Zahid Salman has led GreenShield, Canada’s only national non-profit health and benefits company, since 2018.
Canada is facing a dual crisis that threatens its prosperity: a mental health epidemic and a productivity slowdown.
One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in any given year and one in two will have – or have had – a mental illness by the time they reach 40 years of age, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
This sobering reality carries a significant expense. Poor mental health costs our economy an estimated $51-billion each year in health-care expenditures and lost productivity, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). But, of course, nothing compares to the cost of human suffering. That cost is unquantifiable, unrelenting, exigent. And it’s one business leaders can and must do something about.
This is not just a health crisis; it’s an economic one. Without healthy, motivated workers, productivity – the bedrock of national prosperity – will continue to stagnate. Commentary often zeroes in on Canada’s poor productivity rankings, with the OECD predicting it will become the worst-performing advanced economy over this decade. Yet, these narratives rarely connect the dots: the mental health crisis is a root cause.
Addressing mental health is not only a moral imperative but a strategy for improving productivity. Business leaders have a responsibility both to their employees and stakeholders to prioritize building mental health supports as a pillar of their organizational strategy. And there are three crucial steps to get there.
First, recognize structural inequities and address them through targeted measures.
Mental health challenges do not occur in a vacuum. They are deeply shaped by inequities – whether financial, geographic or systemic.
One of the most groundbreaking works on mental health in the past decade is This City Is Killing Me: Community Trauma and Toxic Stress in Urban America by Jonathan Foiles. A work that explores the trauma underlying urbanization by profiling the lives of five disadvantaged Chicagoans.
In his introduction, Mr. Foiles trenchantly summarizes why social determinants of health cannot be ignored. He observes, “We diagnose people, not cultures or neighbourhoods, with depression.” And yet, “This singular focus can help obscure the environmental factors that contribute to mental illness and minimize the contributions our society makes to the mental suffering of the poor. It is far easier to be depressed if you live in a neighbourhood that has experienced chronic disinvestment.”
Recognizing these determinants is one thing, action is another.
And I can tell you from experience that when individuals have access to personalized, effective and confidential mental health supports, you see tangible results. When mental health programs are designed to meet the specific needs of women and BIPOC employees, you foster a culture of inclusivity and equity within your organization. And ultimately, when mental health is prioritized and the barriers come down, we create safer and stronger communities at large.
Second, embrace innovation.
The mental health system is stretched thin. Last year, of the eight million Canadians who reported needing mental health services, only 24 per cent had their needs fully met.
Technology, while no silver bullet, can be a game-changer. Teletherapy platforms, mental health apps and artificial intelligence-powered tools provide scalable, affordable ways to address unmet needs. These innovations enable earlier intervention and make it possible for individuals to access care from anywhere.
At GreenShield, we’ve taken this approach to heart through our signature women’s mental health initiative. This program has connected more than 120,000 women nationwide with mental health supports and resources by leveraging digital platforms to deliver high-quality care efficiently. It’s a testament to how innovation, paired with compassion, can dismantle barriers to access.
Third, foster a culture of empathy.
The adage that you cannot pour from an empty cup applies here directly. Mentally healthy employees aren’t just more productive – they are better able to contribute to your organizational broader social purpose.
As new research reveals, the demand for mental health support in the workplace has never been greater. Consider this: one in three Canadians say they would leave their current job for better mental health benefits. Younger generations are even more likely to prioritize this, with 63 per cent of workers aged 18 to 24 indicating that mental health coverage is a deciding factor in their employment choices. These findings underscore a critical truth: creating a culture of empathy is no longer just a “nice-to-have” for businesses – it’s essential to attracting and retaining top talent.
This is a deceptively simple point. But when employees feel supported, they thrive. And thriving employees create thriving organizations.
The late management guru Peter Drucker once wrote, “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
In this case, the courageous decision Canadian business leaders ought to make is building mental health support through equity, innovation and empathy. Such brave, transformative work promises to strengthen individual businesses – and revitalize our entire economy.
Getting our productivity back on track, depends on treating mental health not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone of national economic well-being.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.