Description
Just the mention of the word stress gets people's attention pretty quickly. That's because stress affects everyone - it is universal. Stress cuts across every economic, social and cultural boundary, so learning to understand it and manage it is important for everyone.
Partner in Mental Health Leadership:
Managing to Manage
Workplace Stress
Table of Contents
Stress – It’s For Everyone! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01
The Nuts and Bolts of Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
The “Struggle to Juggle”, or that
Elusive Work-Life Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04
Ten Work-Life Balance Strategies
for the Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
For Further Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08
Just the mention of the word stress gets people’s attention pretty quickly. That’s
because stress affects everyone – it is universal. Stress cuts across every economic,
social and cultural boundary, so learning to understand it and manage it is important
for everyone. If stress is not managed properly, it can have serious negative health
consequences – both physically and mentally. In the workplace, if employee stress is
not managed properly, it’s not only individual health that is jeopardized. Consistently
high levels of employee stress in the workplace can also jeopardize an organization’s
bottom line.
Excessive stress, as well as other mental health
problems such as depression and anxiety,
are estimated to cost the Canadian economy
51 billion dollars each year in lost productivity.
Helping employees manage stress levels
and maintain work-life balance can reduce
these losses, as well as prevent more serious
problems in the long run.
There are many sources of stress. Not only
are they different for everyone, but they also
depend on an individual’s current situation.
Yet, there seem to be some common causes
of stress among Canadians. According to
Desjardins Financial Security’s 2008 Survey
on Canadian Attitudes Towards Physical
and Mental Health, which surveyed a
01
representative sample of over 1,500 Canadian
adults, 43% of Canadians point to ?nances
as their top stressor, 17% say family matters/
problems are, and 16% say meeting their
children’s needs is their biggest stressor.
In the same survey, a whopping 18% of
Canadians say work pressure causes them
the most stress. Fortunately, there are many
strategies that can help people better maintain
their personal work-life balance equations,
therefore reducing their overall levels of stress
at work and at home. Some of these strategies
are outlined in this brochure. If you want more
information, additional resources are listed at
the end of the brochure.
It’s For
Everyone!
Stress
But, what is stress, really?
There is an identi?able physiological stress response that occurs in the body when a
person is excited, fearful, challenged, or anxious. When stress occurs, the brain signals
the body to get ready to meet the challenge by stimulating the autonomic nervous
system. The autonomic nervous system is the control centre for many bodily functions
including muscle tension, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, pupil dilation and
temperature control.
When the body or mind is challenged, a number of chemical and hormonal changes
take place. These changes activate the body either to gear up to ?ee from danger,
or to stand and ?ght it. This ‘?ight or ?ght response’ was a healthy, necessary response
to ensure our survival when most threats and challenges were physical in nature
(e.g., prehistoric communities dealing with predators and hostile environments, etc.).
Today, the threats and challenges we face are often social and emotional, rather than
physical, but our bodies still react in much the same way as our ancestors’ did.
The Nuts and Bolts of Stress
“ Stress is the single, non-speci?c
reaction of the body to a
demand made on it.”
– Dr. Hans Selye (1974)
02
“ We need to stop and look at how important
work is in people’s lives. By paying more
attention to the emotional aspects of
the workplace, we can make the work
experience much more meaningful. The
organizations that get this right are
the ones that will compete successfully
in the global workplace.”
– Dr. Steven J. Stein, from his book, Make Your Workplace Great:
The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization
03
Two of the important hormones that
are triggered by that stress response are
adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is a
fast-acting hormone that prepares the body
for quick response by releasing chemicals
that give an energy surge, sending extra
strength to the muscles of the arms and legs,
and increasing heart rate, blood pressure,
and oxygen content in the blood stream.
Adrenaline acts quickly and its effects go
away quickly.
Cortisol, which acts in conjunction with
adrenaline to increase energy, is a longer-
lasting stress hormone that allows the body
to remain alert for minutes, hours, or even
days. Cortisol levels remain elevated in the
body longer, keeping it “on alert” until the
stress passes. However, problems can occur
when stress continues and cortisol levels
remain elevated – the body and mind can
experience exhaustion, including a suppressed
immune system, increased muscle tension,
and reduced concentration. In fact, research
has shown that chronic elevated cortisol
increases our sensitivity and reactions to stress
and impairs our ability to calm down after a
stressful experience.
