Women in Business Fall 2017

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and inclusion work at Vancity, a position that includes
fostering a mentally healthy work environment. She has
spoken at a Canadian Mental Health Association conference
on mental health in the workplace, in collaboration
with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and for
Partners for Mental Health, an organization that seeks
to change attitudes towards people living with a mental
illness. Additionally, she writes about mental health for
Vancity’s blog and for her own blog (adventuresofasurvivor.blogspot.ca).
While mental illness has long been a taboo subject in
the workplace, organizations such as Vancity are starting
to tackle the issue more proactively. Not only does this
make sense in terms of employee health and well-being,
it also makes business sense. According to the Mental
Health Commission of Canada, at any moment one in
five Canadians is experiencing a mental health issue.
About 30 per cent of short- and long-term disability
claims in Canada are attributed to mental health problems
and illnesses, and the total cost from mental health
problems to the Canadian economy exceeds $50 billion
annually. In 2011, mental health problems and illnesses
among working adults in Canada cost employers more
than $6 billion in lost productivity from absenteeism,
presenteeism and turnover.
You might not see mental illness in your workplace,
but it’s there. “Women with mental health issues don’t
look like what you think they look like,” says Bev Gutray,
CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s British
Columbia division. She says the media typically illustrate
pieces on depression with a photo of a sobbing woman.
But those experiencing mental health issues in the workplace
may not appear visibly distraught. In fact, work
may be the one place where they can appear in control.
“You can often show up and function in a very limited
time,” explains Gutray. “It’s like being called to the
stage…. But as soon as you’re off the stage what you’re
dealing with is acute.”
Gutray explains that factors contributing to mental
illness come from both the home and the workplace,
and one merges into the other. “Women need to understand
gender issues and gender context that affects
their mental health,” she says. For example, a woman’s
mental well-being at work may be affected by things like
harassment, lower income, lower status or insufficient
benefits or child care. At home, she may be juggling
KRISTIN
BOWER
CONSULTANT,
DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSION, VANCITY
I’ve had many
managers say
to me, ‘I think
an employee is
struggling with
a mental health
issue. What do
I do?’ And I say
to them, don’t
wait until they’re
in that mental
health crisis.
Normalize the
topic so you’re
creating an
environment
where employees
know it’s OK to
talk about this.
And then maybe
they won’t get to
the crisis stage