Another roundtable member, Colum Bastable, CEO of Royal LePage Ltd., said employers who do not treat their workers well risk losing them to illness or to the competition. Problems with increased workload can often be eased by clearer communication about priorities, he said. It's not rocket science. In a climate of increased competitive pressures, the onus is on employers to create a culture where staff can seek confidential help with health problems, Mr. Bastable said. Bill Wilkerson, president of the roundtable and senior counsel with communications firm GPC Canada, said stress-related disorders cost the economy more than strikes, plant shutdowns or product defects.
Depression is by far the leading cause of disability today. . . .
The roundtable is a volunteer organization of senior business executives and health professionals concerned about mental health issues, Mr. Wilkerson said. It does not receive government funding, but is associated with public institutions such as Hamilton's McMaster University. GPC Canada has donated office space and aims to give widespread distribution to the panel's first report, the result of 18 months of preparation and research by Mr. Wilson, Mr. Bastable, Mr. Wilkerson and psychiatrist Russell Joffe, dean of health sciences at McMaster. With yesterday's report, the roundtable embarked on a public information campaign aimed at educating CEOs about the impact of stress on their workers. The panel outlined some of the steps employers can take to ease the pressure.