Impact

Workplace wellbeing is one of the most used — and most misunderstood — terms in Canadian HR. Organizations spend thousands on programs without agreeing on what wellbeing is, let alone how to measure it. The result: spending rises, outcomes stay flat.

If you lead a team or manage HR for a Canadian organization, you need more than a definition. You need a framework for measurement — one connecting wellbeing to real organizational results.

What Wellbeing at Work Is — and Is Not

Wellbeing is not a benefit package. It is not a gym membership or a fruit bowl in the break room.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), workplace wellbeing encompasses all aspects of working life — from the quality of the physical environment to how employees feel about their work, their relationships with colleagues, and their opportunities to develop.

It spans four core dimensions:

• Physical health and safety
• Mental and emotional health
• Social connection at work
• Financial security

All four interact. A physically safe workplace with poor social dynamics still produces psychological harm. A generous benefits package does nothing for a person who feels invisible to their manager.

The Current State: What Canadian Data Shows

The numbers are not reassuring.

Statistics Canada’s Canadian Survey on Working Conditions, 2024–2025 found meaningful gaps across the country’s workforce in psychosocial working conditions — including job demands, autonomy, and social support at work.

According to a recent RBC Insurance-Ipsos survey, only 56% of Canadian employees rate their overall wellbeing as excellent or good. One year earlier, the figure was 65%. Mental health specifically dropped to 52%. Workers aged 18–34 saw the steepest fall: an 18-point drop in overall wellbeing in a single year.

Only 21% of Canadian employees are engaged at work, according to Gallup — well below the regional benchmark of 31% for the US and Canada combined.

Ask yourself: do your people fall into this 21%? If you do not measure, you do not know.

Why Most Organizations Measure Wellbeing Wrong

Many organizations measure what is easy — benefit utilization rates, absenteeism counts, or EAP call volumes. These are outputs. They do not tell you whether your workplace is generating wellbeing or eroding it.

A low absenteeism rate does not mean people are well. It often means they show up sick, disengaged, or burned out. This is presenteeism — and it costs more than absenteeism in lost productivity.

Measuring wellbeing requires looking at the conditions producing it, not only the behaviors it drives.

Four Metrics Worth Tracking

1. Psychological Safety Score

Do people on your team feel safe raising concerns, admitting mistakes, and asking for help without fear of punishment? This is measurable. Validated tools from Guarding Minds at Work assess it directly across 13 psychosocial factors — including clear leadership, psychological support, and workload management.

2. Presenteeism Index

Ask employees directly: “In the past month, how many days did you come to work but were not fully productive due to your mental or physical health?” This single question provides a baseline most organizations do not have — and it surfaces a cost invisible to standard HR reporting.

3. Voluntary Turnover Rate by Department

When wellbeing deteriorates, people leave — and they leave specific teams first. Tracking turnover at the department level shows you where your culture is breaking down before it becomes a workforce crisis. Organization-wide turnover averages hide too much.

4. Manager Effectiveness Ratings

The manager relationship is the single largest predictor of employee psychological safety. Regular upward feedback on manager behaviors — not only performance outcomes — ties directly to wellbeing at the team level. Leaders who do not know how they are experienced by their teams are flying blind.

How to Build a Measurement System

Start with a baseline. Choose two or three of the metrics above and run your first assessment now. You need a starting point before any program you build will show results.

From there, the work splits into two tracks: building skills in the people who lead others, and addressing root causes at the system level.

The Working Mind trains managers and employees to recognize mental health changes, reduce stigma, and build the conversational skills underpinning psychological safety — all factors tied directly to measurable wellbeing outcomes. Organizations reporting the strongest wellbeing scores tend to have leaders with explicit training in mental health awareness.

For a more systematic approach, Psychological Health and Safety training provides a structured, evidence-based framework aligned to the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (CSA Z1003). It moves wellbeing from a one-off program into a system — one you measure, audit, and improve annually.

What Wellbeing Costs When You Ignore It

The business case is not complicated. Poor workplace wellbeing increases absenteeism, raises turnover, reduces productivity, and elevates legal risk under Canadian occupational health and safety obligations.

