putting mental health first
as companies struggle to hire and retain employees and ...
published nov 11, 2022
last updated feb 20, 2025
4 minute read
4 minute read
beneva helps companies put physical and mental health front and centre. supplied
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this story was created by content works, postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of a client.
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as companies struggle to hire and retain employees and employees continue to be faced by challenges related to the pandemic, mental health in the workplace has never been more important — or misunderstood.
many employees still wait until a situation gets out of hand before reaching out for help, for fear of being judged or some other negative consequence, or because they simply aren’t aware of the help available to them.
employers, on the other hand, are placed in the situation of having to react to a situation instead of helping to prevent it.
the best practice approach employed by insurers like beneva focuses on prevention and helps employers at various stages of an employees’ life cycle, from avoiding absenteeism to managing a sustainable return to work. referred to as the health continuum, it is made up of a variety of health and wellness solutions designed to maximize worker wellbeing.
the health continuum is the life of a worker.
it starts with an employee being healthy and perfectly capable of working. then, out of the blue, a worker might go through a difficult time that they couldn’t have predicted. to help prevent more issues, they may be prescribed medication or given some time off work. if that doesn’t help, they may be required to take a leave of absence, or even a disability leave.
at that point, it’s a lot more difficult to get back to work.
of course, not every worker is going to go through the whole cycle, but the idea is that wherever you are on the continuum, or in your life, services need to be in place to support you.
using a range of tools and customized coaching to empower companies and give them the confidence to support their employees, beneva helps companies put physical and mental health front and centre.
in addition to a manager assistance program and an employee assistance program, the insurance company also creates personalized programs for individual workplaces, depending on the issues they’re facing.
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the map guides managers through difficult times to help them improve well-being on the team and prevent absenteeism while the eap is focused on flexible, caring support in the event of work, personal or family issues, or problems related to physical or mental health.
in order to provide evidence-based solutions, beneva partnered with relief, a national mental health organization specialized in the self‑management of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders, to create the relief research chair in mental health, self-management and work, at université laval.
representing a joint investment of $1 million, the relief research chair is focused on helping employers be proactive in preventing mental health issues and support self-management, which includes all the little actions that can be taken by people to support themselves.
a recent study from the research chair showed that younger people experience higher levels of distress than older workers, men use fewer self-management tools than their female counterparts, there are lower levels of well-being among racialized people and higher levels of distress among those working from home. companies, including beneva itself, have a lot of factors to consider when developing their own health and wellness strategy.
according to a recent study conducted as part of the research chair, there are various steps that an organization can take to strengthen the psychosocial safety climate within their company.
first, the study recommends reinforcing training for managers, so they’re better equipped to implement emotional support practices with employees. secondly, it focuses on how to implement prevention measures to reduce psychosocial risks.
there are various steps that an organization can take to strengthen the psychosocial safety climate within their company. supplied
lastly, it suggests ways employers can listen to their employees and better consider the needs of individual people to adapt interventions to organizational contexts and socio-cultural references.
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in addition to adequately managing employees’ workloads, recognizing their efforts and consulting with employees on decisions that impact them, it’s essential that workplaces engage in best management practices that encourage mental health.
conducting an employee survey to obtain their perceptions and concerns regarding the psychosocial climate is an important way to give employees a voice and create a workplace culture that allows them to express their concerns confidently.
through the survey, it’s possible to identify what psychosocial risks are present in the workplace. monitoring these indicators helps employers act proactively rather than being reactive.
in addition to prevention, employees also need to be aware of what services are available to them, because, often, that isn’t being effectively communicated.
if they aren’t aware of the employee assistance program or the self-management tools at their disposal, it’s important that they learn about them and how to access them before it becomes a crisis.
beneva’s health and wellness team members are health professionals whose primary mission is to accompany organizations in the development of their own personalised approach to a successful health culture. insurer, employers and employee can all benefit by investing in people’s global health, especially working on prevention instead of reaction.
for more information about their workplace health and wellness solutions, visit beneva.ca.
this story was created by content works postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of beneva.
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