Workers in Canada are suffering mental health disorders more than the population as a whole, leading to increased claims on insurance policies and costing businesses in lost productivity. A report from the Conference Board of Canada, sponsored in part by Sun Life, found that prevalence rates are more than 60 per cent higher for workers. Women, young workers and those in the services sector are at particular risk.
Carole Stonebridge who co-authored the report says that although campaigns have helped general awareness of mental health, in workplaces it is still a stigma: “Employers are often ill equipped to deal with employee mental health issues. Given the impact on working Canadians and costs for businesses, this is cause for concern.”
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental illness accounts for about 30 per cent of all short-term and long-term disability claims in Canada and it is has been estimated that the value of these claims ranges from $15 to $33 billion annually.