When only 56% of your workforce rates their wellbeing as good or excellent, the remaining 44% are not performing at their best. They are also more likely to file claims, leave your organization, or require costly accommodations.

Measurement changes this. It gives leaders a signal before the cost arrives — and gives organizations a defensible record of effort if a claim does arise.

Where to Start

Workplace wellbeing is a measurable system — not a feeling. If you do not have baseline data, start there. If you have data but no action plan, the two training programs linked above give you a direct path from measurement to change.

What does your organization currently track? If the honest answer is “absenteeism and EAP calls,” it is time to go deeper.

Most organizations have invested time and effort in communicating their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

There are emails, intranet resources, posters, onboarding materials, benefits guides, and reminders during Mental Health Week.

Employees have heard of it.

Yet many organizations continue to ask the same question:

If employees know support is available, why aren’t more of them accessing it?

The answer is that awareness is only one part of the equation.

Knowing a resource exists doesn’t automatically mean employees understand when it may be helpful, feel confident accessing it, or recognize that their situation warrants support.

Just as knowing a gym membership exists doesn’t guarantee people will exercise, awareness alone rarely drives behaviour change.

To encourage meaningful engagement with workplace mental health support like EAP, organizations need to go beyond awareness and build recognition, confidence, and capability.

That’s where Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions make a difference.

Awareness Is Important—But It’s Only the Starting Point

Awareness initiatives play an important role in workplace mental health strategies.

Employees cannot access supports they don’t know exist.

Communication campaigns, benefits education, and regular reminders help ensure that resources remain visible and accessible.

However, awareness alone doesn’t answer several important questions employees may have:

• How do I know if support would be helpful?
• What challenges are appropriate to discuss through EAP?
• What happens when I contact the service?
• Is it confidential?
• How do I start the conversation?
• Do I need to wait until things become serious?

These questions represent the gap between awareness and action.

Many organizations are discovering that increasing engagement with mental health supports requires more than communication. It requires helping employees and managers develop a deeper understanding of mental health, available resources, and when support can be beneficial.

The Difference Between Awareness and Recognition

Awareness means:

“I know the EAP exists.”

Recognition means:

“I understand when support may be helpful, and I know how to access it.”

This distinction is important.

An employee may be experiencing ongoing stress, difficulty sleeping, reduced concentration, anxiety about work, caregiving pressures, or personal challenges.

They may know the EAP exists yet still think:

• “This is probably normal.”
• “I’m sure it will pass.”
• “Other people have bigger problems.”
• “I don’t think this is what the service is for.”

In these situations, awareness exists.

Recognition does not.

Recognition helps people connect their experiences with available supports and empowers them to take action when appropriate.

For organizations seeking better outcomes from their mental health investments, this shift is critical.

What Gets in the Way of Help-Seeking?

When employees do not access available supports, it’s rarely because of a single factor.

Several common barriers may influence whether someone seeks help.

Limited Understanding of When Support Can Help

Many people assume mental health resources are intended only for significant or crisis-level concerns.

They may not realize that support can also help with:

• Stress and burnout
• Anxiety
• Sleep challenges
• Grief and loss
• Family or relationship concerns
• Caregiving responsibilities
• Workplace pressures
• Life transitions

Without this understanding, employees may overlook resources that could be beneficial.

Uncertainty About the Process

Employees may not know:

• What happens when they call
• What services are available
• How appointments are arranged
• How confidentiality is protected

Practical uncertainty can become a barrier, even when awareness is high.

Workplace Norms and Culture

Employees pay attention to how leaders and colleagues talk about mental health.

When mental health conversations are normalized and respectful, employees are often more comfortable exploring support options.

When the topic is rarely discussed, people may be less likely to engage with available resources.

Preference for Self-Management

Many employees naturally attempt to manage challenges independently before seeking formal support.

While this can be effective in many situations, it may also delay access to resources that could help address concerns earlier.

Why Recognition Matters

Recognition helps employees understand not only that support exists but why it may be relevant to them.

A recognition-based approach helps employees:

Identify Early Signs

People learn to recognize changes in mood, energy, sleep, concentration, stress levels, and behaviour before challenges become overwhelming.

