Page 20 - Mar-Apr2019

of expanding again at that point,” Morrow of changes in workplace approaches to isolation, stress and overall employee well-
said. mental health. The survey found that more being.”
The current Home Hardware Main Street than two thirds of employees and managers
location will continue to sell hardware agree that their organization creates an About the Survey
supplies while the Powassan Building Centre environment that supports mental wellness The survey by Morneau Shepell was
location is renovated into a Home Hardware on the job. When comparing to five years conducted in English and French between
Design Centre that will house not only ago, a quarter of employees report better September 7 and September 16, 2018, with
lumber, roofing, trim and siding, but will also resources for mental health issues (26 1,591 respondents in total. The purpose was
showcase kitchen and bathroom displays. percent), support for mental wellness (25 to understand and compare the perspective
“There won’t be any overlap of inventory,” percent) and workplace/corporate culture of working Canadians regarding workplace
said Morrow, “and we want to continue to (23 percent). mental health. Of the respondents surveyed,
support both the contractors and the do-it- Taking everything about the workplace 1,005 were Canadian employees who do
yourself customers. into consideration, two thirds of employees not manage other people, and 586 were
“We already have a lot of cross-over stated that their workplace has a positive Canadians who manage others either
customers with the building centre who are impact on their personal mental health. informally or formally. The data has been
very happy about our expansion. They are One of the contributing factors that has statistically weighted to ensure the regional
aware of what we have done with the Home proven to be successful is an organization’s and gender composition of the sample
Hardware store and how involved we are recognition of employees. The research reflect this population. The margins of error
with the community so they’re excited to found that employees and managers who for the survey are +/-3.1 percent, valid 19
see us make this move.” feel their organization does not recognize times out of 20.
The Morrows opened the newly branded
Home Hardware location on March 1. or value them are significantly more likely The company presented the initial
“I’m going to miss the people most, my to report high levels of workplace stress findings of the survey at Employers Connect,
customers and the social interaction within (50 percent of employees and 55 percent Morneau Shepell's 8th annual summit on
the industry,” Piper said. “But I’ve always of managers), compared to those who do workplace mental health being held in
wanted to learn to play the piano, I’d like to (21 percent of employees and 29 percent of eight cities across the country, including
volunteer at the hospital, learn to paint and managers). Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax.
spend more time with our grandchildren. “Organizations are beginning to
And of course I have to defend my butter recognize that prioritizing mental About Morneau Shepell
tart queen title by practising more. There’s health support has a positive impact Morneau Shepell is the only human
so many things I’ve never had time to do.” on their bottom line,” said Paula Allen, resources consulting and technology
vice president, research and integrative company that takes an integrated approach
solutions. “A mentally healthy workplace to employee well-being, health, benefits and
goes hand-in-hand with a productive one. retirement needs. The Company is the largest
We found that to be successful, there are a administrator of retirement and benefits
...Insurance Update continued from page 8 number of emotional and organizational plans and the largest provider of integrated
factors contributing to positive mental absence management solutions in Canada.
health in the workplace, including freedom LifeWorks by Morneau Shepell is a total well-
health issue, the number has declined when from harassment, positive relationships and being solution that combines employee
compared to 2014, when more than three control over an employees’ day-to-day job assistance, wellness, recognition and
quarters concurred with this view. Self- and workload.” incentive programs. As a leader in strategic
stigma – feeling negatively about oneself Managers and employees have HR consulting and innovative pension
for having a mental health issue – also confidence in supervisors’ roles in design, the Company also helps clients solve
declined over the last five years, from two supporting mental well-being. Looking to complex workforce problems and provides
thirds (65 percent) in 2014 to 56 percent the future, four in five people managers integrated productivity, health and retirement
today. indicate they are confident they know how solutions. Established in 1966, Morneau
This trend shifts when factoring in to support a mentally healthy workplace Shepell serves approximately 24,000 clients,
workplace stress. The research found that and a resilient work group, which is ranging from small businesses to some of
employees who report suffering from high unchanged from last year. Employees the largest corporations and associations.
(79 percent) and medium (68 percent) agree with this; the survey found that more With more than 4,500 employees in offices
levels of workplace stress were more likely than half of employees viewed immediate worldwide, Morneau Shepell provides services
to agree that they are worried about the supervisors as helpful in maintaining mental to organizations around the globe. Morneau
impact on their careers if their workplace well-being. Shepell is a publicly-traded company on the
knew about any mental wellness issues. “While it’s not surprising that employee Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more
stress is increasing due to growing demands information, visit morneaushepell.com.
Improved workplace approaches to mental in the workplace, it is reassuring to see the SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.
health positively impact employees positivity around organizational support,”
Morneau Shepell also researched the continued Liptrap. “With more of an
correlation between workplace stress emphasis on mental health support and
and organizational culture, finding that inclusivity in the workplace, organizations
improvements have been made as a result have the potential to improve feelings of

20 LBMAO Reporter - March-April 2019 www.lbmao.on.ca