Supporting mental health in the workplace

Mental health is a workplace issue. It is a fundamental part of overall wellness as much as any physiological component, and it affects how employees think, feel, and interact with others and the world — including in the workplace.¹ In addition to stressing employees, mental health issues can cause significant workplace disruption:

• It’s estimated that depression and anxiety are responsible for 12 billion lost workdays worldwide each year — a cost of almost US$1 trillion.²
• In the UK, it’s estimated that 15% of workers have a mental health condition, and work-related stress, anxiety, or depression resulted in an estimated 17.1 million lost workdays.³
• In Canada, mental illness is responsible for an estimated $6.3 billion CAD loss in productivity each year⁴ and almost a third of disability claims are tied to mental illness.⁵