Understand Mental Health as a Continuum

Rather than viewing mental health through a simple and stigmatized “healthy” versus “unwell” lens, employees learn that everyone experiences fluctuations in mental wellbeing throughout life.

Recognize That Support Is Appropriate Early

Employees become more aware that support can be valuable before difficulties significantly affect wellbeing, relationships, or work performance.

Build Confidence in Taking Action

When employees understand resources and know what to expect, accessing support feels more practical and less intimidating.

Recognition creates the bridge between information and action.

How Opening Minds Workplace Solutions Build Recognition

Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions help organizations move beyond awareness toward understanding, confidence, and practical action.

The Working Mind supports managers by helping them:

• Recognize changes in well-being for yourself and others
• Build confidence in mental health conversations
• Respond appropriately and supportively
• Guide employees toward available resources

Managers play a significant role in creating workplace environments where employees feel supported and informed.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) supports employees by helping them:

• Understand mental health and wellbeing more broadly
• Recognize signs that support may be beneficial
• Build confidence in supporting colleagues
• Learn how and when to access available resources
• Develop practical knowledge about help-seeking

Together, these programs help establish a common language and shared understanding across the organization.

From Communication to Capability

The most effective workplace mental health strategies combine communication with capability development.

Communication answers: “What resources are available?”

Capability answers: “How do I recognize when support is needed, and what do I do next?”

Organizations need both.

Awareness campaigns remain valuable because they keep resources visible.

Training helps employees and managers understand how to use those resources effectively.

When organizations combine the two, employees are more likely to:

• Recognize when support may be beneficial
• Feel comfortable exploring available resources
• Understand how services work
• Access support earlier when appropriate
• Support one another more effectively

This is where sustainable behaviour change begins.

The Organizational Impact

When organizations invest in awareness, recognition, and capability together, they often see benefits across several areas.

More Confident Managers
Managers develop practical skills for supporting employees and navigating conversations related to wellbeing.

Greater Employee Understanding
Employees have a clearer picture of what supports exist and when they can be useful.

Stronger Psychological Safety
Teams become more comfortable discussing wellbeing concerns respectfully and appropriately.

Earlier Access to Support
Employees gain confidence in seeking assistance before challenges become more disruptive.

Stronger Return on Existing Investments
Organizations are more likely to realize the value of benefits and support services that already exist within their workplace.

A Better Question for HR Leaders

Many organizations ask: “Do employees know the EAP exists?”

That’s an important question.

But a more strategic question may be:

“Do employees understand when support might help, feel confident accessing it, and know how to take the next step?”

The distinction matters.

Awareness contributes to visibility.

Recognition contributes to action.

Capability contributes to long-term organizational impact.

The strongest workplace mental health strategies address all three.

Making Awareness Work Harder

Awareness campaigns should not disappear.

Instead, they should be integrated into a broader workplace mental health strategy.

A practical approach might look like this:

Before Training
Communications create visibility and reinforce the organization’s commitment to wellbeing.

During Training
The Working Mind and MHFA build understanding, confidence, and practical skills.

After Training
Awareness initiatives reinforce learning, remind employees about available resources, and sustain momentum.

In this model, awareness becomes more effective because it is supported by recognition and capability-building.

Closing Thoughts

Most organizations have done a good job making employees aware that support resources exist.

The next challenge is helping people understand when and how to use them.

Awareness alone does not always lead to action.

Recognition, confidence, psychological safety, and manager capability help close that gap.

Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions support organizations in developing these capabilities through The Working Mind and Mental Health First Aid.

The goal isn’t simply to increase awareness.

The goal is to create workplaces where employees understand their options, know when support may be beneficial, and feel confident accessing resources when they need them.

That’s where meaningful impact begins.

Move Beyond Awareness

If your organization has invested in mental health supports but wants to strengthen employee understanding, confidence, and early intervention, Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions can help.

Learn how The Working Mind and Mental Health First Aid can support managers, employees, and leaders in creating a more informed, supportive workplace.

