Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Ottawa Public Health and the Mental Health Commission of Canada launch new online mental health in the workplace video series
Ottawa – Today, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and the Mental Health Commission of Canada launched a new video campaign to help Canadians to ‘have THAT talk’ about mental health in the workplace. The videos provide realistic examples and strategies for each of the 13 factors that are part of a mentally healthy and safe workplace.
“There is no health without mental health,” said Councillor Shad Qadri, Chair of the Board of Health. “Ottawa Public Health is pleased to launch this video series in collaboration with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to foster mental health in our community, and to help improve the psychological health and safety of employees.”
Research has shown that mental health disability claims have overtaken cardiovascular disease as the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada. On average, Canadian workers spend about 60 per cent of their waking hours at work, while 70 per cent of working Canadians are concerned about psychological health and safety in the workplace.
“Addressing mental health in the workplace is truly a revolutionary step,” said Louise Bradley, President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. “Talking about mental health and wellness at work opens the door to have that conversation at home, with friends and in the community. This new video series will help demystify the process for employers and employees. Implementing the national standard isn’t an overwhelming undertaking. It’s taking lots of small steps in the right direction.”
The video series was developed by Ottawa Public Health and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, with content adapted from Mindful Employer Canada and support from Bell Let’s Talk. The white-board illustration-style videos are based on content from the voluntary National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.
For more information on the campaign, please visit haveTHATtalk.ca or call the OPH Information Line at 613-580-6744. You can also follow OPH on Twitter, Facebook and on our blog.
To learn more about the voluntary National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, visit MentalHealthCommission.ca.
|