The cumulative cost of mental illness is estimated to reach $2.5 trillion by 2041, according to a report by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation.
The coronavirus pandemic led many to seek out help, which subsequently increased mental-health costs. “We saw people who were obviously quite isolated,” says Dr. Donna Ferguson, a clinical psychologist at CAMH. “With hybrid work — people working from home and not in their normal environment at work — that created a lot of issues for people from a mental-health perspective.”
However, even without the trailing issues of the pandemic, the workplace embodies other risks, including long hours, job insecurity and conflicting work and personal demands. Ferguson also points to workplace strain, such as bullying and harassment.
Read: Psychological safety, DEI rising considerations in workplace mental-health support
“Sometimes people are working in environments where they feel like they’re not respected or not heard or they actually feel like they’re being harassed at work and the environment is not a safe one. They’re having mental-health issues because of those reasons.”
In terms of risks and cost, mental health continues to be a “driving concern” for employers, says Jennifer Schmidt, partner and innovation leader at Mercer. It’s better to have “engaged, healthy and productive employees — and it’s also cheaper to support them before they go on disability [leave] than to pay for a disability claim.”
More progressive employers are implementing initiatives that promote prevention, healthy lifestyles and access to care, she adds.
By the numbers
• 17% of Canadian benefits plan members self-reported their mental health as poor in 2024, comparable to 2023 (18%) and down slightly from 2022 (22%).
• 22% of respondents reported they’re currently dealing with a diagnosed mental-health condition, such as depression or anxiety.
• Among this group, 54% rated their mental health as poor.
• Poor mental health was highest among those who reported poor social health (49%), a sense of isolation or disconnection from the community (40%) and loneliness (39%).
• 53% of those with poor mental health felt their workplace environment doesn’t support mental wellness.
Source: The 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey
Access to care, choice
American Express Canada is one employer that’s taking access to care to a new level.
In 2023, the credit card company brought mental-health support directly to its employees by offering an onsite counsellor. “[Employees] find it easy,” says Annette Kingsley, the organization’s vice-president of colleague experience. “[They’re] working and may be going through a challenging time.
“With our onsite counsellor, [employees] can carve time out of their day in the workplace to speak to someone. We wanted them to have no barriers to see someone.”
According to Ferguson, another way to remove barriers is to provide options for employees to access counselling. “It’s about having a few more options for people, so they can have that level of confidentiality. They can have that level of choice.”
Read: Amex Canada supporting employee well-being with onsite counselling, enhanced mental-health resources
While American Express Canada previously offered access to an online counsellor, feedback indicated it was sometimes difficult for employees to make the first call to set up an appointment. That’s one reason the company introduced an onsite counsellor.
“We started with one day a week,” says Kingsley, noting the counsellor “was getting booked up quickly so she’s now onsite two days a week.”
Though offering access to a professional counsellor or psychotherapist onsite is a cost, from an organizational perspective, “employees feel comfortable,” she says. In addition, the onsite counsellor is readily available to address a range of concerns, such as stress management, relationship issues, grief and anxiety.
Steps to Implementation
For employers considering bringing in an onsite counsellor, it’s important to first consider the relationship aspect, says Kingsley, noting it takes time for a counsellor to build trust with employees.
“Don’t simply set the person up to schedule appointments immediately.”
American Express Canada’s counsellor began by offering lunch and learns to build employees’ comfort levels.
Another consideration is privacy, says Ferguson, adding some employees will decide not to take advantage of an onsite counsellor because the service is based at their workplace. American Express Canada’s onsite counsellor is set up in a private space at the company’s health centre in Toronto and doesn’t schedule back-to-back appointments.
Read: 72% of Canadian workers prioritizing mental health: survey
The counsellor must also gel with the company’s culture. “We interviewed many counsellors, making sure they understood our diversity and inclusion and different demographics,” says Kingsley. “We didn’t want a clinician.”
And when considering access, employers with staff based in different locations must make sure the benefit is equitable across its workforce “If you’re a distributed national company, how do you ensure everybody has the same access?” says Schmidt.
While American Express Canada’s onsite counsellor is in its Toronto headquarters, employees who aren’t based in that office have access to online counselling services.
Read: 70% of global employers seeing ROI on employee well-being programs: survey
Finally, and most important, according to Kingsley, is ensuring the senior leadership team is talking about the benefits and modalities of counselling, including why the service is being offered onsite. “This can’t be a [human resources] thing. It’s a leadership thing.”
With labour force challenges in some industries, “a differentiator often noticed by younger people is how an organization treats its employees, how it designs its jobs and how it supports through prevention and access,” says Schmidt.
“That’s really important because attraction and retention issues are real, especially for key talent, so having a psychologically safe environment and access to tools that will help employees manage day-to-day health — both physical and mental — is going to be a differentiator.”
Brooke Smith is a freelance writer.