Strengthen Employee Mental Health Capability

Opening Minds Training Programs

Opening Minds offers three workplace mental health training programs designed to build awareness, reduce stigma, and strengthen organizational capability.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

Equips individuals with practical knowledge and skills to support a person experiencing a decline in mental well-being or a mental health crisis — until professional help is available.

The Working Mind (TWM)

A workplace-focused mental health training course designed to change how employees, managers, and leaders think, feel, and act about mental health at work.

Psychological Health and Safety (PHS)

A proactive, systems-level approach addressing work-related factors contributing to mental health problems — supporting healthy, safe, and productive workplaces.

You’re reviewing workforce wellbeing indicators. EAP utilization comes up alongside engagement scores, absenteeism trends, disability claims, employee feedback, and manager observations.

Someone asks: “What does our EAP utilization tell us?”

It’s an important question — but not always a straightforward one.

While Employee Assistance Program (EAP) utilization offers valuable insight, it doesn’t provide a complete picture of workplace mental health. A low utilization rate doesn’t necessarily mean employees are thriving. A higher rate doesn’t automatically indicate a problem. In fact, the opposite is often true.

What utilization tells us is how many employees are accessing one specific support resource.

The bigger question for employers is this:

Do employees understand the support available to them, feel comfortable accessing it, and seek help early when challenges arise?

Those are the conditions helping organizations realize the full value of their mental health investments.

This is where many workplaces face what we call the Workplace Mental Health Impact Gap — the space between having supports available and ensuring employees feel confident, informed, and empowered to use them when needed.

Understanding the Workplace Mental Health Impact Gap

Many Canadian organizations have made significant investments in workplace mental health.

Today:

• Most employers offer some form of EAP or access to mental health support resources
• Mental health is increasingly recognized as a key component of workplace wellbeing
• Employees are more open to discussing mental health than in previous generations
• Organizations continue to expand resources aimed at prevention, support, and recovery

Yet many employers still ask the same question:

How do we know whether our investments are making an impact?

The answer isn’t found in utilization rates alone.

Organizations need to understand the full employee experience:

• Do employees know what resources are available?
• Do they understand when support is beneficial?
• Do managers feel equipped to respond appropriately?
• Do employees trust the support services are confidential?
• Do people seek help early — or only when challenges become severe?

When gaps exist between available supports and employee confidence in accessing them, organizations miss important opportunities for prevention, early intervention, and ongoing wellbeing.

Why Employees Don’t Always Access Available Supports

When utilization rates are lower than expected, look beyond awareness alone.

Employee decisions about accessing mental health resources are shaped by several factors.

They Don’t Recognize Support Is Helpful

Many employees associate mental health support with crisis situations. They often don’t realize EAP resources are designed to help with a broad range of concerns — including stress, anxiety, workplace pressures, relationship challenges, caregiving responsibilities, and life transitions — or for maintaining good mental health day to day.

They Have Questions About Confidentiality

Even when employees know services exist, they are often uncertain about how information is managed and who has access to it. Building understanding and trust around confidentiality removes uncertainty and increases confidence.

They’re Unsure How to Access Services

For some employees, the barrier is practical. They don’t know how to get started, what services are available, or what to expect.

They Prefer to Handle Challenges Independently

Many people first rely on personal coping strategies, family, friends, or informal supports. While these approaches are valuable, employees often delay professional support longer than necessary.

Workplace Culture Influences Behaviour

Employees take cues from leaders, managers, and colleagues. When mental health is discussed openly and without judgment, employees are more comfortable seeking support.

Access to support is not about availability alone — it’s about confidence, understanding, and workplace culture.

Why Early Access to Support Matters

Organizations benefit when employees seek support before challenges become more complex.

Early access to resources helps:

• Support productivity and performance — Employees who receive timely support manage challenges better and stay engaged in their work
• Strengthen retention — People stay with organizations demonstrating a genuine commitment to wellbeing
• Reduce escalation — Addressing concerns early helps prevent challenges from becoming harder to manage for employees, teams, and organizations
• Improve engagement and belonging — Employees who feel supported develop stronger connection and trust within the workplace
• Maximize existing investments — When employees understand and feel comfortable using resources, organizations are more likely to achieve the intended return on investment

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental health problems and illnesses cost the Canadian economy more than $51 billion per year. Early intervention is not a nice-to-have — it’s a business priority.

