A healthy workplace includes support for mental health
August 2011
Recently, The Co-operators Life Insurance Company partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Saskatchewan Division to help create more awareness of the benefits of a healthy workplace with a focus on mental health.
Among their many services, CMHA provides a variety of resources including workshops and webinars on mental health topics, which are available for plan sponsors. Taking a proactive approach to mental health can help plan sponsors take care of their plan members and avoid unnecessary claims, or shorten the duration of some disability claims.
More ways to help plan members
Other excellent resources available to plan sponsors and their plan members include:
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) that provide some counselling sessions to those requesting help, as well as assistance for managers wanting to help their employees.
- Our disability team also provides Early Intervention Services for clients with self administered short term disability programs to help their employees recover and get back to work sooner.
Contact your Group Business Development Manager if your clients are interested in accessing the CMHA webinars, or for more information about EAP and Early Intervention Services.
Did you know?
According to the CMHA, mental health issues account for approximately one third of disability claims industry wide.
- Approximately 500,000 Canadians miss work each day because of mental health issues.
- Mental health is often affected by stress in the workplace. The more an employer knows about it, the more likely they can manage stress levels appropriately.
- Mental illness must be addressed early to limit duration of claims as well as the impact on the employee, workplace and disability costs associated with the illness.
