligned with its mental health strategy. This step will always require a review of guidelines but, in some cases, may necessitate a revamp of the disabil- ity absence management process. Training that fi ts Not all mental health training pro- grams are alike, so options need to be considered carefully. "The fundamental first step is to fi nd a provider that under- stands your organization's culture and challenges," says Glorianna Shearme, health and wellness consultant at the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) in Yellowknife. Once an employer settles on a program, it may be a good idea to "test drive" the training on a small group — the HR team, for ex- ample — to see if it's appropriate or if any tweaks need to be made before implementing across the organization, says Murray. For many employers, fl exibility in how the program is delivered is essential. e GNWT imple- mented mental health training in January 2016. To address the high cost of travelling to and from Northern Canada, the govern- ment chose a provider that off ered online training. "Organizations facing similar challenges should fi nd a provider that can deliver training in diff er- ent ways, such as online training or in a classroom," says Shearme. "Webinars provide an oppor- tunity to train staff who work in remote regions and allow them equal access to training." is fl exibility can be especially important if an organization de- cides to offer different training for various roles. For example, the GNWT off ers one-hour mental health webinars to employees, she says. Additionally, managers and supervisors can sign up for half-day workshops that teach them how to recognize signs an employee may be dealing with an issue, and pro- vide them with a framework for supporting the employee. It is also important to keep an open mind and consider other op- tions if eff orts miss the mark. "Our initial training session in 2016 was a two-day mental health training program in which 700 managers would have learned, in a fair amount of detail, about mental health diagnosis and treat- ment," says Murray. "We found that to be too cumbersome and too detailed (gave too much in- formation to absorb) so we have made the training more bite-sized and brought in external trainers to speak to smaller groups." Bruce Power wants managers to notice changes in behaviour from "normal" and to know what to do — but not try to diagnose or recommend treatment, he says. "We fi nd that interactive learn- ing is much more eff ective. By creating a dialogue, people learn from each other and build a net- work of resources from amongst their co-workers." Measure culture change It is difficult for employers to gauge whether they have im- proved mental health in the work- place, as culture shift is challeng- ing to measure. Bruce Power implemented pre- and post-training surveys as part of their process. A baseline sur- vey before the employee training primarily asked how comfortable employees felt discussing mental health issues — both their own and other employees' perceived strug- gles — and the same survey was conducted again post-training. "We were pleased to see results that indicate lower stigma and a greater willingness to talk," says Murray. ere are also more concrete measures, such as decreases in disability absence at DRPS, says Britton, but there is more of a sense that training is having a positive impact. "Our managers feel more comfortable asking their reports if they're OK." Metrics to evaluate the ef- fectiveness of mental health ini- tiatives are under review at the GNWT, according to Shearme. "Employees, however, want ad- ditional in-person training to al- low for more in-depth discussion, and managers want support, such as hands-on tools, to assist them in having conversations with em- ployees with mental health issues." e GNWT is acting on these requests through updates to its employee and family assistance site, and additions to its learning and development calendar. Mental health training is one initiative in a larger strategy to address workplace mental health. But to maximize eff ectiveness, it is important to ensure the organiza- tion has not only laid the ground- work for training, but has chosen the most appropriate program. "Health and wellness in the workplace requires organizational resources, but it's worthwhile be- cause we value our employees as people," says Shearme. Both at Morneau Shepell in Toronto, Jacqueline Delfosse is senior consul- tant of workplace learning solutions, and Denise Richardson is direc- tor of workplace learning solutions. For more information, visit www. morneaushepell.com. "We wanted to help employees see that going to a psychiatrist was the same as going to a dentist." The Spoke Club, Toronto, ON August 24 & 25, 2017 October 19 & 20, 2017 EQ-i 2.0 / EQ 360 CERTIFICATION www.viewpointleadership.ca/certification Help Others Develop their Emotional Intelligence and Become Certified with Multi-Health Systems

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