Employers asked to step up for mental health

The human impacts of mental illnesses are relatively well-known. But the economic consequences, due to a host of reasons including lost productivity and employee absenteeism, may not be so clear.

That’s why Pathways Clubhouse married the two issues Tuesday morning for members of Richmond’s business community during an information breakfast where they were asked to consider being part of the solution.

Pathways, which has operated locally for more than three decades, uses its Transitional Employment Program to match its members suffering from mental health issues with businesses in Richmond as a way of getting people back into the workforce.

One of the businesses that has been part of the program since its inception is Heatherbrae Builders.

“We were one of the first to start, since then we’ve employed close to 100 people, to which $90,000 has been paid in wages and over 20 have occupied full-time jobs — not with our company — but have worked through their mental illness and achieved self sufficiency,” said Heatherbrae’s president Michael Knight.

“This is not a charity,” he added. “This is something designed to help you with services you may need.”

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the cost of mental health illness adds up.

• $51 billion – Total annual economic burden on the Canadian economy due to mental illness.

• $20 billion –  Canadian economic burden each year stemming from workplace losses due to mental illness.

• $6 billion –  Lost productivity costs each year in Canada due to absenteeism related to mental illness.

While the transitional program does not provide full-time employment, it’s a step in that direction.

“It gives them a chance to get back into the workforce. It provides them with confidence, a sense of purpose, and a reason to get up in the morning, earn a little pocket money,” Knight said.

Being part of the community is the reason why Blundell Seafoods also joined the program, said Alan Li, a sales manager with the company.

In the past two years since Blundell Seafoods has been involved, 10 people have passed through the business on their way back into the workforce.

Una Mulhall, program manager with Pathways, said the Transitional Employment Program is the organization’s cornerstone.

“We believe that every person, regardless of having a mental illness or not, is capable and  deserving of a job.”

One who has experienced the program’s benefits is Bruce Amundsen who told the audience his career as a floor trader on the local stock exchange wore him down physically and mentally, to the point he walked away from the business.

“Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the job was very stressful, there was no rest and a lot of pressure.”

To relieve the work-based stress, he turned to alcohol which developed into a habit and full blown alcoholism.

Reaching rock bottom seven years ago,  Amundsen finally called the local crisis line. That led him to Pathways and eventually to the work program.

“I have purpose and meaning to my days,” he said, adding he now feels good about himself.

Pathways invited businesses to consider supporting the transitional employment program by providing jobs or financial donations.