A More Useful Way to Think About Utilization

A healthy workplace isn’t defined by whether EAP utilization is high or low.

A healthy workplace is one where employees:

• Know support is available
• Understand when and how to access it
• Trust the process
• Feel psychologically safe seeking help when appropriate
• Receive support early when needed

Utilization is one metric. Confidence, awareness, psychological safety, manager capability, and employee experience provide additional context showing whether a mental health strategy is truly effective.

Rather than asking “Is utilization low?” — the better question is:

“Are employees accessing support when they need it?”

Building the Conditions for Help-Seeking

Organizations fostering early intervention and informed help-seeking focus on four key areas.

Recognition — Employees and managers recognize early signs additional support is beneficial.

Capability — Managers have practical skills and confidence to initiate supportive conversations and connect employees with appropriate resources.

Psychological Safety — Employees feel comfortable discussing mental health concerns without fear of judgment or negative consequences.

Clarity — Everyone has a clear understanding of available resources and how to access them.

These are organizational capabilities developed through education, leadership, and culture-building. The CSA Z1003 National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety provides a framework for organizations building these conditions systematically.

How Opening Minds Supports Organizations

Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions help organizations strengthen the conditions supporting awareness, psychological safety, and early intervention.

The Working Mind helps managers:

• Recognize changes in employee wellbeing
• Build confidence in mental health conversations
• Respond appropriately and supportively
• Connect employees to available resources

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) helps employees:

• Recognize signs of mental health challenges in themselves and others
• Understand the importance of early support
• Develop confidence in responding to mental health concerns
• Know how and when to access available resources

Together, these programs help organizations:

• Normalize mental health conversations
• Build shared understanding across teams
• Increase confidence in available supports
• Strengthen psychological safety
• Develop sustainable organizational capability

A Better Question for HR Leaders

HR leaders already know no single metric tells the entire story.

Rather than viewing EAP utilization as a success metric on its own, consider a broader set of questions:

• Do employees understand what support is available?
• Do managers know how to respond when concerns arise?
• Do employees trust the confidentiality of support services?
• Are people accessing resources early when needed?
• Do employees feel psychologically safe discussing mental health concerns?
• Are investments producing meaningful changes in awareness, confidence, and capability?

These questions provide a richer and more actionable understanding of workplace mental health.

Tracking What Matters

Utilization remains an important data point — consider it alongside other indicators:

• Awareness of available supports
• Employee confidence in accessing resources
• Manager confidence and capability
• Psychological safety measures
• Help-seeking attitudes
• Employee engagement and retention
• Early intervention behaviours

Together, these metrics provide a more complete picture of workplace mental health impact.

What This Means for Your Organization

Most organizations have already invested in mental health resources. The next challenge is ensuring those resources are understood, trusted, and accessible.

EAP utilization offers useful insight, but it’s only one part of a much larger picture.

Organizations create the greatest impact when they build awareness, strengthen manager capability, increase psychological safety, and help employees feel confident accessing support when they need it.

Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions help organizations build those conditions. Through The Working Mind and Mental Health First Aid, organizations equip leaders, managers, and employees with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to support mental health in practical and meaningful ways.

The goal isn’t simply higher utilization.

The goal is a workplace where employees understand their options, feel supported, and access the right resources at the right time.

This is what a healthy workplace looks like.

Want to strengthen mental health awareness, confidence, and capability in your organization? Explore The Working Mind or learn about Mental Health First Aid to take the next step.

Opening Minds Training Programs

Opening Minds offers three workplace mental health training programs designed to build awareness, reduce stigma, and strengthen organizational capability.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

Equips individuals with practical knowledge and skills to support a person experiencing a decline in mental well-being or a mental health crisis — until professional help is available.

The Working Mind (TWM)

A workplace-focused mental health training course designed to change how employees, managers, and leaders think, feel, and act about mental health at work.

Psychological Health and Safety (PHS)

A proactive, systems-level approach addressing work-related factors contributing to mental health problems — supporting healthy, safe, and productive workplaces.