Minding mental health in the workplace

Sonia is one of 13 Ambassadors from across the country and has found the project valuable to the management community.

Taking the pulse of your own mental health means knowing when you're feeling "off," acknowledging the signs and symptoms and taking the steps you need to get back on track again.

Those are the thoughts of Sonia Breau, a project manager in Moncton and a self-professed mental health advocate who is serious about making mental health a priority in the workplace. She strives to be a positive presence in her office in a variety of ways by talking openly about mental health, starting the week with what she calls '5 Minutes of Laughs' sessions, or simply smiling because it's "powerful and contagious."

"As a leader, I am very mindful of and attentive to my team's mental health," she says. "I observe, I listen and I don't hesitate to check in with someone. I invite them to look at our tools, take care of themselves and remind them not to forget to recharge."

In addition to making mental health a priority for her staff, Sonia is also a Mental Health First Aid responder for her office and is an Ambassador with ESDC's Manager to Manager Network (M2M) for Mental Health.

M2M is a new resource that gives managers the opportunity to connect with and empower each other to help support a psychologically healthy workplace for their employees. Launched this past May, this national initiative maintains a list of qualified Ambassadors from across the country managers can connect with depending on their needs, regardless of geographical location – and it's confidential.

"I have built a strong and wonderful network I can rely on in terms of mental health across the department," she says. "I have also increased my awareness of various mental health tools and information available to us. Most of all, it provides me with the opportunity to be an advocate and to make a difference at the national level."

Sonia's involvement with mental health initiatives follows the passing of her father, who lost his 15-year battle with depression seven years ago.

"Depression didn't define him; it was an illness. Unfortunately, he wasn't fortunate enough to be supported by the resources we now have in place," she says. "As a proud daughter, I took on the challenge to be an advocate, an educator as well as an enabler for mental health which I incorporated in both my personal and professional life as a leader at ESDC."

An employee of the department for 20 years, Sonia is proud to say she works for ESDC. "It is very apparent that they have mental health

in the forefront," she says. "Our department raises awareness about mental health regularly and provides us with a lot of tools to help us and our family." But she acknowledges there is still room for improvement.

"We need to continue to raise awareness which will help eliminate the stigma. We also need to keep promoting our tools and keep enhancing our tool box because, as my uncle who's a carpenter always says, 'a carpenter never has enough tools in his toolbox.'"

When asked what advice she could give to managers wanting to prioritize mental health in their offices, she has a few recommendations:

"Get to know your team. Reach out. Talk about mental health. Introduce fun routines. Connect with an M2M ambassador."

For more information on the M2M Network and other initiatives to promote mental health in the workplace, check out ESDC's Manager to Manager Network (M2M) or the Atlantic Region's Wellness site.