Pourquoi on ne peut plus négliger la problématique de la santé mentale au travail ?

Saviez-vous que plus de 20 % des Canadiens souffrent d'une maladie mentale au courant de leur vie ? Cette statistique est en effet reconfirmée par les derniers statistiques de Santé mentale et de dépendance (CAMH, 2012). De plus, seulement 30 % de ceux qui souffrent de maladies mentales reçoivent les soins dont ils ont besoin. Enfin, moins de 50 % des Canadiens se disent prêts à en parler à des amis ou à chercher de l'aide d'un professionnel; cela en dépit de l'efficacité démontrée des différents traitements psychologiques et pharmacologiques qui existent.

De nos jours, maintenir un bon équilibre vie-travail devient de plus en plus problématique pour la majorité d'entre nous. Selon plusieurs sondages, environ 50 % des Canadiens ont des difficultés à rencontrer leurs différentes obligations professionnelles, personnelles et familiales (Santé Canada, 2008). Ces difficultés semblent s'aggraver avec une économie fragilisée où la plupart des organisations essaient d'en faire plus avec moins de ressources humaines et financières.

Étant donné le nombre significatif de personnes affectés par la maladie mentale, il n'est donc certainement pas surprenant d'apprendre que les coûts financiers de la santé mentale sur la société soient énormes, et représentent l'une des premières causes d'invalidité au travail (soient 70% des coûts totaux d'invalidité) ainsi que des cas prématurés de mortalité. Le stress à lui seul, représente une menace majeure pour le travail et la productivité, et totalise des coûts de 14 milliards par année en Santé mentale au Canada. Tout ceci amène conjointement à une somme de 51 milliards de $ / année en coût reliés aux soins de santé et perte de productivité au travail (Statistiques de Santé Canada, 2008).

C'est donc dire que la détresse psychologique et leurs impacts deviennent de plus en plus préoccupantes dans le monde du travail d'aujourd'hui, et incontournables dans d'analyse de la situation du travail en termes de résultats attendus et de productivité.

Mental Health at Work: We Can't Afford to Overlook the Problem

Were you aware that over 20 per cent of Canadians suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime? Well, the latest statistics on mental health and addiction (CAMH, 2012) reconfirm this result.

In addition, only 30 per cent of those who suffer from mental illness get the care they need. And less than 50 per cent of Canadians say they are ready to talk to family/friends or to seek professional help, despite the demonstrated success of various existing psychological and pharmacological treatments.

Today, maintaining a good work-life balance is becoming increasingly difficult for most of us. According to several surveys, about 50 per cent of Canadians are struggling to meet their work, personal and family obligations (Health Canada, 2008). And these problems seem to get worse within a fragile economy in which most organizations try to do more with fewer human and financial resources.

Given the significant number of people affected by mental illness, it's not surprising that the financial costs of mental health on society are enormous, and that mental illness is one of the leading causes of work-related disability (70 per cent are "total disability" costs) and of premature death. Stress alone is a major threat at work, and on productivity, and results in $14 billion per year in mental health costs in Canada. All together the costs related to health care and lost productivity at work add up to $51 billion/year (Health Statistics Canada, 2008).

Increasingly, psychological distress and its impacts are becoming concerns in today's work world, in addition to being key elements in any analyses of employment outcomes and productivity.

Maîtriser le stress au travail

On le sait, la vie professionnelle est génératrice de plusieurs stress. Le Dr Yaniv M. Benzimra, psychologue clinicien et organisationnel, nous propose des stratégies gagnantes pour ne pas se laisser envahir par eux.

Vous pouvez agir.

Le stress est un déséquilibre entre les demandes qui nous sont faites et notre habileté à y répondre à l'intérieur d'un laps de temps déterminé. Le stress est normal à court terme, mais ses effets à long terme sont négatifs. On peut agir sur trois plans : l'intervention primaire, l'intervention secondaire et l'intervention tertiaire.

Lire la suite :

Maîtriser le stress au travail by Y2CP

Wondering if you are ready to retire? Eight questions to ask yourself...

