Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace And the effect on your bottom line Presentation...

Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace

And the effect on your bottom line

Presentation to the HRPA – North BayJanuary 16, 2013

Denis Deschênes

Caroline WorkmanThe Great-West Life Assurance Company

Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

Presenters

• Denis Deschênes B.A. B.Ed.Senior Account Executive, Group Benefits Division

• Caroline Workman, B.HSc., CRTWCOrganizational Health Consultant, Group Benefits Division


Agenda

• Introduction• Costs of mental health issues in your workplace• Identifying mental health issues in the workplace• What do we know about mental health in the workplace• Addressing the barriers• Mental health resources for HR professionals• Video clip- Why Workplace Mental Health Matters• Q & A


Costs of mental health – where are they?

• In the workplace• Higher turnover, higher levels of job dissatisfaction,

absenteeism, presenteeism, alcoholism, mental illness and indifference.

• Loss of productivity

• On your bottom line• Salary related costs and lost production costs• Short term disability• Long term disability• Health claims


Costs of mental health – where are they?

• It is estimated that between compensation to sick workers and lost productivity, mental health issues cost the Canadian economy $51 billion a year, of which $20 billion alone would be lost productivity. The total loss represents 4% of GDP. (Towers Watson, 2012)

• Benefit costs – a closer look


Source: Great-West Life

Mental health and its costs - what we are seeing

Top five conditions for new claims in 2011

STD

Condition %

Accidents & Injury 17.7%

Musculoskeletal 14.7%

Mental Disorders 11.9%

Respiratory 13.1%

Digestive 8.8%

Primary diagnosis

Condition %


Musculoskeletal 22%

Cancer 14.9%


Circulatory 6.9%

Secondary diagnosis

Condition %


Musculoskeletal 19.7%


Circulatory System 7.9%

Endocrine, Metabolic & Immunity Disorder

6.1%82.4%

75.4%

LTD

66.2%


LONG-TERM DISABILITY – DIAGNOSIS CLAIMS ANALYSIS

Top Diagnosis Classifications by Occupation Category

% Open Claims % Paid

Sales & Service

Musculoskeletal & Connective Tissue 4.08% 3.03%

Mental Disorders 3.76% 3.16%

Transport & Equipment Operators



Professional & Management Occupations



Processing & Manufacturing



Other Technical & Skilled Occupations





Mental health and its costs

• For short term and long term disability claims, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability among professional and management occupations.

• Mental Disorder short term claims have the longest durations and last between 10 weeks to 14 weeks (longer for professional and management categories). Many of these claims would likely reach the maximum benefit period and may transition into a Long-Term Disability claim.

• Also, Mental Disorder long term claims have the longest duration (over 3.1 years) and are the longest for professional and management categories.

• Females have a higher incidence than men for Mental Disorders.



• STD costs, although short-term, can amount to large amounts at the end of the year.

• In a 100 employee workplace, up to 10 employees may be away from work for 10 days or more during a year. At least one of these employees will suffer from a mental health issue. At an average salary of $50,000, that employee will cost $12,500 in lost salary at 100%.

• Whether the short term disability is self funded or insured, there is a direct cost to the employer.



• LTD costs can have a major impact on companies• Need to hold enough funds to pay for current and future claims• Costs increase by age and the Canadian population is aging.

• Out of 1000 employees, 9.5 will fall on LTD this year. Of these, at least 2 employees will have a mental disorder as a primary diagnosis. Based on a $50,000 salary and a 66% benefit, total benefit payout could exceed $200,000.

• To this is added the disability reserve which, on average, would exceed $175,000 per claimant. (This does not include the Life reserve.)

