Dr. Matthew Chow from TELUS Health discussed with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine the significant issue of employee burnout in Canada, as highlighted by the TELUS Health Mental Health Index. The survey shows that 42% of Canadian workers experience mental or physical exhaustion daily, with younger employees under 40 feeling the effects more acutely. This has major implications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may lack the resources of larger corporations to address these challenges effectively. Matthew emphasizes the potential of AI in mitigating workplace mental health issues by offering personalized support and reducing administrative burdens, particularly in high-stress sectors. For SMEs, leveraging AI and fostering a supportive, flexible work environment are key strategies to combat burnout and enhance overall workplace well-being.
Dr. Matthew Chow is Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health, a global health care leader and one of the largest providers of physical, mental, and financial wellbeing services in the world.
By the time he was forty, Dr. Chow had served as founding medical director of e-Mental Health Services and Strategy at BC Children’s Hospital. He had also co-chaired the BC Specialist Services Committee to improve medical, surgical, diagnostic, and mental health services in a partnership between government and physicians. Dr. Chow has overseen more than $3 billion in annual public health care spending as a member of the Medical Services Commission of BC and has led 14,000 physicians through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and a year of unprecedented climate-related disasters as President of Doctors of BC.
Dr. Chow’s personal mission is to enable people to make their highest and best possible contribution to their communities. This aligns with TELUS Health’s strategic intent to be the most trusted wellbeing company in the world by empowering people to live healthier lives.
Dr. Chow and his colleagues weave together ‘high touch’ and ‘high tech’ — a global team of compassionate human beings empowered by digital technologies — to create remarkable wellbeing experiences for people worldwide.
Could you discuss some key findings from the TELUS Health Mental Health Index survey, particularly regarding burnout among Canadian employees? How do these trends vary among different age groups?
The TELUS Mental Health Index revealed burnout is a big issue in the Canadian workforce. So much so that 42 per cent of workers feel mentally or physically exhausted after their workday, with excessive workload being the leading cause of burnout. This trend is concerning as it affects mental wellbeing significantly.
We have observed through this report that burnout is not distributed evenly across age groups; for instance, workers under 40 are nearly twice as likely to struggle with motivation compared to those over 50, indicating that younger employees may be more susceptible to factors leading to burnout. These findings are concerning for companies of all sizes, with smaller companies usually struggling more as they have less resources to deal with the fallout of burnout in employees.
What implications do the survey’s findings have on small and medium-sized enterprises? How might these businesses be uniquely affected by the trends observed in the survey?
Given their size, SMEs often have closer-knit teams, meaning the impact of burnout can be more acutely felt across the organization. The loss of productivity and the potential for increased turnover can be particularly disruptive. Additionally, SMEs may not have the same level of resources as larger corporations to have other team members jump in to support gaps in productivity due to a lack of motivation and burnout.
Given the challenges highlighted in the Mental Health Index, what specific strategies can smaller companies implement to combat employee burnout and to effectively introduce AI tools that support mental health?
- Encourage regular check-ins and open communication about workload and mental health.
- Offer flexible work arrangements to help employees manage personal demands and work-life balance.
- Provide access to mental health resources, such as the TELUS Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers personalized support and counselling with 24/7 access in whichever way they prefer.
- Be open with employees about how the business will use AI and encourage a culture of experimentation so colleagues feel they can learn to use it without the fear of making mistakes.
How do you envision AI contributing to solving challenges related to workplace mental health? What are some examples of AI-driven initiatives that TELUS Health is exploring or has already implemented?
AI has the potential to play a transformative role in addressing workplace mental health challenges. By leveraging its capabilities for advanced data analysis and pattern recognition, AI can provide personalized support and predictive insights that are essential for early intervention and prevention of mental health issues, including burnout. AI is particularly relevant in high-stress environments such as healthcare, where it can reduce the administrative burden on professionals, allowing them to focus more on patient care and less on paperwork. Yet using AI to do more admin-type tasks is something businesses across industries can embrace.
At TELUS Health, we are actively exploring and implementing AI-driven initiatives to support mental health in the workplace. One being the TELUS Health Wellbeing platform, which is designed to help organizations cultivate a healthy, engaged and productive workforce. The platform provides users with a wellbeing score, along with gamified challenges, social tools, and a wealth of health-related content which encourage active employee engagement. Further, the Workplace Strategy Index for Mental Health enables organizations to assess and enhance their mental health support strategies. This index is a testament to our commitment to identifying and promoting the most effective actions for workplace mental health, and it is currently available at no cost to both clients and non-clients of TELUS Health.
The enthusiasm for AI among workers under 40, as indicated by the Index, is a promising sign that the future workforce is ready to embrace these technologies. At TELUS Health, we are excited to be at the forefront of this transformation, ensuring that our AI initiatives contribute positively to workplace mental health.
What opportunities do you see for employers, especially in smaller-sized companies, to leverage these insights to enhance their worrkplace environment and support their employees’ mental health and overall well-being?
Employers in smaller-sized companies can leverage these insights to enhance their workplace environment by:
- Implementing AI tools that can help manage workload and provide mental health support.
- Creating a culture that values continuous learning and upskilling, particularly in AI to keep employees engaged and motivated.
- Utilizing platforms like TELUS Health Wellbeing to engage employees in their health and wellbeing actively.