Ultimately, long-term stress can
be dangerous. Too much stress
can bring on illnesses or increase
the severity of them – like diabetes,
colitis and heart disease, to name
only a few – and can also contribute
to behavioural problems like
substance abuse or dif?culty
socializing. In the workplace
environment, too much stress
can affect employees’ abilities
to concentrate, meet deadlines,
make decisions, and manage
professional relationships.
As a manager, it is important to understand
stress and know how it can affect people.
You can learn to recognize when employees
may be under too much stress, and direct
them towards a better understanding
of what might be going on and some
strategies that might help. As well, it is
important to know how stress affects your
own body, so that you can train yourself to
recognize when you are personally under
too much stress to function properly and
take measures to manage it.
Bear in mind also that there is such a thing
as ‘good stress’. A little bit of stress is enough
to be energizing, motivating, performance
enhancing, and helpful in the face of danger.
Everyone needs enough stress to stretch, grow
and keep life interesting! The key then is to
manage stress levels so that stress does not
become harmful – both to individual health
and to the workplace environment.
Fostering work-life balance and reducing
stress in the workplace is a two-way street.
Organizations have responsibilities in this area,
but individual employees have their own
responsibilities too. Fortunately, there are
many strategies that can help.
“ The ‘struggle to juggle’ is taking a toll on
companies, families, and workers. This toll is
showing up as increased job stress, declining
physical and mental health, increased absenteeism,
declining job satisfaction, weakening employee
commitment, lower workplace morale, and
reduced satisfaction with family life.”
– Dr. Steven J. Stein, from his book, Make Your Workplace Great:
The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization
04
It’s no secret that most people strive to reach a healthy balance between their job and other
aspects of life, such as family responsibilities, physical exercise, and social activities. For most
of us, that search is often an eternal work in progress.
Unfortunately, you are not alone. Research is showing that working
people everywhere are ?nding it increasingly dif?cult to balance
personal responsibilities with job demands. Why is this? We
know that modern work trends beginning in the 1990s
have certainly contributed to the situation. During the ’90s,
many employers downsized, leaving those who remained to
do more work with fewer resources. In addition, disposable
income levels declined, so many couples were forced to
work more hours to pay the family bills. And, perhaps
even most importantly, the technology revolution with
the increased use of laptops, cell phones, and PDA’s like
the BlackBerry, contributed more and more to the blurring
of lines between work and home life.
Fortunately, there a number of things that can be
done in the workplace to not only help people
achieve better work-life balance and
manage stress, but to also increase
workplace productivity, and ultimately
improve the bottom line.
The International Labour Organization
(ILO) has recommended a standard
workweek of no more than 48 hours
per week. The ILO says that shorter
working hours bene?t workers’ health
and family lives, reduce accidents at the
workplace and generally make workers
more productive.
05
The
“Struggle to Juggle”
or that Elusive
Work-Life Balance
06
Ten Work-Life
Balance Strategies
for the Workplace
In cooperation with all stakeholders, including employees, set and publicize a comprehensive
policy in your organization on stress and work-life balance.
Create a method to track ongoing employee feedback on their work-life balance and
how they view stress in their workplace, and follow-up with policies that address
those concerns.
Strive to create a workplace that provides for time exchange, to allow employees
to maximize the use of their work-life hours. For example, shortening work hours in the
summer on one day of the week, in exchange for working longer hours on other days,
is an example of honouring the concept of work-life balance and encouraging employees
to get active and get outside to enjoy the summer months.
Give employees some choice over how they work and some control over their
schedules. In doing so, make sure that employees clearly understand their work roles
and the company’s expectations. Ask them for their input on decisions that impact them.
Support and encourage employees to take their allotted vacations. Everyone needs
time off to re-group and re-charge. Create a work climate that makes it acceptable for a
sick employee to take enough time off from work to get better.
Create a healthy physical work environment for employees as well, which includes
details like proper lighting, safety measures and equipment, furniture, proximity to others,
opportunities for privacy, and proper air quality. Allow employees to customize their
own work areas if possible (i.e., music, plants, photos, etc.).
Encourage employees to establish
boundaries between their work lives
and home lives and model this kind of
behaviour yourself.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
According to Desjardins Financial
Security’s 2008 Survey on Canadian
Attitudes towards Physical and Mental
Health, 85% of Canadians feel that
the work environment is increasingly
stressful.
