Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 03

34 / Canadian Government Executive // May/June 2018 mental health W ith today’s growing aware- ness of mental health, or- ganizations across Canada are increasingly finding ways to introduce mental health services as part of their wellness programs. The Royal Canadian Mint (the Mint) is among the first Crown corporations to integrate mental health resources as part of its workplace wellness program, and contin- ues to innovate as technology and work- ers’ needs change. From the factory floor to the corner of- fice, the Mint has over 1,000 employees across the country who vary in age, skill level and background. For any organiza- tion, this level of diversity can make it challenging to deliver a wellness pro- gram that is consistently relevant, equal and accessible for all employees.“Because employees are split across shifts, have lim- ited computer access and, in some cases, limited computer skills, we had to be cre- ative in promoting and delivering our pro- gram,” said Jennifer Richardson, Director, Corporate Health, Safety and Environ- ment at the Royal Canadian Mint. To help overcome these obstacles, the Mint partnered in 2009 with LifeSpeak, a digital platform that provides employees and their family members around-the- clock access to North American experts in wellness and preventative health. The platform seamlessly integrates into any organization’s workplace wellness pro- gram and has played a key role in building awareness of mental health issues, while providing easy and confidential access to information for all employees. Introducing a mental health program is not always an easy task. Based on the Mint’s experience, the following are some recommendations on how to maximize the effectiveness of a program from its early stages to long-term sustainability. Get employee buy-in A critical challenge during the initial stag- es of introducing new tools or programs is employee cooperation. A key component of the Mint’s success was getting buy-in from leadership, which helped the culture quickly develop into one that values and prioritizes mental health. When dealing with a diverse workforce, it is essential to offer the same level of sup- port regardless of a person’s level within the organization, working hours or loca- tion. One of the best ways to ensure the sustainability of your program is to make it easy for employees to access well-being resources whenever they need themmost. The Mint also drove interest in and use of its program through a widely publi- cized internal mental health and wellness campaign. “We established a calendar of monthly topics where LifeSpeak was our central tool used to improve conversa- tion skills around mental health,” said Richardson. “On the first Monday of every month, our Directors received an email on a specific topic and with links to the vid- eos we wanted them to view and share with their teams. Because of this intiative, we saw our utilization double over the previous year.” To keep the subject top of mind, nurses and health and safety team members regularly presented content and shared links with employees. Make sure content is relevant As with any wellness program, it must keep pace with current health innova- tion, news and lifestyle trends. The Mint committed to supporting and engaging employees by regularly updating content, encouraging open dialogue, and tackling difficult issues other companies might shy away from. “Through our EFAP utilization data and our annual mental health sur- vey, we were able to ascertain that stress and anxiety were top of mind for our em- ployees going into 2017,” added Richard- son. “As such, our monthly conversations were focused on these two topics, and we equipped our people managers with in- formation to allow them to speak to their employees in a meaningful way.” By offering a digital option, users are guaranteed complete confidentiality 24/7 when accessing content, which is espe- cially important when dealing with sensi- tive topics such as addiction and suicide. Offering a variety of media from videos to podcasts to tip sheets, in English and French, helps to ensure the options are relevant to everyone. Integrate new tools within current wellness support in a cost-effective way There are several ways organizations can integrate new tools and learning opportu- nities to push timely and relevant content to employees. For example, video links to experts, check-lists, podcasts and quiz- zes, which are updated on a regular basis. Onsite nurses, health and safety teams and HR personnel at the Mint often pull content from LifeSpeak monthly to share with employees. This ongoing exposure is significant in that it helps employees navigate relevant information more easily and effectively. Rather than employees having to search in several disconnected areas to find informa- tion – everything from benefits and policies to mental health resources – they can now access them through a single platform. Measure success While numbers are one part of evaluating success, it is important to consider both quantitative and qualitative data to fully understand the effectiveness of your well- ness program. Over the nine years since implement- ing the program, Mint employee usage of the platform has increased from 87 to 240 per cent (based on aggregated statistics to protect employee anonymity), and in the last two years, 79 per cent of respondents reported an increase in awareness around mental health because of the program. Those numbers continue to grow, which is a testament to a corporate culture that encourages education and acceptance of mental health awareness and support. “Because of our program, we have normal- ized conversations about mental health in the workplace, and our employees are ac- cessing the tools we have in place as mea- sure of prevention,” said Richardson. The organization has been able to maintain the momentum over an extended period, and it has resulted in improved employee well-being and productivity. A nna M ittag (LL.B., BCL) is VP of Operations at LifeSpeak, a digital plat- form that offers employees around- the-clock access to a wide range of topics related to total well-being. Write to her at annamittag@lifespeak. com or visit https://lifespeak.com . By Anna Mittag The Mint brings mental health services into workplace wellness