Peel Region has been recognized for its exceptional workplace mental health efforts, winning the Mental Health Program category for employers with over 1,000 employees at the 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards hosted by Benefits Canada on October 18. The award is a testament to the region’s commitment to improving psychological health and safety through comprehensive data collection, strategic planning, and impactful results.
In 2019, Peel Region launched the Me-We-Us Framework, a psychological health and safety initiative that integrates the Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The framework aims to empower employees to take charge of their health while identifying and mitigating risks in the workplace environment.
Melissa Binger, Peel Region’s advisor for psychological health and wellness, explained that the goal of the framework was to help employees prioritize their well-being and address mental health challenges early on. Between 2022 and 2023, the region saw a 63% increase in mental-health paramedical claims, along with a 27% increase in the number of claimants. This trend indicates that employees are proactively managing their mental health, seeking support before issues escalate.
A major component of Peel’s mental health strategy is its Psychological Health and Safety Dashboard, a data-driven tool that consolidates over 20 data sources and more than 160 data points to track 13 psychosocial factors. This system assigns risk ratings to these factors—low, medium, or high—and helps identify areas where interventions are working or need adjustment. Approximately 400 users access the dashboard each quarter, allowing Peel Region to stay on top of emerging trends and continue refining its mental health initiatives.
Binger emphasized that the creation of this data system was critical to Peel Region’s success. By organizing and sharing data in line with CSA’s psychological health standards, Peel Region stands out as a leader in the field. This ongoing process helps not only to manage current mental health issues but also to build a sustainable and adaptable strategy for the future.
The impact of these efforts is clear. Mental health claims, once the leading cause of long-term disability (LTD) in the region, have decreased significantly. Since 2019, mental health-related claims represented about 38% of all LTD approvals, but as of the first quarter of 2024, this figure dropped to just 17%, the lowest in the past seven years. In addition, employees are returning to work more quickly, with fewer experiencing long-term absences.
Tian Yang, Peel Region’s manager of total compensation and benefits, noted that by removing stigma and barriers to early intervention, employees are able to recover faster and avoid extended disability leave. The organization is now looking to deepen its data analysis to further improve its mental health strategies, particularly by focusing on leadership accountability and collaboration across departments to create a psychologically safe workplace.
Looking ahead, Peel Region plans to continue its data-driven approach to mental health, focusing on enhancing leadership competencies and fostering a workplace culture that supports physical, psychological, and professional wellness. With these efforts, Peel Region aims to remain a model of workplace mental health, setting the standard for organizations across the country.
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