Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER MARCH 2018 10 NEWS needed in terms of managing workplace stress and wellness." e company promoted a work blackout between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. that took some getting used to, said King. "Nobody believed that we were going to do this, nobody believed that you would not get emails or be expected to address emails af- ter seven o'clock at night." For law fi rm Stikeman Elliott, the first thing it did was "ac- knowledge that there is an issue," according to Shanin Lott, manag- ing director of talent and profes- sional resources. en it began a dialogue at town hall meetings, where managing partners talked about their experiences with men- tal health and their families. "The feedback was phenom- enal. All of a sudden, people were coming up and they were talking about that experience as well." e law fi rm also focused on creating a better work-life balance by encouraging lawyers to not work on vacation, help people to manage their own schedules, and not praise those who are working around the clock, said Lott. " at sends the wrong signal." e life of a lawyer comes with its own mental health issues, she said, such as stress, burnout, anxi- ety and depression. "Lawyers have overtaken den- tists as (having) the highest rate of suicide and it doesn't really matter if you are successful," she said. " ere's a great deal of pressure making decisions about people's lives, about their businesses; that has extreme consequences if you get them wrong," For AGS Rehab Solutions, it was bottom-line fi nancial results that alerted the company to a problem. "We've seen the claims go up and up and up," said Addie Greco- Sanchez, president of AGS. So AGS appointed a leader as the company's mental health consultant who was working on her master's in mental health. It also held potluck lunches which helped by "engaging people, mak- ing people feel really good about being at work and really opening that dialogue," she said. e key to better mental health is beginning the dialogue, said Greco-Sanchez. "We had one employee who said, 'My mental health is none of your business.' ... But within about a year, he changed his tune when he actually learned that he had his own mental health struggles." In 2013, AGS signed up for three-year case study with the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). e company also encourages employees to volunteer in the community. " ere is some great science behind volunteering and how good it makes you feel," said Greco-Sanchez. AGS Rehab's work was rec- ognized last year by Excellence Canada (originally known as the National Quality Institute and founded in 1992 by Industry Canada) with a gold medal for its eff orts supporting mental health at work in 2017. "It really is about taking action and it's also about putting re- sources to the cause,'" said Greco- Sanchez. "You need to appoint a champion. You need to put a budget toward this and you need to be serious about being commit- ted to it." Opening up dialogue leads to positive results MENTAL HEALTH < pg. 7 5 recommendations Together with a consortium of national and international leaders in mental health including the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Government of Canada, NHS England, mhNOW and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the two-day conference showcased the leadership of Canadian organizations and other international best practices in workplace mental health. Other advisory committee representation included executives from the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, Morneau Shepell, Thomson Reuters (publishers of Canadian HR Reporter), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Business Council, One Mind, citiesRISE, CivicAction, NAV Canada and Johnson & Johnson. As a result of the discussions, several items were prioritized as important next steps to effect transformative change and continue the focus on this critical topic: 1. Develop a comprehensive learning tool for schools (particularly in the undergraduate and graduate business programs) that addresses coping skills for mental health challenges among peers. 2. Ensure evidence-based and effective training programs for dealing with mental health issues in the workplace are available for roll out to all sizes of organizations and all levels of management. 3. Support this program with an easy-to-access/reference business case supporting the need for implementation. 4. Include a section on dealing with mental health challenges in all workplace safety certifi cation programs (current and in development). 5. Call to action for Canada to champion mental health during the 2018 G7 Presidency, and other international forums, through transformative leadership that mobilizes global action on workplace mental health. "It really is about taking action and putting resources to the cause. You need to appoint a champion. You need to put a budget toward this."

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