I spent the past two days at the Conference Board of Canada’s Workplace Wellness and Mental Health Conference. The conference highlighted the importance of mental health as a business issue. The economic burden of mental disorders in Canada has been estimated at $51 billion per year, with $20 billion of that estimated as coming from workplace losses. In addition, there is an increasing legal incumbency on the part of employers to ensure a psychologically healthy workplace. This fall, national standards for psychological health and safety will become available. While voluntary, with the costs to business for short-term and long-term disability, drug costs and the legal concerns beyond the ethical responsibility felt by caring employers, it will be important for businesses to be knowledgeable about the standards. You can read more about them here.