07
An important source of stress in the workplace
can be a result of a manager’s style in dealing
with employees. Promoting individuals with good
people skills to management positions, and
providing appropriate training for managers will
go a long way in making employees feel that
your company ‘walks the talk’.
Make sure that you have effective, of?cial
communication processes to resolve con?ict
in your workplace.
Read about and understand signs and symptoms
that may indicate an employee is dealing
with more stress than usual, such as frequent
absences or being late to work, a sudden change in
behaviour, high levels of anxiety, or strange mood
swings. Check in with this employee regularly,
and provide him/her with resources so that s/he
can access a health professional if need be.
See the additional resources at the end of
this brochure.
8
9
10
According to researchers
at the Harvard School of
Public Health (HSPH) and
the University of Athens
Medical School (UAMS)
in Greece (February 2007,
The Archives of Internal
Medicine), healthy people
who take a 30-minute
midday nap 3 times per
week are 37 per cent less
likely to die of heart disease
than those who don’t nap.
The rationale is that
napping may reduce stress,
which can elevate blood
pressure, and lead to hyper-
tension – a major risk factor
for heart disease. Have
you considered providing
“nap rooms” at your
organization?
08
PUBLICATIONS
The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada, 2006 ©. Government of Canada, Minister of Public
Works and Government Services Canada, 2006. This report is available from the Mood Disorders Society of Canada
at www.mooddisorderscanada.ca and the Public Health Agency of Canada at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca .
Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization, and The EQ Edge: Emotional
Intelligence and Your Success, by Dr. Steven J. Stein.
StressCosts- Stress Cures, by Ravi Tangri. This book shows you how to calculate what stress costs your organization’s
bottom line. It then guides you through the two strategies for recovering productivity lost to stress.
What You Need to Know About Mental Health: A Tool for Managers, by Allison Cowan, Judith MacBride-King,
November 2005. Available from The Conference Board of Canada at www.conferenceboard.ca.
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget, Marianne J. Legato, MD, FACP. Chapters included in this book
discuss the changing face of parenting, depression in men and women, and why men and women respond differently to
stress (and why it matters). Dr. Legato is Founder of the Partnership for Gender-Speci?c Medicine at Columbia University.
Note: Some of the information in this brochure on the physiology of stress is taken from Kids Have Stress Too!
®
,
a program of The Psychology Foundation of Canada. (Creator: Claire McDerment, B.Sc.(N), R.N.)
WEB SITES
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
An organization with a variety of information on mental
health and mental illness, including a short work-life
balance quiz. The CMHA has chapters across Canada
with various local services and programs. For example,
the Calgary Region chapter has a workplace program
called, “The Copernicus Project: Risk Management for
Workplace Mental Health” and the Ontario chapter has
a workplace program called “Mental Health Works”.
www.cmha.ca
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
The CPA site also directs visitors to its provincial and
territorial associations to ?nd a psychologist, and provides
information on psychology in Canada. Ask about the
‘Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Program’
www.cpa.ca
(The American Psychological Association Web site is
also a very good resource at www.apa.org)
Centre For Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
www.camh.net
Centre for Studies on Human Stress
(Douglas Mental Health University Institute,
McGill University)
Web site that provides information on the nature of
stress, additional tips on coping with stress, a youth
corner, a newsletter and more.
www.douglasrecherche.qc.ca/groups/stress/general-public
Families and Work Institute (United States)
This is a non-pro?t research organization that studies
the changing workforce, the changing workplace,
the changing family and the changing community.
www.familiesandwork.org
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Visit this Web site to test stress levels, ?nd information
on healthy eating, exercise tips, and more.
www.heartandstroke.ca
Mental Health Canada
Comprehensive directory of mental health professionals
included here.
www.mentalhealthcanada.com
Mental Health Works
(Workplace Mental Health Program)
Mental Health Works is an initiative of The Canadian
Mental Health Association, Ontario. For more information
on the program, visit their Web site.
www.mentalhealthworks.ca
National Quality Institute (NQI)
NQI is an independent, Canadian not-for-pro?t
organization that focuses on workplace excellence
based on quality systems and healthy workplace criteria.
www.nqi.ca
The Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC)
PFC offers programs like Kids Have Stress Too!
®
,
Parenting for Life, and Diversity in Action.
www.psychologyfoundation.org and
www.kidshavestresstoo.org
For Further Information
09
The Psychology Foundation of Canada
and Desjardins Financial Security
are pleased to partner to bring you
the information in this booklet.
