Wondering about an employee who hasn’t been as productive as usual?
She may have a mental illness or she may be suffering from “undue stress” in the workplace.
But employers can help. At Borden Ladner Gervais’s (BLG) mental health and the workplace seminar earlier this week in Toronto, employers were reminded of Canada’s national standard: Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.
Three months old as of April 16, this voluntary national standard was commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada to assist employers in promoting psychological health and preventing psychological harm.
According to the standard, mental health is more than simply the absence of mental illness, said Melany V. Franklin, a partner with BLG. “Mental health is the state of well-being.” A mentally healthy employee, she continued, is one who can cope with stresses and contribute to his or her community.
The standard indicates that employers need to focus on the areas where stress could be eliminated or controlled for in the workplace, and to continue to assess the workplace for these undue stresses (e.g., workplace bullying or changes in the workplace).
While the standard remains voluntary, Franklin told the audience that as more employers adopt it, any outlying employers will have to recognize that they need to follow suit. “They’ll need to realize that the piper may play for them.”