Mental and psychological health concerns can have a significant impact on the way we think about ourselves, relate to others, and interact with our environment. They affect our thoughts, feelings, abilities and behaviours. Employees with mental and psychological health issues may doubt their abilities and competency, feel and act less confident or less productive, experience a sense of paranoia with their surrounding s or co-workers, have difficulty concentrating or learning, lose their ability to make decisions, take more time off work, or have difficulties building and maintaining relationships with their supervisors, co-workers, or other stakeholders.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has reported that the effects of mental health issues include: loss in productivity, interpersonal conflicts, disruptions at work and at home, absenteeism, and presenteeism (working while physically or mentally ill). Access to additional healthcare and support programs to address the effects of mental health concerns is costing the Canadian economy 50 billion dollars a year and another estimate indicates that it can top 2.5 trillion dollars over the next 30 years. Every organization should make caring for employee mental health a priority in their corporate wellness program.
Link to video “What is the impact of mental health in the workplace?” by the Globe and Mail.