The Psychology Foundation of Canada
The Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC) is a national registered charity that supports
parents and strengthens families through a number of initiatives including creating educational
resources, developing training programs for professionals, and delivering community-based
education. Founded in 1974 to promote the understanding and use of sound psychological
knowledge to better people’s lives, the Foundation is guided by a Board of Trustees comprised
of psychologists and business and community leaders. PFC’s programs, like Kids Have Stress
Too!
®
, Parenting for Life and Diversity in Action, help Canadians better understand how to
manage situations and relationships more effectively at home, school, community and work.
To ?nd out more, or to order materials, please visit PFC’s Web sites at
www.psychologyfoundation.org or www.kidshavestresstoo.org.
Desjardins Financial Security
®
Desjardins Financial Security, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the largest integrated
cooperative ?nancial group in Canada, specializes in group and individual life and health
insurance, and savings products and services. Every day, over ?ve million Canadians rely
on Desjardins Financial Security to ensure their ?nancial security. With a staff of nearly
3,900 employees, Desjardins Financial Security manages and administers close to $22 billion in
assets from of?ces in major cities across the country, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, Lévis, Halifax and St. John’s.
Desjardins Financial Security is committed to improving awareness of mental health promotion
through a number of partnerships as well as its annual Health is Cool! survey. To ?nd out more
information about the Health is Cool! survey and other mental health promotion initiatives,
please visit our Web site at www.healthiscool.ca.
Written by: Krista L. Saleh
Design: Desjardins Financial Security
Partner in Mental Health Leadership:
Feeling rushed puts
pressure on kids.
It’s hard for kids to understand why they’re being
rushed. If mornings are too rushed, make a little more
time by getting clothes, lunches and backpacks ready
the night before. Set aside time to play or just unwind
and relax – it helps take the pressure off everybody.
Remember, parents can slow down the pace.
Kids Have Stress Too!
®
is a Program of The Psychology Foundation
of Canada. For more information, go to
www.kidshavestresstoo.org.
®Registered trademark owned by Desjardins Financial Security
www.desjardins?nancialsecurity.com
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doc_998873813.pdf
Just the mention of the word stress gets people's attention pretty quickly. That's because stress affects everyone - it is universal. Stress cuts across every economic, social and cultural boundary, so learning to understand it and manage it is important for everyone.
Partner in Mental Health Leadership:
Managing to Manage
Workplace Stress
Table of Contents
Stress – It’s For Everyone! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01
The Nuts and Bolts of Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
The “Struggle to Juggle”, or that
Elusive Work-Life Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04
Ten Work-Life Balance Strategies
for the Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
For Further Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08
Just the mention of the word stress gets people’s attention pretty quickly. That’s
because stress affects everyone – it is universal. Stress cuts across every economic,
social and cultural boundary, so learning to understand it and manage it is important
for everyone. If stress is not managed properly, it can have serious negative health
consequences – both physically and mentally. In the workplace, if employee stress is
not managed properly, it’s not only individual health that is jeopardized. Consistently
high levels of employee stress in the workplace can also jeopardize an organization’s
bottom line.
Excessive stress, as well as other mental health
problems such as depression and anxiety,
are estimated to cost the Canadian economy
51 billion dollars each year in lost productivity.
Helping employees manage stress levels
and maintain work-life balance can reduce
these losses, as well as prevent more serious
problems in the long run.
There are many sources of stress. Not only
are they different for everyone, but they also
depend on an individual’s current situation.
Yet, there seem to be some common causes
of stress among Canadians. According to
Desjardins Financial Security’s 2008 Survey
on Canadian Attitudes Towards Physical
and Mental Health, which surveyed a
01
representative sample of over 1,500 Canadian
adults, 43% of Canadians point to ?nances
as their top stressor, 17% say family matters/
problems are, and 16% say meeting their
children’s needs is their biggest stressor.
In the same survey, a whopping 18% of
Canadians say work pressure causes them
the most stress. Fortunately, there are many
strategies that can help people better maintain
their personal work-life balance equations,
therefore reducing their overall levels of stress
at work and at home. Some of these strategies
are outlined in this brochure. If you want more
information, additional resources are listed at
the end of the brochure.
It’s For
Everyone!
Stress
But, what is stress, really?
