22 Executive Series Digest hrreporter.com 22 Executive Series Digest hrreporter.com
MENTAL HEALTH
T
urning to the military for insight on workplace mental health
may seem like an unusual strategy, but the Canadian Armed
Forces (CAF) know a lot about workplace extremes that are
applicable to a broad number of settings, according to Nora
Spinks, CEO of the Ottawa-based Vanier Institute of the Family.
"Whereas in the past we used to take examples from corporate
Canada and try to roll it around to other sectors, now we're going to
be learning from extreme stress and bringing it to your workplaces
and that knowledge will help us set policies, strategies, practices, programs," said
Spinks, at a recent SCNetwork event in Toronto.
In 2009, the CAF unveiled its Road to Mental Readiness program, which in-
cludes training for military members and their families.
"As a result of being in Afghanistan, we realized that we had to do a better
job preparing our soldiers, sailors, airmen and women for the situations we were
Canadian Armed Forces' program – applicable to all workplaces –
demonstrates that mental health varies from day-to-day
By Zachary Pedersen
PHOTO:
MARK
BLINCH
/
REUTERS
