CMHA Kelowna hands out mentally healthy workplace awards

“The simple fact is that businesses that pay attention to the mental of their employees will have a competitive advantage that will profoundly and positively influence their bottom line,” said Shelagh Turner, executive director for Kelowna’s  Canadian Mental Health Association.

In any given week, 500,000 Canadians are unable to attend work due to mental health problems or illnesses.

“That amounts to, or is the equivalent of, $55 billion lost to the Canadian economy,” Turner said.

It is a staggering financial loss, but the real blow is to the fabric of our society.  And so today, the CMHA made the business case for a mentally healthy workplace.

The awards celebrate businesses large and small which have demonstrated leadership towards the promotion of a mentally healthy workplace

To help drive home the importance of a workplace’s commitment to mental health, CMHA Kelowna brought in Stephane Grenier.

“Mental health in the workplace where do you start ? Gotta tell you, where do you start ? It seems so complicated but it so simple,” Grenier said.

Grenier is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, who, after serving with the Canadian military for 29 years, became a mental health advocate, known for his work with PTSD.

“We have been talking a whole lot about mental health. These events are very important, don’t get me wrong, but where it’s going to start changing is when our behaviour starts changing,” Grenier said.

Grenier challenged companies to make a simple change to the way we view the traditional workplace.

“We put so much emphasis on productivity. If we just switch it around and put the emphasis on people, these people will be productive,” Grenier said.

Because  in the end, mental health is everyone’s business and when you have a mentally healthy workplace, business is good.