There is an identi?able physiological stress response that occurs in the body when a
person is excited, fearful, challenged, or anxious. When stress occurs, the brain signals
the body to get ready to meet the challenge by stimulating the autonomic nervous
system. The autonomic nervous system is the control centre for many bodily functions
including muscle tension, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, pupil dilation and
temperature control.
When the body or mind is challenged, a number of chemical and hormonal changes
take place. These changes activate the body either to gear up to ?ee from danger,
or to stand and ?ght it. This ‘?ight or ?ght response’ was a healthy, necessary response
to ensure our survival when most threats and challenges were physical in nature
(e.g., prehistoric communities dealing with predators and hostile environments, etc.).
Today, the threats and challenges we face are often social and emotional, rather than
physical, but our bodies still react in much the same way as our ancestors’ did.
The Nuts and Bolts of Stress
“ Stress is the single, non-speci?c
reaction of the body to a
demand made on it.”
– Dr. Hans Selye (1974)
02
“ We need to stop and look at how important
work is in people’s lives. By paying more
attention to the emotional aspects of
the workplace, we can make the work
experience much more meaningful. The
organizations that get this right are
the ones that will compete successfully
in the global workplace.”
– Dr. Steven J. Stein, from his book, Make Your Workplace Great:
The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization
03
Two of the important hormones that
are triggered by that stress response are
adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is a
fast-acting hormone that prepares the body
for quick response by releasing chemicals
that give an energy surge, sending extra
strength to the muscles of the arms and legs,
and increasing heart rate, blood pressure,
and oxygen content in the blood stream.
Adrenaline acts quickly and its effects go
away quickly.
Cortisol, which acts in conjunction with
adrenaline to increase energy, is a longer-
lasting stress hormone that allows the body
to remain alert for minutes, hours, or even
days. Cortisol levels remain elevated in the
body longer, keeping it “on alert” until the
stress passes. However, problems can occur
when stress continues and cortisol levels
remain elevated – the body and mind can
experience exhaustion, including a suppressed
immune system, increased muscle tension,
and reduced concentration. In fact, research
has shown that chronic elevated cortisol
increases our sensitivity and reactions to stress
and impairs our ability to calm down after a
stressful experience.
Ultimately, long-term stress can
be dangerous. Too much stress
can bring on illnesses or increase
the severity of them – like diabetes,
colitis and heart disease, to name
only a few – and can also contribute
to behavioural problems like
substance abuse or dif?culty
socializing. In the workplace
environment, too much stress
can affect employees’ abilities
to concentrate, meet deadlines,
make decisions, and manage
professional relationships.
As a manager, it is important to understand
stress and know how it can affect people.
You can learn to recognize when employees
may be under too much stress, and direct
them towards a better understanding
of what might be going on and some
strategies that might help. As well, it is
important to know how stress affects your
own body, so that you can train yourself to
recognize when you are personally under
too much stress to function properly and
take measures to manage it.
Bear in mind also that there is such a thing
as ‘good stress’. A little bit of stress is enough
to be energizing, motivating, performance
enhancing, and helpful in the face of danger.
Everyone needs enough stress to stretch, grow
and keep life interesting! The key then is to
manage stress levels so that stress does not
become harmful – both to individual health
and to the workplace environment.
Fostering work-life balance and reducing
stress in the workplace is a two-way street.
Organizations have responsibilities in this area,
but individual employees have their own
responsibilities too. Fortunately, there are
many strategies that can help.
“ The ‘struggle to juggle’ is taking a toll on
companies, families, and workers. This toll is
showing up as increased job stress, declining
physical and mental health, increased absenteeism,
declining job satisfaction, weakening employee
commitment, lower workplace morale, and
reduced satisfaction with family life.”
– Dr. Steven J. Stein, from his book, Make Your Workplace Great:
The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization
04
It’s no secret that most people strive to reach a healthy balance between their job and other
aspects of life, such as family responsibilities, physical exercise, and social activities. For most
of us, that search is often an eternal work in progress.
Unfortunately, you are not alone. Research is showing that working
people everywhere are ?nding it increasingly dif?cult to balance
personal responsibilities with job demands. Why is this? We
know that modern work trends beginning in the 1990s
have certainly contributed to the situation. During the ’90s,
many employers downsized, leaving those who remained to
do more work with fewer resources. In addition, disposable
income levels declined, so many couples were forced to
work more hours to pay the family bills. And, perhaps
even most importantly, the technology revolution with
the increased use of laptops, cell phones, and PDA’s like
the BlackBerry, contributed more and more to the blurring
of lines between work and home life.
