Exhaustion has hampered our resilience. On the occasion of Bell Let's Talk Day, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) hosted the talk Mental Health at Work: Prioritizing Staff Well-Being , which included Mr. Martin Enault, Ms. Danièle Henkel and Ms. Geneviève Provost. Here is what they had to say.

In 2018, a Morneau Shepell report reported that more than 500,000 employees were absent from work each week due to mental health issues. The associated costs were more than $50 billion, and that was before the pandemic.

By the end of 2020, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) revealed that the number of people reporting good mental health had dropped by another 23%, from two-thirds of the population to less than half. The figures for 2021 are not yet available, but it is easy to predict a drastic drop… Deloitte puts the figure at $2 trillion for 2041!

State of play

“After two years of health crisis, the awareness is clear: well-being is at the top of everyone's agenda, including in the corporate world,” assures Ms. Provost, Managing Partner, Province of Quebec and the Capitale-Nationale region at Deloitte.

86% of workers expect their employer to protect their mental health and 70% of employees in Canada are concerned about psychological health and safety at work, according to the MHCC. Furthermore, Ms. Provost adds that “82% of individuals are overworked, and 50% intend to leave their jobs,” worrying figures that illustrate the current emotional breakdown of the social fabric.

“The state of affairs is serious,” emphasizes Ms. Henkel. “We have already talked about employers being alone at the top and we must not forget the loneliness of employees linked to teleworking and the lack of social relations. Let’s not forget that the departures of some add an additional mass of work on the shoulders of others. We are all tired. This is the reality today. We must talk about it. We must not just say it, but we must find real solutions.”

Normalize the discourse

Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the CCMM, did not hesitate to confide that he has shared his fatigue with his employees in a very natural way in recent months. "That's how I started my newsletters. I'm crazy about it! This simple sentence open to employees allowed them, I think, to not feel alone and to be able, perhaps, to talk about their distress or exhaustion in turn."

This vulnerability that he evokes is also dear to the one who is at the head of Henkel Enterprises: “It is not a weakness or a task. We are often afraid of how we are perceived. However, it is authenticity. It is showing who we really are. Of course, hierarchy and respect always have their place, but approaching things in a human way can only reassure. We all go through ups and downs, and that does not mean that we are incompetent. I have my moments, and I understand when my employees have them too.”

Ms. Provost added: “Employee well-being is linked to their proximity to their leader. When it’s forced, people feel it. We have to overcome this stigma, and sometimes even self-stigma, which prevents people from opening up. We confide in those with whom we feel comfortable. The ability to share one’s journey and one’s own challenges, to say this is what I used to get through it, is a hand extended to others that has a real impact.”

Investing in mental health

Absenteeism, poor performance, burnout, resignation… the costs are high. Establishing a mental health management strategy that is linked to a return on investment is essential. At least that’s what a Deloitte report recommends. “In 2019, we measured it,” explains the director.

For every dollar invested in a corporate mental health program, the median ROI was $1.62, and after three years, that figure rose to $2.18. The rate of return increases over the years." To which Mr. Enault, an entrepreneur at Centech and chairman of the board of Relief, responds in the affirmative: "Programs can be expensive at the start, and even daunting for a small business, but the positive impact and long-term benefits, measured and documented, speak for themselves."

Training more humane leaders and managers is one of the main focuses. “Having individuals who are emotionally equipped and capable of intervening in a company is essential. Not necessarily all of them, but at least identified resource people.” He offers group training to small business entrepreneurs, to spread the costs. “Priorities are not the same for all managers, depending on the size of the company. If we explain to them the equation between employee well-being and cash flow, it speaks to them!”

A complex and significant challenge

"Right now, there is a reaction to the cries of alarm, we hear, we try to redirect to experts. We should also invest in prevention, says Ms. Henkel. Go to the source of the problems, look for the causes, even in schools and families. It is a complex issue."

“In Quebec, we put physical health and mental health in the same boat, but not everyone needs to be treated in hospital!” exclaims Mr. Enault. “I applaud the will and commitment of governments, but it’s still too little: mental health represents 6% of the health budget. However, the WHO says that a developed country should normally reach the 12 to 15% mark. Yes, we invest $200 or $300 million, but it’s just a drop in the ocean.” Bell, for its part, raised a record $130 million for the event this year.

Mr. Leblanc concluded with these words: "it is true that the health system is showing its major weaknesses. We are at a pivotal stage in the rebuilding of the system. Let's take advantage of this to do things differently."