As the leading cause of disability in the workplace, mental illness costs employers more than $6 billion in lost productivity
[1] and accounts for 70% of all workplace disability costs.
[2]
This has been further compounded by an “echo pandemic” of mental health problems, as 11 million Canadians are expected to experience “high levels of stress in family and work settings,” and close to 2 million will experience “traumatic stress” as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.
[3]
Current data points to higher numbers of employees seeking mental health support [4] with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association reporting a 24% increase in claims to support mental health between 2019-2020. [5] We know this is the tip of the iceberg, as the ongoing and cumulative impacts of the pandemic on employee mental health may still take time to surface.
A 2022 Leger poll conducted on behalf of the Ontario Association of Social Workers found that only 1 in 3 employees (36%) in Ontario say they have access to mental health supports in their employee benefit plans. Yet, 9 in 10 (89%) say it’s important that employers add mental health supports to benefits.
As the largest regulated provider of psychotherapy in Ontario, Registered Social Workers (RSWs) are critical to employee mental health.
Download your free copy of the report to learn:
- How RSWs are uniquely qualified to support employees to remain productive, return to work, and stay at work.
- How insurers and employers can best meet the growing need for mental health care in the workplace.