Fortunately, there a number of things that can be
done in the workplace to not only help people
achieve better work-life balance and
manage stress, but to also increase
workplace productivity, and ultimately
improve the bottom line.
The International Labour Organization
(ILO) has recommended a standard
workweek of no more than 48 hours
per week. The ILO says that shorter
working hours bene?t workers’ health
and family lives, reduce accidents at the
workplace and generally make workers
more productive.
05
The
“Struggle to Juggle”
or that Elusive
Work-Life Balance
06
Ten Work-Life
Balance Strategies
for the Workplace
In cooperation with all stakeholders, including employees, set and publicize a comprehensive
policy in your organization on stress and work-life balance.
Create a method to track ongoing employee feedback on their work-life balance and
how they view stress in their workplace, and follow-up with policies that address
those concerns.
Strive to create a workplace that provides for time exchange, to allow employees
to maximize the use of their work-life hours. For example, shortening work hours in the
summer on one day of the week, in exchange for working longer hours on other days,
is an example of honouring the concept of work-life balance and encouraging employees
to get active and get outside to enjoy the summer months.
Give employees some choice over how they work and some control over their
schedules. In doing so, make sure that employees clearly understand their work roles
and the company’s expectations. Ask them for their input on decisions that impact them.
Support and encourage employees to take their allotted vacations. Everyone needs
time off to re-group and re-charge. Create a work climate that makes it acceptable for a
sick employee to take enough time off from work to get better.
Create a healthy physical work environment for employees as well, which includes
details like proper lighting, safety measures and equipment, furniture, proximity to others,
opportunities for privacy, and proper air quality. Allow employees to customize their
own work areas if possible (i.e., music, plants, photos, etc.).
Encourage employees to establish
boundaries between their work lives
and home lives and model this kind of
behaviour yourself.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
According to Desjardins Financial
Security’s 2008 Survey on Canadian
Attitudes towards Physical and Mental
Health, 85% of Canadians feel that
the work environment is increasingly
stressful.
07
An important source of stress in the workplace
can be a result of a manager’s style in dealing
with employees. Promoting individuals with good
people skills to management positions, and
providing appropriate training for managers will
go a long way in making employees feel that
your company ‘walks the talk’.
Make sure that you have effective, of?cial
communication processes to resolve con?ict
in your workplace.
Read about and understand signs and symptoms
that may indicate an employee is dealing
with more stress than usual, such as frequent
absences or being late to work, a sudden change in
behaviour, high levels of anxiety, or strange mood
swings. Check in with this employee regularly,
and provide him/her with resources so that s/he
can access a health professional if need be.
See the additional resources at the end of
this brochure.
8
9
10
According to researchers
at the Harvard School of
Public Health (HSPH) and
the University of Athens
Medical School (UAMS)
in Greece (February 2007,
The Archives of Internal
Medicine), healthy people
who take a 30-minute
midday nap 3 times per
week are 37 per cent less
likely to die of heart disease
than those who don’t nap.
The rationale is that
napping may reduce stress,
which can elevate blood
pressure, and lead to hyper-
tension – a major risk factor
for heart disease. Have
you considered providing
“nap rooms” at your
organization?
08
PUBLICATIONS
The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada, 2006 ©. Government of Canada, Minister of Public
Works and Government Services Canada, 2006. This report is available from the Mood Disorders Society of Canada
at www.mooddisorderscanada.ca and the Public Health Agency of Canada at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca .
Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization, and The EQ Edge: Emotional
Intelligence and Your Success, by Dr. Steven J. Stein.
StressCosts- Stress Cures, by Ravi Tangri. This book shows you how to calculate what stress costs your organization’s
bottom line. It then guides you through the two strategies for recovering productivity lost to stress.
What You Need to Know About Mental Health: A Tool for Managers, by Allison Cowan, Judith MacBride-King,
November 2005. Available from The Conference Board of Canada at www.conferenceboard.ca.
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget, Marianne J. Legato, MD, FACP. Chapters included in this book
discuss the changing face of parenting, depression in men and women, and why men and women respond differently to
stress (and why it matters). Dr. Legato is Founder of the Partnership for Gender-Speci?c Medicine at Columbia University.