The way we imagine and go through retirement will be different for each one of us, depending on our experiences, our interests, and our lifestyle. This period could be an opportunity to reflect upon and to make a new start in our lives. Dr. Yaniv Benzimra outlines eight questions we should ask ourselves to know if we are ready — psychologically — to undertake this important transition.

1. Am I considering full or partial retirement?

   We are not required to go from an active professional life to full retirement; we can also choose to retire in stages. For example, over a period of five years we could go from five to three days, then to one day of work per week. This would allow us to spend some time away from work, to discover other activities, and to have some time to adapt to this new situation. We could also take time off from work for six months or a year to see how we would feel when we are not working. In certain cases, after retirement, we could work part time, for example as a consultant.

2. How do I feel about my work?

   We should ask certain questions based on our past work year, for example: Do I like my work? Am I looking forward to not working? To what extent am I defined by my profession? Do I still have things to achieve professionally or have I already been around the block? We can also think about the social aspects of work and the structure that work gives us. We can ask: Am I ready to live without my social network and outside of a structured work environment?

3. How do I feel about retirement?

   What are the advantages and disadvantages of a life without work? At the beginning of any new situation, there is a honeymoon period. But then routine sets in. After spending three to six months playing golf and travelling, think about what you are going to do during the next 15 or 20 years? In addition, am I feeling anxious about retiring or am I looking forward to it? If we have several projects lined up, it is obvious that this period will be more attractive. However, we should avoid feeling pressured by others.

4. Have I looked at the state of my health and my energy level?

   Does my work create too much stress and health problems? Am I able to produce at the required level? Am I always tired, burned out by the time I arrive home? Do I have health problems? Can I pursue my career given my current state of health and energy level? We shouldn't wait until we are sick to stop working. We should do it as a preventative measure, so we can enjoy our retirement. We can also ask ourselves how we feel on weekends and when we are on vacation. If we are anxious to return to work, it's because our interest in it is still strong.

Êtes-vous prête à prendre votre retraite ?

8 questions à se poser...

La manière d'envisager et de vivre la retraite sera différente pour chacun d'entre nous, selon nos expériences, nos acquis et notre manière de vivre. Cette période de vie peut être l'occasion de se redéfinir et de prendre un nouveau départ. Le Dr Yaniv M. Benzimra propose ici huit questions à se poser pour savoir si on est psychologiquement prêt à effectuer cette transition importante.

La retraite ouvre un nouveau chapitre de vie et donne l'occasion de faire ce qu'on avait mis de côté. Les retraités ont en moyenne 33 % plus de temps libre. Qu'allez-vous faire de votre temps ?

Êtes-vous prête à prendre votre retraite ? - Article Le Lundi

Comment faire face à une perte d'emploi

Secrets of Assessment Centre Design

An Assessment Centre is an excellent tool for identifying leadership potential, executive development or succession planning.

Assessment Centres can be made up of job simulations alone or combined with other tools such as psychometrics, 360-degree feedback and a competency-based interview.

Where the aim is development only, self-report questionnaires and periodic feedback during the program are also useful.

To be effective, an Assessment Centre needs to mirror a target job or level in the organization. It needs to present participants with stretching challenges similar to those they would face in that job or at that level. Assessment Centre exercises are simulations of the most critical challenges that must be dealt with effectively at the target level.

Assessment Centres can simulate any job, including sales or customer service roles and all levels of management. For the latter, maximum benefit is obtained when the first level of management is the target. This is where we get the classic problem: "When I promoted Jim, I lost my best sales person and gained a poor manager."

The challenging transition from individual contributor to manager

To decide how best to assess the potential to move successfully to a first management role we need to explore why failure is so common in this context.

Usually, employees are promoted because they excel at their current jobs. Following orthodox wisdom, they like to play to their strengths. Under the pressure of a higher profile role, many revert to type and continue to do what they do best, failing to realize that they need new skills for an entirely new role. Being good at their individual contributor roles means having high standards of performance. This positive work ethic, however, can combine negatively with their need to prove themselves in their new role as manager, leading them to do too much, be too directive and over use their formal authority.

