Lambton County workplaces have a new resource to support their employee’s mental health both at work and at home.

Created in collaboration with more than 10 local agencies, the website Minds Connected is aimed at connecting individuals, businesses, and organizations with resources and tools to promote and maintain positive mental health.

According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, more than 500,000 employees are absent from work each week due to a mental health problem or illness.

Businesses in Lambton County may also be seeing this impact, with 56% of respondents surveyed in 2021 indicating that their mental health had worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minds Connected is designed to help address challenges that businesses may face by providing quick access to evidence-informed resources and tools to improve mental health.

Many businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones that may have limited resources, can benefit from this new tool in several ways.

Minds Connected offers quick and easy access to a variety of ready-to-implement resources for businesses that may have already identified a need for improved mental health supports.

The website provides access to the C.O.M.P.A.S.S. worksheet, a developed-in-Lambton tool that can be used to support employers with focusing their efforts to create a mentally healthier space. By walking employers through the phases of Commit, Organize, Map, Plan, Act, Share, and Sustain the C.O.M.P.A.S.S worksheet suggests resources listed on the Minds Connected website for implementation in the workplace.

Lambton Public Health has identified these evidence-based strategies to support organizations on their path to greater mental wellness at work.

To learn more about how Minds Connected can benefit your workplace or other local initiatives aimed at promoting positive mental health, contact Lambton Public Health at 519-383-8331 or email Maggie Elliott at maggie.elliott@county-lambton.on.ca