Health care is a form of human capital. Considered in the broadest sense, health care encompasses public education and prevention services as well as the delivery of care when illness strikes. As such, it is actually one of society's critical means of keeping our population productive. Canadians can't afford productivity losses. The Conference Board of Canada reported last year that our productivity level has fallen to 80 per cent of the U.S. level from a high of 90 per cent in the mid-1980s. If we can agree that efficient health care is an enabler of productivity and that productivity is key to wealth, the next steps should be easy
In a recent report the Board of Canada says over 452,000 Canadians would be actively involved in the workforce had they not been affected by mental illness. What can employers do to ensure they can get as much productivity out of their staff as possible even when they're experiencing personal challenges?