• Anytime an employee's time away impacts the ability to perform to the expectations of the job, a follow up conversation with the employee will occur.  People Operations and your manager will reach out if there are any concerns. 

• A discussion regarding further time off may be had at any time if the sick leave begins to affect the employee’s performance, or if a pattern arises, i.e., you have taken every Monday off for two months. It may be that a modified work agreement may best suit your needs at that time. This is also so that the other employees on your team are not impacted negatively by the time away.

• If at any time you experience concern regarding your time off, please reach out to the Director of People and Culture for further assistance.  

• Yes, you can use your sick time for a mental health day and medical appointments. 

• The sick policy outlines that sick days can be used for an employees own:

  • Mental health needs 

  • Medical appointments 

  • Physical illness 

• If at any time you’re finding it difficult to take time off for any of these needs, please reach out to our Director of People and Culture for further assistance. 

• Over the last year, Vendasta has made great strides in increasing the opportunity for mental health benefits for our employees. We recognize the need for these services and are continuing to evaluate the things we offer to assist in this area. 

• If you are in need of further benefits, you can contact SunLife to inquire about purchasing a personal plan to add to your company health benefits plan. 

• Some practitioners offer payment assistance, or can adjust session costs to better fit the individual's needs on a sliding scale. When booking your appointment check and see if your practitioner offers any assistance such as these. 

• The province of Saskatchewan has also put together a list of free resources here.

• If there are specific concerns or exceptions you would like considered please reach out to the Director of People and Culture.

• Vendasta will be offering Naloxone training on October 25 as a way to start the conversation on how to support those who may be struggling with substance abuse.

• If you’re interested in attending this training, please reach out to Katie Salmers. 

• Substance abuse is a topic that we will consider exploring in a future panel. If you have ideas or suggestions please reach out to the mental wellness sub committee. 

• Some people feel it can be difficult to open up to someone over the phone and others prefer virtual or the phone better, so we encourage you to take advantage of this and try it, especially if you are in immediate need. Practitioners through the EAP program understand that it can be difficult, but if you begin by explaining this they can also help you navigate through these sessions.  There is also the option to not use the EAP and to use the Sunlife benefit to meet with someone in person.

• Some tips to prepare for your first phone discussion with a counsellor: 

  • Write things down - keep a list of what you want to talk about so you can refer to it easily during the call.

  • Be aware of your environment - try to be in a private space where you feel comfortable and safe, away from distractions.

  • Be open and honest - keep in mind that it usually takes time before you start to feel comfortable around anyone new, including your counsellor. 

  • After you’ve used your free EAP sessions, they will provide you with a list of practitioners available in your area that you can reach out to for continued support. 

  • In some cases, you may be asked if you want your file provided to the practitioner. This can be helpful for some people so that the new practitioner has an understanding of what you may be going through. It can be really daunting to feel like you are beginning all over again when you begin to see a new practitioner. This service helps aid in this. 

Reach out to the People Operations Administrator, Director of People & Culture or the VP of People Operations for more questions.