Note: Some of the information in this brochure on the physiology of stress is taken from Kids Have Stress Too!
®
,
a program of The Psychology Foundation of Canada. (Creator: Claire McDerment, B.Sc.(N), R.N.)
WEB SITES
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
An organization with a variety of information on mental
health and mental illness, including a short work-life
balance quiz. The CMHA has chapters across Canada
with various local services and programs. For example,
the Calgary Region chapter has a workplace program
called, “The Copernicus Project: Risk Management for
Workplace Mental Health” and the Ontario chapter has
a workplace program called “Mental Health Works”.
www.cmha.ca
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
The CPA site also directs visitors to its provincial and
territorial associations to ?nd a psychologist, and provides
information on psychology in Canada. Ask about the
‘Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Program’
www.cpa.ca
(The American Psychological Association Web site is
also a very good resource at www.apa.org)
Centre For Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
www.camh.net
Centre for Studies on Human Stress
(Douglas Mental Health University Institute,
McGill University)
Web site that provides information on the nature of
stress, additional tips on coping with stress, a youth
corner, a newsletter and more.
www.douglasrecherche.qc.ca/groups/stress/general-public
Families and Work Institute (United States)
This is a non-pro?t research organization that studies
the changing workforce, the changing workplace,
the changing family and the changing community.
www.familiesandwork.org
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Visit this Web site to test stress levels, ?nd information
on healthy eating, exercise tips, and more.
www.heartandstroke.ca
Mental Health Canada
Comprehensive directory of mental health professionals
included here.
www.mentalhealthcanada.com
Mental Health Works
(Workplace Mental Health Program)
Mental Health Works is an initiative of The Canadian
Mental Health Association, Ontario. For more information
on the program, visit their Web site.
www.mentalhealthworks.ca
National Quality Institute (NQI)
NQI is an independent, Canadian not-for-pro?t
organization that focuses on workplace excellence
based on quality systems and healthy workplace criteria.
www.nqi.ca
The Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC)
PFC offers programs like Kids Have Stress Too!
®
,
Parenting for Life, and Diversity in Action.
www.psychologyfoundation.org and
www.kidshavestresstoo.org
For Further Information
09
The Psychology Foundation of Canada
and Desjardins Financial Security
are pleased to partner to bring you
the information in this booklet.
The Psychology Foundation of Canada
The Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC) is a national registered charity that supports
parents and strengthens families through a number of initiatives including creating educational
resources, developing training programs for professionals, and delivering community-based
education. Founded in 1974 to promote the understanding and use of sound psychological
knowledge to better people’s lives, the Foundation is guided by a Board of Trustees comprised
of psychologists and business and community leaders. PFC’s programs, like Kids Have Stress
Too!
®
, Parenting for Life and Diversity in Action, help Canadians better understand how to
manage situations and relationships more effectively at home, school, community and work.
To ?nd out more, or to order materials, please visit PFC’s Web sites at
www.psychologyfoundation.org or www.kidshavestresstoo.org.
Desjardins Financial Security
®
Desjardins Financial Security, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the largest integrated
cooperative ?nancial group in Canada, specializes in group and individual life and health
insurance, and savings products and services. Every day, over ?ve million Canadians rely
on Desjardins Financial Security to ensure their ?nancial security. With a staff of nearly
3,900 employees, Desjardins Financial Security manages and administers close to $22 billion in
assets from of?ces in major cities across the country, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, Lévis, Halifax and St. John’s.
Desjardins Financial Security is committed to improving awareness of mental health promotion
through a number of partnerships as well as its annual Health is Cool! survey. To ?nd out more
information about the Health is Cool! survey and other mental health promotion initiatives,
please visit our Web site at www.healthiscool.ca.
Written by: Krista L. Saleh
Design: Desjardins Financial Security
Partner in Mental Health Leadership:
Feeling rushed puts
pressure on kids.
It’s hard for kids to understand why they’re being
rushed. If mornings are too rushed, make a little more
time by getting clothes, lunches and backpacks ready
the night before. Set aside time to play or just unwind
and relax – it helps take the pressure off everybody.
Remember, parents can slow down the pace.
Kids Have Stress Too!
®
is a Program of The Psychology Foundation
of Canada. For more information, go to
www.kidshavestresstoo.org.
®Registered trademark owned by Desjardins Financial Security
www.desjardins?nancialsecurity.com
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