Workplace Mental Health and Stress

Transcription

1 Workplace Mental Health and Stress Possibilities and Emerging Issues Sue Freeman, MSc Marketing CCOHS Mental Health at Work Team Member Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

2 Who is? Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) Established in 1978 by an Act of Parliament Governed by a tripartite council Promotes the total well-being physical, psychosocial and mental health of working Canadians Our vision is to ensure that every worker comes home safely, every day 2

3 Brief Introduction/Overview Mental Health: Workplace Possibilities Workplace Stress: Emerging Issues Survey Choices CCOHS Journey to Date Best Practice Tools and Resources 3

4 Mental Health: Workplace Possibilities

5 Mental Health Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community Source: The World Health Organization (WHO) 5

6 Workplace Possibilities Creating a mentally healthy workplace leads to: Higher job satisfaction, engagement, morale, retention and productivity and boosts civility and respect Strengthens working/team relationships and can help reduce lost time due to mental health issues Encourages people who are facing challenges to seek help sooner Improves health and safety overall and makes good organizational sense 6

7 Mental Health at Work People with mental health issues successfully work across the full spectrum of workplaces Some people choose to disclose their mental illness and some do not Most importantly, people with a mental illness can succeed or fail just like any other worker 7

8 Why learn about mental health? Up to 1 in 3 of employees will experience some form of mental impairment during their working lives Most frequent issues are depression, anxiety, and misuse of alcohol and other drugs Stigma can be a barrier to progress at work recognize that mental health issues can affect anyone at any time 8

9 Adult Statistics in Canada Source: 9

10 Source: 98_Infographic_e.jpg 10

11 National Psychological Standard Focuses on workplace health and safety 13 Factors including Protecting Physical Safety Voluntary National Standard Free until 2018 English and French Download:

12 The 13 Factors and Beyond Consider variables that affect mental health: Harassment, Violence, Bullying and Mobbing Presenteeism Substance Use, Misuse and Abuse at Work Demand/Control and Effort/Reward Relationships Job Burnout Stigma and Discrimination Source: Adapted from "Workplace Mental Health Promotion, A How-To Guide" from The Health Communication Unit at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario available at: Workplace Mental Health: Core Concepts & Issues 12

13 Workplace Stress: Emerging Issues

14 Workplace Stress The Stress Reaction Increased cholesterol and fatty acids in blood for energy production systems Increased metabolism, faster heart rate and respiration Source: WHSC, Occupational Health & Safety: A Training Manual, 1982 Decreased protein synthesis, digestion, immune and allergic response systems 14

15 Workplace Stress in General Refers to potentially negative physical or mental tensions A stressor is any event or situation that an individual perceives as a threat Can come from both good and bad experiences Consider: without positive stress, there would be no productivity or engagement Becomes an issue when people become overwhelmed Source: Adapted from

16 CCOHS Work Stress Quiz Workplace Stress is likely to be present where: Employees have little to no opportunity for advancement There is too much to do in too little time Rumours about the organization s future are not addressed by management Work must be completed with outdated technologies or with equipment in disrepair There is a lack of trust or constant tension in the workplace Source: Adapted from CCOHS Online Course, Stress in the Workplace 16

17 CCOHS Work Stress Quiz Workplace Stress is likely to be present where: Employees have little to no opportunity for advancement There is too much to do in too little time Rumours about the organization s future are not addressed by management Work must be completed with outdated technologies or with equipment in disrepair There is a lack of trust or constant tension in the workplace All of the above! Source: Adapted from CCOHS Online Course, Stress in the Workplace 17

18 Chronic Stress-Mayo Clinic The long-term activation of the stress response system and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body s processes increased risk of numerous health problem, including: Anxiety, Depression, Digestive Problems, Heart Disease, Sleep Problems, Weight Gain, Memory and Concentration Impairment Source: Mayo Clinic 2004, Courtesy of J. Oudyk, OHCOW Hamilton Clinic, Ontario

19 Stressed Workers-Canada In Stats-Can Survey 2010 report (Compton, 2011): 27% of working adults in Canada aged report most days their lives were quite or extremely stressful Why? Survey indicates that 6 out of 10 workers cited work as main reason (62%) over time management and finances (12% for both of these) for their high-stress condition Source: Compton, Susan. What s Stressing the Stressed? Main sources of stress among workers, Stats Canada

20 Work & Stress-Dr. David Posen Posen s Prescription: two ways to eliminate stress: Get rid of what s there e.g. exercise or meditate Eliminate the source e.g. overwhelming workload, unrealistic deadlines, difficult supervisor In truth, it is a combination of both individual stress management and changing organizational stress factors Source: Is Work Killing You? A Doctor s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress, House of Anansi Press, Toronto (2013), p. 291,