• Total potential cost of the claims (while on claim): $550,000


Distribution of Health Benefits by Age (2011)

25-29 45-49 60-64 Overall0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Other

Nur

OOC

Hos

Vision

Med Supplies

Para

Drug

Per

cen

t o

f T

ota

l H

ealt

h C

ost


Note: The “All” category does not include age bands 65+


Trend in Top Therapeutic Classifications of Drugs (2001 vs. 2011)

Therapeutic Classification

2011 200110 Year CAGR for

Average Paid by DiseaseRankAverage Paid by Disease

% Paid by Disease

RankAverage Paid by Disease

% Paid by Disease

Cholesterol Disorders 1 $54.84 7.8% 3 $86.43 7.9% (4.4)%

Diabetes 2 $53.46 7.5% 11 $38.03 2.7% 3.5%

Rheumatoid Arthritis 3 $1,680.95 7.3% 30 $760.19 0.7% 8.3%

Blood Pressure 4 $28.30 7.1% 2 $35.31 8.0% (2.2)%

Depression 5 $44.31 6.8% 1 $54.33 8.4% (2.0)%

Ulcers 6 $45.08 5.6% 5 $67.92 7.4% (4.0)%

Asthma and Inflammatory Diseases 7 $47.82 5.5% 7 $35.30 5.6% 3.1%

Antibiotics/Anti-Infectives 8 $26.39 4.7% 4 $26.49 7.5% 0.0%

Skin Disorders 9 $38.87 3.4% 8 $27.11 3.7% 3.7%

Narcotic Analgesics 10 $27.18 3.2% 13 $20.85 2.3% 2.7%

Source: Telus Health Solutions


Percent of Plan Members using Paramedical Benefits (2001 vs. 2011)

Chiropractor Massage Physio Psychologist0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

20012011

Pe

rce

nt

of

Pla

n M

em

be

rs




• Inflation coupled with an increase in the utilization of benefit plans has resulted more than a doubling of healthcare costs over the last decade.

• Although the cost of drugs to treat depression has decreased, the number of prescriptions have not gone down. These drugs still make up 6.8% of all drug costs.

• There is a growing tendency of employees to seek paramedical help to assist with their mental health. Plan members are now 2.5 times more likely to visit a Massage Therapist than they were ten years ago.


• A disturbance in thoughts, feelings and perceptions that has a direct

affect in day to day functioning.

• Mental illness affects thinking, mood and behaviour; This is associated

with distress and or functional impairment with symptoms varying from

mild to severe

• Mental illness affects people of all ages, from all walks of life

• Mental illness affects people on a personal, social and financial level

Identifying Mental Illness


What do we know about mental health in the workplace?

• Most prevalent workplace mental health conditions:- Depression- Anxiety- Substance abuse

• Most often, it affects people in their prime working years, between the ages of 24 and 44. (CMHA )

• Work/life balance plays a large factor. The demands of the workplace continue to increase, as do the number of hours most Canadians spend at their jobs.

- 1 in 4 Canadians work 50 hours per week or more, compared to 1 in 10 a decade ago. (HRDC)



• 1 in 5 Canadians will experience depression in their lifetime. 2 out of 3 will not seek help. (Health Canada)

• Treatment is not adequate for the condition and response is not often monitored effectively

• Stigma continues to prevent people from seeking treatment for mental illness. (Stats Canada )

• According to research, stigma within the community, the workplace and internalized stigma has been cited to cause a 70% misdiagnosis rate. (Nielson)



• 71% of Canadian employees surveyed report some degree of concern with psychological safety in their workplace

• While 91% of managers recognize the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, only 47% claim to know how and only 1%, report being strong at this skill set.

Ipsos Reid Survey 2012



• About 27% of working adults said they felt a lot, or an extreme amount, of stress on a daily basis. 62% of respondents reported work stress as the main reason for their stress (Statistics Canada)

• Other sources of stress amongst highly-stressed workers included:• Financial concerns – 12%

• Not having enough time – 12%

• Family issues – 8%

• Personal/other issues – 6%

• Access to EAP counselling for workplace stress represented 6.2% of all cases (Shepell-fgi)


Early warning signs an employee is struggling with a

mental health issue:

• lateness or frequent breaks

away from office

• excessive sick leave &

‘presenteeism’ (on the job

absenteeism)

• reduced quality of work

• high rate of accidents

• withdrawal/avoidance

• employee errors

• missed deadlines

• changes in physical

appearance

• confusion or forgetfulness

• employee conflict

• inappropriate behaviour,

mood swings, negative

attitude


Sources of the Problem

What you see

What you don’t see

WORKPLACE SYMPTOMSARE ONLY THE

“TIP OF THE ICEBERG”

