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Marie-Hélène Pelletier MBA, PhD, RPsych Assistant Vice-President, Workplace Mental Health Sun Life Financial

Support the mental health of millennials in the workplace

Group Benefits are offered by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies.

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Source: Sun Life Bright Paper “Harness the potential of Generation Y: Their growing influence and unique group benefit needs” May 2011.

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Agenda

• Who are millennials?

• Millennials, their mental health & their workplace

• Taking action—employer approaches

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Boomerang generation

Generation we

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Socially liberated and socially connected

High expectations

Independent

Information revolution

Money conscious

As a cohort, who are millennials?

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General age range: 15 to 35

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Identity exploration

Instability

Self-focus

Feeling in-between

Possibilities and optimism

Emerging adulthood

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Anxiety and Depression

Social media for support

Low social support

Believe should be more adult

Difficult times are harder

Source: Arnett, J.J., Zukauskiene, R, & Sugimura, K. ( 2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18-29 years; implications for mental health. Lancet Psychiatry 1:569-576.

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22.3%

Anxiety

22%

Substance use

22%

Mood disorders

Source: Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangras, Walters, 2005

Mental health issues in emerging adulthood

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Highest prevalence of mental health disorders among young adults

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Dr. Stan Kutcher Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health Professor of psychiatry Dalhousie University

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Source: Various publications by Dr. Stan Kutcher

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Why are Millennials like this?

• Childhood of optimism and high expectations

• Cultures change • Generations

reflect those changes

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500,000 Canadians are unable to work in any given week due to mental health problems.

At least

Young people aged 15-24 are more likely to experience a mental illness and or substance abuse disorder than any other group

1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health or addiction issue this year Source: Smetanin et al (2011). The life and economic impact of major

mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2014

Source: Statistics Canada (2013). Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health

Calculated from data in Dewa, Chau, and Dermer (2010), and Statistics Canada employment data.

Mental health average age 51 years

Cancer and Musculoskeletal claims average age 54 years

Source: Sun Life Long Term Disability Block of Business,

The impact of mental health

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Stress and mental health of millennials

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Source: “Goldman Sachs reduces intern day to 17 hours after death of Bank of America Corp. intern” http://www.salon.com/2015/06/18/goldman_sachs_reduces_intern_day_to_17_hours_after_death_of_bank_of_america_corp_intern/ retrieved July 6, 2015.

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An International Focus on Youth in Transition: Development and Evaluation of a Mental Health Transition Service Model (Cappelli et al., 2012) From MHCC: http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/system/files/private/document/MHCC_EmergingAdults_ExecSummary_Feb2015_ENG.pdf

Responsive

Developmentally appropriate and family-connected

Youth-engaging and peer-driven

Informed by research, education, and training

Recovery oriented

Guiding principles for developing transition services

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Changes in management styles

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Listened to

A fun work environment

Work-life balance

Rewards

Frequent constructive feedback

Career counseling and development

Source: Espinoza C., Ukleja, M., & Rusch, C. Managing the millennials: Discover the core competencies for managing today`s workforce. New Jersey: Wiley, 2010.

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Training

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Psychosocial skills

Financial literacy

Online support

Peer Support

Physical and psychological wellness

Organizational awareness

TELUS Public 18

Telus Programs Supporting Healthy Minds Active Living

Work Styles

Ethics

Respectful Workplace Policy

Resource Groups

Diversity

CASE

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*used with permission from Telus

TELUS Public 19

Flexibility in Telus Benefits We create flexibility in our benefits offering across all the different

generations Work Styles gives our team members the flexibility to work when

and where they are most effective Life Balance Account recognizes the importance of individual

choice in trying to achieve work/life balance Choices in Extended Health and Dental Credits can be used to buy Personal Wellbeing Days or used for

the Health Spending Account

CASE

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*used with permission from Telus

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Actions to consider - summary Leverage partners

Train and support managers in better understanding Millennials, their

characteristics, their expectations

Flexible, personalized, non-traditional and creative benefits

Ask for feedback and respond

Wellness programs with Millennials in mind

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Mental Health Minute

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Mental Health Minute

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Research suggests that understanding how and why we feel physical pain can also help ease symptoms. According to one study, how much time did it take for patients with fibromyalgia to show a change in their pain levels after taking a course on pain physiology?

c) 1 month d) 3 months

a) 1 week b) 3 weeks

Source: Pain Physiology Education Improves Health Status and Endogenous Pain Inhibition in Fibromyalgia A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial (Van Oosterwijck et al., 2013). Clinical Journal of Pain. 29(10). p.873-882.

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Bibliography 1. Young adults in conflict: Confident but struggling, networked but disconnected. McLeigh, Jill D.; Boberiene, Liepa V.

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol 84(6), Nov 2014, 624-632.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0099864

2. Why millennials will save us all. Stein, Joel. Sanburn, Josh. Time. 5/20/2013, Vol. 181 Issue 19, p26. 8p.

3. June 2010 Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey

4. The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey 2015

5. Young adults in conflict: Confident but struggling, networked but disconnected. McLeigh, Jill D.; Boberiene, Liepa V. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol 84(6), Nov 2014, 624-632.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0099864

6. “Goldman Sachs reduces intern day to 17 hours after death of Bank of America Corp. intern” http://www.salon.com/2015/06/18/goldman_sachs_reduces_intern_day_to_17_hours_after_death_of_bank_of_america_corp_intern/ retrieved July 6, 2015.

7. “Healthy Brains at Work: The Situation for Younger Workers” The Conference Board of Canada. http://www.conferenceboard.ca/commentaries/healthcare/default/15-04-24/healthy_brains_at_work_the_situation_for_younger_workers.aspx retrieved July 6, 2015.

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• Ask a millennial what is important for them • Link what a millennial cares about to what they

do • Put activities and benefits in place that speak

to millennials

In Summary

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