Employee Well-Being: Mental Health Affects Us All
Mental Health Affects Us All
Whether your life circumstances and workplace routines have shifted drastically or remain relatively unchanged, it is always important to prioritize your psychological well-being, to help cope with personal and professional demands. We continue to navigate new circumstances and face new challenges. Pressures and struggles that may have been manageable in the past could be surfacing differently and require more attention or support. Let us continue to take care of our mental health and look out for the mental health of those around us. The Heathy Workplace Committee has gathered resources to help promote psychological well-being and continue the important conversation on mental health.
Bell “Let’s Talk” Day
Thursday, January 28th
Join the McMaster Community as we come together to create positive change. Bell Let’s Talk promotes mental health awareness, acceptance and action built on 4 key pillars: Fighting stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research and leading by example in workplace mental health. During the campaign we will provide links to the official video, photo and video filters, the “toolkit” to support mental health, and links to community/University mental health supports. Follow us on Twitter @mcmasterOD
Mental Health Resources and Supports
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
Individuals can contact Homewood Health through their website or by phone toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to book appointments, or access any EFAP service.
Psychological Well-Being during COVID-19
On this site you will find a number of employee resources and articles – such as Parenting During a Pandemic or Strategies to Manage your Stress and Well-Being – that you may find helpful during this time.
Supporting Faculty and Staff in Distress
Everyone plays an important role in creating healthy and respectful work environments. Here, Managers and Leaders can find helpful tools to provide support and guide respectful communication.
Professor Hippo on Campus
The Professor Hippo-on-Campus program has been designed and tested to help us learn more and support student mental health. Let’s start talking about the hippo in the room – mental health!
Ontario’s Mental Health, Wellness and Addictions Support
Learn about what supports are available, such as Bounce Back: a free skill-building program that adults and youth 15+ can access over the phone, to learn things like how to improve your mood by changing the way you think or respond to things.
Upcoming Events
February is Heart Health Month. The Healthy Workplace Committee will be planning activities and sharing resources that support whole heart health. Take a look at some of the planned events and resources below and stay tuned for more during the month of February!
Understanding Grief and Loss
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
This one hour virtual session will help participants understand the difficult process of healing from grief and emphasize healthy ways to cope with loss. This workshop will be facilitated by Tami Murray, on behalf of Homewood Homewood Health. Register here.
Chocolate: From Treasure to Treat
Thursday, February 11th, 2021 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Learn about the life cycle of the Cacao tree, then journey through history to get the complete story behind the tasty treat that we call chocolate. This workshop will be facilitated by the Royal Botanical Gardens. Sadly, we will not be providing chocolate as a part of this workshop. However, we strongly encourage participants to supply their own! Please note: this session can accommodate up to a maximum of 35 participants. Register here.
Increasing Our Understanding of Mental Health in the Workplace
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
In today’s society, there remains a lack of awareness, and sometimes bias, regarding mental health problems. This one-hour online wellness session will assist participants in enhancing their understanding of the personal and environmental factors that can have an impact on mental health, the common signs and symptoms of mental health troubles, and the most appropriate prevention and intervention strategies. This session will be facilitated by Homewood Health. Register here.
Understanding Burnout
Friday, February 26th, 2021 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic brings unique challenges: social isolation, stress, anxiety and changes to work and home routines. For many individuals, work demands have increased on top of dealing with the personal impact of the pandemic. These added levels of stress and uncertainty can begin to take a toll on one’s mental health and in some cases, lead to burnout. This 1 hour webinar will help participants increase their understanding of burnout, recognize personal and workplace risk factors and provide self-care and resiliency strategies to mitigate the impact on employees and workplaces. This session will be facilitated by Homewood Health. Register here.
MacMoves
#MacMoves is an initiative created by McMaster Athletics and Recreation to promote a healthy, active lifestyle for everyone within the McMaster Community. Between numerous virtual fitness classes offered each week, nutrition resources, outdoor skills videos and more, there are plenty of resources to keep your heart healthy. Check out this Stretch and Relax yoga video with Jenn Stanley to help reduce stress and get moving!