S p i l l o v e r

Work Issues• Environmental• Interpersonal• Job-Related

KNOWING THE SOURCE OF THE

PROBLEM ALLOWS THE

MANAGER/SUPERVISOR TO DETERMINE

A COURSE OF ACTION

Health Issues• Heart Health• Nutrition• Sleeping • Depression

Life Issues• Stress/Emotional• Relationships• Legal/ Financial• Addictions

Lateness

Emotional outbursts

WithdrawalMood

SwingsS p i l l o v e r

Troubled employee in the workplace


Management & HR have responsibility in improving and addressing workplace mental health issues. Five key areas:

• Prevention & promotion• Understand your organizational needs & identify potential and existing issues • Develop prevention and management strategies for psychological health or safety

issues in your workplace

• Education to staff on mental illness • Remove stigma by education on the realities of mental illness• Learn mental health coping strategies are strained by stress, burnout, conflict or life

events• Awareness of mental health resources i.e.: HR, OH&S, EAP, community resources

etc.• Posters, articles, newsletters ,lunch & learns, health fairs etc.

Addressing the Barriers


• Manager training to identify and address workplace mental health issues• Effectively recognize and manage mental health related issues in the workplace• Principles and practicalities to manage issues related to employee mental health in

the workplace including communication• Managing conflict, performance management, return to work etc.

• Early intervention and employee support• Prevention & crisis response• Temporary accommodation • Mental health resources for their employees i.e.: EAP, health & disability

management programs

• Accommodation• Return to work process• Accommodation ideas for mental health related situations

Addressing the Barriers


Mental Health in the Workplace -

Resources for HR Professionals


Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health

• Provides information, analysis and ideas concerning the linkage between business, the economy, mental health and work.

• Provides executives, HR, managers, and supervisors information and advice on reducing the business and

economic dollar costs of mental illness and addictions among employees and management

www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca

http://www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca/


Mental Health At Work

• Université Laval, Chair in Occupational Health and Safety Management

• Prevention tool kit to help employers understand mental health issues and offer guidance on policies and programs to address mental health issues in the workplace.

http://www.cgsst.com/eng/publications-sante-psychologique-travail/trousse-la-sante-psychologique-au-travail.asp




Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

• Promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing information and advice to all parties about occupational health and safety.

• Provides access to a wide range of publications, databases and information products.

• Mental Health Awareness e-course

www.ccohs.ca

http://www.ccohs.ca/


Mental Health Works

• Provides employers and employees with information about mental health issues in the workplace.

• Covers topics such as early identification, prevention, accommodation, legal rights and responsibilities.

• Includes news, fact sheets, resource lists, and information on publications and services

www.mentalhealthworks.ca

http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/


Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month

• Web-based initiative designed to increase the awareness of workplace health for the short- and long-term success of organizations and for the well-being of their employees

• CHWM takes place each October, but it is now a year round program that encourages workplaces to promote healthy workplace practices throughout the year.

• Provides a comprehensive list of health & wellness resources to help an employer build their path to a healthy workplace

www.healthyworkplacemonth.ca

http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/


www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com

• Practical strategies & tools for all employers• Incubator for innovative new initiatives• Expand knowledge on workplace mental health for senior leaders, HR,

OH&S, managers, employees, unions etc.• Resources available at no cost

Workplace Strategies for Mental Health

http://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/


• Voluntary and confidential support service

• Information

• Assessing needs

• Short term support/counselling to help employees and their immediate family members in assessing and resolving work, health and life issues.

• Telephonic and face-to-face

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)


Services to support workplace mental health initiatives may include:

• Assistance with targeted health & wellness programs to address mental health, life stages, stress, change, addictions, return to work etc. i.e.:• Printed material• Online resources, articles• Electronic newsletters

• Workplace health and life learning sessions that address important topics including stress, work-life balance, communication, conflict, change etc. i.e.:• Lunch & learns• Virtual classrooms• E-learning

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)


Video - NOW is the time to address mental health in the workplace

• Bill Wilkerson – Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO - Global Business and Economic Roundtable for Mental Health

• Michael Wilson – Former Senior Chairman - Global Business and Economic Roundtable for Mental Health

Why Workplace Mental Health Matters


Questions?

Thank you

Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace And the effect on your bottom line Presentation...

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