CAFII Holds Webinar on 7 March, 2022 on Mental Health Issues and Challenges in the Workplace, At Home, and In Society: Coping With the Persistent Pandemic’s Impact
On 7 March, 2022 CAFII held a webinar on “Mental Health Issues and Challenges in the Workplace, At Home, and in Society: Coping with the Persistent Pandemic’s Impact.” Participating in the webinar were three leading experts on these issues: Paula Allen, Global Leader and SVP, Research and Total Wellbeing, LifeWorks, the successor to the business formerly know as Morneau Sobeco; Irene Keller, Director, Group Benefits Product and Solutions, Sun Life; and Shawna Oliver, AVP, Head of Global Benefits, Manulife, working out of its Boston office.
Panelists all felt that the COVID-19 pandemic had definitely had an impact on mental health issues for Canadians. Paula Allen said that the impact had been greater than many realized. Change, uncertainly, risk, and isolation had all been introduced into peoples’ lives in the past two years, and these are all stressors. LifeWorks has surveyed pre-pandemic and current levels of mental health and wellness, and has found that there has been a massive decline in the mental health status of people. This has resulted in major increases in mental health risks, including one-third of Canadians being at risk of mental health issues. Taking another measure, risky levels of alcohol intake has moved from 2 percent of the working population to 8 percent of the working population during the pandemic.
Irene Keller added that mental health issues were a big issue before the pandemic, and this has now been accelerated by the past few years, especially for the under-35 population. Paula Allen noted that there are more vulnerabilities and challenges for younger people, and the pandemic has added to the already existing stress for this more vulnerable population. This is also an age where isolation is more challenging and that has made the pandemic worse for this younger population. Shawna Oliver said that working mothers are another vulnerable group, and that the impact of stressors over the past two years are going to manifest themselves at some point in time.
The panelists spoke next about workplace culture, and the importance of creating a safe, supportive environment. Many employees still associate a stigma with mental health issues, are many will not want to share any such issues with their employers. Employers have to take this on a critical priority, and the right tone has to be set throughout the organization.
The right tools and resources are critical, but the cultural environment is even more important. It was also noted that employees should not have to choose between physical and mental health—they are not separate issues, they are linked, and both need to be part of the equation for employees. The panel also noted that “one size fits all” does not work for mental health issues, and employees need to offer employees options.
The session included good representation from regulators across the country, with the following regulators registered for the session:
- The Alberta Insurance Council;
- The British Columbia Financial Services Authority, or BCFSA ;
- The Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick;
- The Government of Alberta;
- The Insurance Council of Manitoba; and
- The Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan.
The webinar included some live polls that demonstrated that 100% of attendees had faced, or knew someone who had faced, mental health challenges; but the polls also revealed that nearly a third of attendees would not want to reveal to their employer that they were dealing with a mental health issue.
Kathryn Kitchen, VP Head of HR at Manulife, posted a link to the webinar on LinkedIn:
