Mental Health Check 2.0

Keep watch for Roy's full story, to be published in the coming weeks! 

Q: Can we review our Sunlife benefits and how to best use them for seeking help for mental health? (Therapy coverage, HSA help, medication, etc.)

A: As part of our benefits program, we have access to a wide variety of services and resources that can support our mental health. In this article, we discuss psychologist & social worker coverage under our group benefits plan, 24/7 free, professional counselling under our employee assistance program, and additional resources available at free or discounted fees. You can also find details of your coverage on the Front Steps > Benefits & Perks page

Additionally, we are looking to bring in a representative from SunLife Financial later this quarter for a lunch and learn webinar and Q&A about our benefits to ensure that we can all have the best understanding of what is covered and how to access it. Stay tuned!

Q:  I'm really interested in using the EAP, or at least getting set up with a therapist, but I don't really want to just call a line, call me old school but I want to set up an actual appointment etc. But what I find really daunting is actually finding someone that is the right fit, there are so many certifications and such.

A: We highly recommend checking out Psychology Today, it is probably the best resource of therapists to choose from. Each Therapist has a profile that tells you a little bit about them, their treatment style, and the areas of specialty they focus on. You can usually get a pretty good sense if the person might be a right fit from these profiles. You can also use filters to narrow down your search by credentials, location, etc. 

Note: In order to be covered under our benefits, the provider must be a 'psychologist' or a 'social worker'. 

And most importantly, please keep in mind that: 

• a) You are not stuck with the first therapist you see, and 

• b) It very well might take seeing a couple of different therapist to find the right fit!

It all comes down to a connection, and you feeling comfortable with the person you are seeing. This is imperative, and there is no perfect science choosing the right person off the bat.

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Alternatively, if you're interested in accessing free & confidential counselling through the EAP, you can access online intake through their webportal at https://www.workhealthlife.com/ > Get Started Online as an alternative to their toll-free line at 1-855-544-7722

Q: What is Vendasta's stance on the potential of a 4 day work week being instated to help with employee mental health? There's a lot of ongoing research and debate in the area and I'm curious how seriously Vendasta is considering this option.

A: It has definitely been interesting to see recent news articles arise about different countries, like the UK and Iceland, trialling the four-day work week and evaluating the different pros and cons experienced by their employees and the business overall. This will be something that as more countries & companies across different industries continue to trial, we will continue to monitor as well.

If you do feel that your mental health is struggling due to a 5-day work week, we encourage you to speak with Jean Parchewsky about possible accommodations that could be made.

Q: How can Vendasta look at compensation to help with mental health?

A: Total compensation is something Vendasta looks at across 6 major components: base salary, variable pay (where appl), annual bonus (where appl), benefits, paid time-off, and employee options. Together, we aim to assemble a competitive employer package across these 6 dimensions to ensure our compensation & total rewards are comparable to the market for our positions. Vendasta used a 3rd-party software tool called PayScale to run regular reports & analytics that, in turn with working with managers, help us establish strategic pay bands based on role responsibilities and experience. We are always trying to keep an eye on the trends and changes in the market to ensure we can make competitive changes to these pay bands as needed. Vendasta aims to be one company with many career opportunities. If anyone is ever interested in pursuing a new level or role (with a new payband) within Vendasta, there are great opportunities to work with leadership on Individual Development Plans to pursue these changes.

Additionally, we conduct go-to-market benefits reviews to ensure these additional aspects of total compensation are offering the right resources to our teams for their physical and mental health—this is actually how we came to launch the EAP in 2021. If you have any suggestions for additional benefits that could help support mental health, please feel free to reach out to Celine Martin or Jean Parchewsky.

Q: As an employer, what role can & should Vendasta play in supporting employee mental health, especially that which may stem from trauma?

A: Mental health challenges can stem from many different factors, including but not limited to generational and childhood trauma and other deep-seeded issues. These types of challenges can be best explored with the support of a trained professional. It is important to remember that every person's mental health journey is different, but that by being an employer who demonstrates care for our team's wellbeing, we can foster a safe culture for team members who may be struggling to ask for help.

Vendasta can help support this by encouraging a culture that promotes mental health both within and outside the workplace, and encouraging people to seek the help they need when they need it. Vendasta offers an unlimited sick day policy, as well as our EAP program and mental health coverage under our SunLife benefits plan to help support the needs of our teams in accessing the help they may need to take care of their mental health.

Q: When can we expect to hear news of any return-to-office communications?

A: With the ever-changing nature of COVID-19, we too wish that we had all of the answers about when we can expect more returns to normalcy. With the new Omicron variant continuing to be of note, we are currently working through what the best options for our employees and our partners are as we determine what returning to the office could look like. We are doing some research, meeting with other companies, and coming up with plans we hope will balance the needs & comfort level of our teams and business. It is an ever changing and challenging problem to solve but we hope to continue to offer flexibility for a lot of our roles and ensure the comfort-levels of our teams.

Q: Do we have any discounts on therapy, such as betterhelp.com rates?

A: In addition to the free, confidential counseling available through our EAP, we do have a great list of resources available on The Front Step. Check out some free & low-cost options for mental health support here and some discounted resources (such as app subscriptions, guided therapy programs, and more) here.

Q: What can we do if we see someone struggling? It can often feel like we're prying, but I don't want someone to suffer in silence either.

A: If you are worried about someone, the best thing to do is talk to them. BUT prior to the conversation, try to put yourself in their shoes and consider how they are feeling. They could be sensitive, confused, frightened, embarrassed, or guilty. It is important to recognize this and consider timing, tone, and turf before bringing up their mental health. It is best to bring the subject up in a private setting where you both are relaxed and have time to talk. It can be helpful to begin the conversation by mentioning changes you have noticed and asking them if there is anything they would like to talk about. Let them know that you are there to support them and ask what you can do to help, which may include helping them connect with a professional. If they are willing to talk to you, the best thing to do is listen; you're not a trained professional so don't need to have all the answers. If you are worried about their immediate safety, you can call a crisis helpline or 911.

If you have offered this conversation and the person isn’t ready to open up, the most important thing you can do is continue to let them know you are here and ready to listen if they are comfortable speaking to you, but not to push the issue. Be supportive, but not confrontational.

Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day—a day where the importance of our mental health comes to the forefront. Bell Canada started this initiative in 2010 to engage open discussion about and offer important resources for mental illness. 

(Reference https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/results-impact/) 

Bell Let’s Talk has made a huge & positive impact for the mental health community. Since its inception in 2010, Bell Let’s Talk has:

• Started 1,327,476,135 online interactions around mental health

• Committed $121,373,806.75 to mental health initiatives

• Funded 888 community grants—including

  • $28.6 million in funding to Canadian youth, and 

  • $3.3 million in funding to Indigenous communities

These are monumental numbers that have helped more and more Canadians each year access resources for their mental health, understand the importance of mental health, and reduce the stigma around mental health. 

With so much positive impact being driven by Bell Let’s Talk, how can we get involved in such an important movement? 

Join the conversation

Did you know that on January 26, 2022 Bell Canada will donate 5 cents towards mental health funding for every applicable social media interaction, text, and phone call related to the #BellLetsTalk campaign? If you’re on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, or Twitter, check out these ways to join the conversation and contribute to Bell’s donation campaign. 

Reduce the stigma

While Bell Let’s Talk day occurs just one day of the year, it is important to continue having crucial conversations about mental health on an ongoing basis.

Did you know that one in three Canadians will experience a mental illness at one point in their life? For many that experience mental health challenges, the stigma around those challenges can be one of the biggest deterrents to seeking help. In fact, Bell Canada reports that nearly 67% of Canadians who experience a mental illness will not seek help due to the stigma around mental health.

So what can we do to support one another when experiencing mental health challenges? Finding ways to start conversations about mental health with the people in our lives is one great way to start. For its 2022 campaign, Bell Let’s Talk has assembled a great conversation guide to help us all understand the core concepts of mental health, identify symptoms of mental illness, and start crucial conversations around mental health. Check it out here. 

Advice from our own