(Quebec) Absenteeism at work related to mental disorders is on the rise and Quebec is investing to curb it. In the context where 30 out of 1,000 workers are absent every week due to their psychological health, the government is granting 2.4 million per year until 2026 to help companies identify risk factors.

The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, recognizes that the situation must improve. With the tertiarization of the economy, where manual work is often traded for time spent in front of screens, the risks associated with work have changed and it is time to identify them.

As a first step, starting next month, 18 psychological health counselors will work full-time at the CNESST on the promotion of psychological health in the workplace. Among other things, they will be able to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which are in Quebec, which do not have the human resources necessary to improve the challenge of implementing new mental health practices on their own.

The addition of these advisers “will allow workplaces to take charge of themselves, identify psychosocial risks, control them well and eliminate them,” the minister said on Tuesday, as political activities resume quietly. these days in Quebec.

Mr. Boulet recalled that the three main risk factors for psychological health at work are psychological violence, harassment and exposure to traumatic events. Since the most recent reform, labor standards have recognized traumatic stress disorder as an occupational disease.

The rise of telework since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the shortage of workers, add risks that undermine the health of workers. “[This new reality] often leads to fatigue, anxiety and isolation,” the Minister of Labor said.

As of 2024, nearly 900 prevention and awareness activities will be carried out by the expanded team of CNESST psychological health counsellors.