By the time a Canadian reaches 40 years of age, there’s a 50 percent chance they will—or have had—a mental illness. The Canadian workforce amounts to 18 million people, out of which, 3.6 million Canadian are likely to suffer from mental health issues which can result into severe consequences. The need to develop policies that helps and protects the interests of individuals dealing with mental conditions is more pertinent than ever today.According to Globe and Mail’s online survey, around 70% respondents said that the nature of their work was affecting their mental health. Additionally, 72% were concerned that their declining mental health will affect their career arc.

How Does Mental Health Training Change Behaviour?

As a result of our first aid training for mental health, employees have reported the following developments in the workplace:

  • They were able to identify behavioural signs of people suffering with mental health issues.
  • They were more confident in approaching and offering help to people who were dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, etc.
  • They could connect patients of any mental health issue to appropriate referral mechanism.

How Does Mental Health First Aid Training Benefit The Work Environment?

Incorporating mental health first aid training as a healthy practice in the workplace will foster cooperative working relationship among employees.

Mental health issues can affect the performance of individuals. If the work environment is better aware, more positive and accepting, it may help people with mental health issues to be more productive and focused. As a team, they may be goal oriented and dedicated to the tasks assigned, knowing that they have people to fall back on if needed.

Providing mental health first aid training to your employees will result in your team being more sensitive to the topic.

Why Should Employers Care About Mental Health In The Workplace?

Because at least 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems.

Employers should pay attention to providing support for mental health issues because 1 in 5 adults in Canada suffer from it. Mental health problems are the leading cause of disability in a workplace worldwide.

To encourage healthier practices in the workplace, the Canadian Mental Health Association awards employers who are conscious about mental health issues.

The criterion is to initiate practices like first aid training and seminars for coping with and understanding mental health issues. Designing creative ways to tackle mental health issues within the workplace is also one of the major components.

Here’s how you can provide psychological help to people after they have gone through a crisis.

Metro Safety aims to help workplaces in British Columbia be more inclusive by introducing first aid training for mental health. In order to receive detailed insight on how you can help people with mental health issues in your workplace, check out our First Aid Training Courses in Coquitlam BC.