The Mental Health Of Workers In The Crosshairs

This text is part of the special Mental Health notebook

A study from Laval University reveals that nearly half of Canadian employees of SMEs live with at least one mental health or addiction difficulty.

“In 2023, there are still people who lose their jobs because they have had a depressive episode,” immediately notes Martin Binette, senior director of development and growth at Relief, an organization that offers several services mental health help. This statement is all the more alarming when we know that 49% of SME employees questioned in a recent Laval University survey reported living with a mental health or substance abuse disorder.

Simon Coulombe, principal researcher of the study carried out among 2,500 SME workers in Canada and holder of the Relief Research Chair in mental health, self-management and work at the Department of Industrial Relations, remains worried, even if this figure has fallen slightly since then. 2022. “This year, we see that one in two people are experiencing at least mild distress, and that 22% of participants are struggling with anxiety that goes beyond a clinical threshold and requires seeing a doctor “, he explains. For depression, the statistic stands at 18%, whereas before the pandemic, the figures generally found in businesses did not reach 10%. “It’s not going very well,” underlines Simon Coulombe. According to the study, there is therefore a high percentage of distress that needs to be addressed within SMEs.

The power of youth

“We see an improvement in society, like when Carey Price speaks publicly about her mental health, but where are the entrepreneurs who speak out about these issues? You can count them on the fingers of one hand,” says Martin Binette. According to him, stigma is the main culprit. “It gets redundant to say it and it’s a little frustrating, but it’s the number one barrier that stops people from seeking help. »

Optimistic, Martin Binette, however, believes in the ability of young workers to counter this stigma, despite an increase in mental health problems among them. More than a quarter of 18-24 year olds surveyed said they had symptoms of depression and 27.7% of 25-34 year olds felt severe anxiety. “I see that young people are breaking down glass ceilings and talking openly about their condition, that’s what reassures me. » He is convinced that the new generation of employees is the one who can dictate the conduct of SMEs on stigma.

Everyone has a role to play

For Martin Binette, the lack of information and communication also constitutes another barrier within SMEs. “Many people in the workplace cannot tell the difference between anxiety and stress, between depression and burnout. If people don’t know, how can we ask them to get help? It’s impossible,” he said. For his part, Simon Coulombe notes that Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) — which are offered in a large number of organizations, paid for by the employer and therefore free for employees, who can use psychological services or with a social worker — are unknown or hardly possible. “Last year, 30% of employees did not use the EAP out of shame or embarrassment,” he observed according to the results of the study. The professor at Laval University also believes that interesting alternatives exist, in particular peer support programs, where mandated colleagues are subject to confidentiality.

“The most important thing is prevention and improving working environments upstream,” finally confides Simon Coulombe. And Martin Binette continues: “The entire organization must participate in the solution. » The latter believes that it is neither by adding an EAP nor by improving a group insurance plan that the situation will improve. “You have to go to the source,” he suggests. When we are able to recognize our blind spots, we are able to work on them to counter stigma. » For him, talking openly about mental health in an SME completely changes the situation. “It’s hard, but it has to be done,” he concludes.