With the pressure to prove themselves, it is tempting to manage the newly inherited team too closely, thus working more as a lead hand than as a leader. When their controlling approach runs into resistance, the frequently used way out is to "sweep aside" inherited team members, hence the widely used label: "new broom". This is a huge waste of talent and money.

Some tips for our resolutions for 2013

Here we are again. I know, some of you are saying "Already?" The holidays are over and it's time for resolutions for the New Year!

A U.S. study (University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology) reports that nearly half of all Americans (45%) made a resolution this year... but more than half will break them in the coming months. Indeed, only about 8% ever reach their goals. But why is it so difficult to keep our resolutions?

Here are a few tips to help you make 2013 a year in which you succeed in making and keeping them!

• Don't try to change more than one behaviour at a time (and a maximum of 2-3 during a year);
• Take time and carefully choose a "real" resolution;
• If you really want to change a behaviour, stop and think about HOW to do it: what do you have to focus on to achieve your goals?
• Our objectives should be "SMART":
  1. Specific (loose how many pounds/kilograms; take what specific course, etc.).
  2. Measurable (eat five servings of vegetables every day, or take a 15 minute walk, three nights/week, etc.).
  3. Attainable (stop overnight or gradually?)
  4. Realistic (lose 10 lbs in a week? Really?)
  5. Timely (reachable by June 1, 2013, for example)

Change, when it occurs is usually accompanied by a process of mourning for what had been (I can no longer eat chocolate while watching a movie, for example). Denial, or resistance, is the first stage of change. The greater the resistance, the more individuals may rebel or abandon (or become demotivated or discouraged). Our challenge is a mental one: to move from “change" to "continuous adaptation" (for example, a strict diet versus adopting a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits).

According to Prochaska and Di Clemente (1999), change is a cyclical process. Thus, the cycle of Prochaska outlines six stages of change:

Quelques trucs pour nos résolutions de 2013

Bon. Nous y revoilà. Déjà, diront certains. Les Fêtes sont terminées : place aux nouvelles résolutions ! Une étude américaine (University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology) rapporte que près de la moitié des américains (45%) prendront une résolution cette année... mais que plus de la moitié de ceux-ci l'abandonneront en cours d'année. On explique qu'environ 8% des gens atteindront complètement leurs objectifs. Mais pourquoi est-ce si difficile de respecter nos résolutions ? Voici donc quelques mises en garde pour vous aider à les maintenir, et à faire de 2013, une année remplie de réussites !

• On ne doit pas « s'attaquer » à plus d'un comportement à la fois (maximum de 2-3 dans l'année);
• Il faut s'accorder du temps et (bien) choisir une « vraie » résolution;
• Si on souhaite vraiment changer un comportement, il faut s'arrêter et penser au COMMENT FAIRE pour y arriver : quels moyens allons-nous privilégier pour atteindre nos objectifs ?
• Nos objectifs se doivent d'être « SMART », c'est-à-dire :
  1. Spécifiques (combien de livres/kg; prendre un cours de quoi exactement, etc.)
  2. Mesurables (mangez 5 portions de légumes à tous les jours, ou faire 15 min de marche, 3 soirs/semaine, etc.)
  3. Atteignables (arrêter du jour au lendemain ou graduellement ?)
  4. Réalistes (perdre 10 lbs en une semaine ? Vraiment !?)
  5. Temps alloué / limite (pour les atteindre : d'ici le 1er juin 2013 par exemple)

Lorsqu'un changement s'opère, il s'accompagne pour les individus concernés d'un processus de deuil des situations antérieures (je ne me permets plus de manger du chocolat en regardant un film, par exemple). L'étape de déni, étape primaire du changement, se manifeste par des résistances au changement. Plus ces résistances sont grandes, plus les individus risquent de tomber dans des comportements tels que la rébellion ou l'abandon (démotivation, découragement). Notre défi, est de l'ordre mental : passer du concept de « changement » à celui « d'adaptation permanente » (ex : suivre une diète vs adopter de saines habitudes de vie et de saines habitudes alimentaires).

Selon Prochaska et Di Clemente (1999), le changement est un processus qui fonctionne de manière cyclique. Ainsi, le cycle de Prochaska définit en 6 étapes le changement de comportement :