During a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Mental Health Summit in June, three plan sponsors discussed whether the size of an employer impacts its ability to support workers’ mental health.
Telus Communications Inc., which has roughly 30,000 employees, has developed a mental-health strategy that recognizes the whole employee based on five wellness dimensions — namely physical, psychological, social, financial and environmental well-being, said Janet Young, the telecommunications company’s director of well-being, health services and people.
Read: 2024 Vancouver Benefits Summit: How Telus is making well-being, mental health a cultural priority
These five dimensions are interlocking and this approach helps the organization address and support workers’ mental health through an holistic approach. “We all know many elements of your health and well-being, day to day, can impact how you are doing mentally, whether that’s your finances or your social connections or the environment that you’re in. Those things can all influence well-being, so we look at well-being from that perspective, which includes a huge focus on mental health.”
At Flight Centre Travel Group, which has more than 800 Canadian employees and more than 2,300 workers across North America, mental health is addressed through several wellness initiatives, said Anna Fisher, the travel company’s director of health and wellness.
These initiatives include the company’s ‘Hour of Power’ program, which encourages employees to take 60 minutes to work on their physical or mental health, as well as mental-health training for managers to better support workers’ psychological wellness and a company podcast that addresses mental-health topics.
Also speaking during the session, Kirsten l’Anson, vice-president of people and culture at Community Savings Credit Union, said the financial services company, which has roughly 90 employees, has increased its focus on employee mental health in recent years.
Read: Flight Centre wins award for mental-health training, efforts to reduce stigma
As part of its mental-health strategy, the plan sponsor has brought in registered clinical counsellors to talk about access to therapy and encourages workers to share their mental-health journey with colleagues. It also regularly promotes mental-health offerings available in its’ employee benefits plan.
“The breadth of scope of our roles [are much wider in] a small organization,” she said. “My team wears many hats, but [when you’re] very driven about what you’re doing, [it can be] exceptionally impactful. . . . As long as you have a leadership team that truly believes in the value of mental health support, you can achieve a mighty amount.”
While larger organizations often have access to more resources than their smaller counterparts, it doesn’t necessarily mean these employers have larger budgets for mental-health supports, said Young.
“I know of large organizations that have very modest [mental-health] budgets and I know some small organizations that have really robust budgets. . . . I think there’s some element of relativity . . . because if the cost [of a particular benefit] to a large employer is $1.5 million, the cost to a small employer might be $15,000.”
Read: Community Savings reducing mental-health stigma through wellness supports, advocacy work
While the coronavirus pandemic meant a 50 per cent reduction in Flight Centre’s Canadian workforce, Fisher noted the health crisis led the company to significantly increase its focus on mental-health support for its remaining employees.
“As far as fundamental principles go, the importance of mental-health support exceeds the size of the company, so regardless of the scale of operations to organization, [employers] have a responsibility to prioritize the well-being of its employees.”
This approach is exemplified by Community Savings Credit Union, which recently increased its coverage for mental-health counselling from $200 to $2,000 per employee per year. The employer has also tapped into external expertise by working with members of the psychotherapy program at the University of British Columbia to develop a report on men’s mental health, said l’Anson, noting this report has helped guide the employer’s approach to supporting workers’ mental wellness.
“[The report] validated some of what we’re already embarking on and it gives us a roadmap of what there is left to do. For us, that sort of evidence-based approach to promoting mental-health support in the workplace is so important.”
Read more coverage of the 2024 Mental Health Summit.