21 Survey Choices

22 Guarding Work 22

23 Guarding Work 13 Factors are ways to measure the way work is carried out and the context in which work occurs Source:

24 COPSOQ Survey COPSOQ means Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (Short, Medium and Long versions) Focuses on measuring psychosocial hazards including stress, e.g. work demands, organization, relationships, values and offensive behaviours Does not measure PF5 (meaning: Psychological Competencies & Requirements) e.g. Emotional Intelligence, Self Motivation, Job Fit Measures factors beyond Guarding Work Source:

25 COPSOQ Survey Provides a series of tools, including COPSOQ modified survey, to help take action on regarding the organizational factors that contribute to workplace stress and mental distress Source:

26 COPSOQ Survey Mental Injury Tool (MIT) Group COPSOQ version also had Organizational Culture questions added: How would you rate the psychological health and safety climate in your workplace? To what extent would you agree that the culture of this organization tolerates behavior that harms the mental health of those that work here? Source:

27 COPSOQ Survey Mental Injury Tool Group also added Safety Factors (10) to ensure they were measured: 1) Radiation (ionizing and non-ionizing) 2) Driving hazards 3) Biological hazards 4) Dangerous chemicals 5) Workstation ergonomics Source:

28 COPSOQ Survey Mental Injury Tool Group also added Safety Factors (10) to ensure they were measured: 6) Physical factors (noise, lighting) 7) Thermal comfort 8) Air quality 9) Safety hazards 10) Working alone Source:

29 CCOHS Journey to Date

30 CCOHS Journey to Date Why? The big questions are always WHY and HOW let s discuss WHY? Right thing to do Moral, ethical, good for business Leader in health and safety field Share our successes, challenges, best practices to help Canadians 30

31 CCOHS Healthy Workplace Model 31

32 CCOHS Journey to Date How? HOW are we doing this Created a new workplace committee/team 5 individuals represented by 1 manager/champion and 4 workers All from different Service Units which brought different knowledge areas to the table June 2015 Results of Discussion Group Facilitation 32

33 CCOHS Journey to Date How? HOW are we doing this Put together project charter Outlined goals, objectives/deliverables, outcomes/measures Set target dates for each step and tracking June 2015 Results of Discussion Group Facilitation 33

34 CCOHS Journey to Date How? Scope of project was important decided that we weren t addressing individual s mental health but rather focus efforts on the workplace/organizational factors that could negatively and/or positively affect someone s mental health at work 34

35 CCOHS Journey to Date How? Collectively reviewed the Standard document Evaluated various tools to help with implementation MIT/COPSOQ, Guarding Work Selected Guarding Work Surveyed all staff using the Guarding Work survey We had 80% response rate 35

36 CCOHS Journey to Date How? Our survey report indicated 1 red flag and 4 significant concerns Just a quick background on GM@W: 68 question survey Received report, broken down by Risk Factor Average score out of 20 and fall into a range of Serious Concern / Significant Concern / Minimal Concern / Relative Strength 36

37 COPSOQ and Guarding Minds Differences in surveys/deployment: COPSOQ (worker-oriented) requires some support & intervention e.g. Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) helps people deploy survey Guarding Work Survey (managementoriented) created primarily for organizations who need to deploy a turn-key survey e.g. pre-determined reports, outlines basic advice Also, what is measured between two surveys differs 37

38 Survey Results 2013 Continue to focus in on what was prioritized by survey respondents: Organizational Culture Clear leadership and expectations Civility and respect Growth and development 38

39 Mental Health Team Timeline 39

40 Mental Health Team Timeline 40

41 Key Steps at CCOHS Highlighted Action Items: Review policies and procedures, including workplace harassment/bullying/violence, civility & respect, values & ethics Change Management re: psychological assessment and organizational health factors A multi-year, active participant in Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) case study sharing successes and challenges 41

42 Best Practice Resources and Tools

43 Federal Joint Learning Programme Offers jointly-delivered (Labour and Management) in-class training including Mental Health in the Workplace: Fostering Psychological Health and Safety 43

44 Federal Joint Learning Programme A few objectives of the Mental Health in the Workplace (MHW) workshop include: Build awareness about he continuum of mental health in ww.jlp-pam.ca/ the workplace plus compare myths and misconceptions about mental health problems with factual information Discuss the legal responsibilities and the roles that help ensure healthy workplaces Discuss key factors that support recovery from mental health problems and what actions can be taken to support a psychologically safe workplace 44

45 CCOHS Tools and Resources 45

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52 Best Practice Tools & Resources

53 Tools & Resources Assembling the Pieces: An Implementation Guide to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace mplementation-guide Psychological Health and Safety: An Action Guide for Employers Guarding Minds at Work

54 Tools & Resources Mental Injury Tool (MIT) Group on OHCOW site (English) Measure Workplace Stress App (English) Healthy Minds at Work portal - CCOHS Mental Health - CCOHS Resources

55 Thank You For further information: Sue Freeman Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety