It goes without saying that mental health is a growing concern in our country. Every Canadian is directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues through friends, family or colleagues at some point in their life. Mental illness does not discriminate. It affects people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures. It's estimated that 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Mental health issues also greatly influence employees' productivity and retention. Ultimately - keeping employees psychologically happy and healthy is incredibly important!

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is the governing body that ensures good psychological health and safety in the workplace for all Canadians. In January 2013, the Mental Health Commission launched its' National Standard which acts as a set of guidelines, tools and resources aimed at promoting employees' psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to any workplace factors.

Some of the key topics covered in this resource included understanding the diverse needs of the organizations population so that the needs can be properly addressed, ensuring the employer maintains confidentiality, infrastructure and resources to support the system, as well as education, awareness and training. Louise Bradley, President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada says, "It's time to start thinking about mental well-being in the same way as we consider physical well-being and the Standard offers the framework needed to help make this happen in the workplace." It's certainly time for us to put a spotlight on mental health issues in the workplace and aim to better ourselves.

The question is-- what kind of impact could the standard have on disability insurance and disability law in Canada in the future? The guidelines set out by this organization have the potential to be used as a reference point when evaluating the claims adjudication process on psychologically disabled claimants. While we don't know what the future holds, since the standard's launch, dozens of employers from all sectors have been implementing the Standard and Canadian Employees are already beginning to see the benefits. Have you noticed a change?

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