February 7, 2025
Mental health matters in the green trades
In landscape horticulture, every day brings new challenges: tight deadlines, unpredictable weather, eager — sometimes demanding — clients as well as intensive physical work. Business owners and their teams take pride in collaborating to create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces, but beneath the surface, stress, burnout and mental health struggles can easily go unnoticed.
The reality? Over 500,000 Canadian workers are absent from work every week due to poor mental health, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Yet, only 23 per cent of employees feel comfortable discussing psychological health concerns with their employer. This means that most workers try to cope in silence.
Supporting mental health in the workplace isn’t just a personal issue: it makes good business sense. High turnover, absenteeism and reduced productivity all take a toll on the bottom line.
That’s why mental health and wellness have been an active topic of discussion for Landscape Ontario (LO) and our Provincial Board of Directors. While the association’s member-only Peer to Peer Network offers landscape business owners the opportunity to discuss all manner of business challenges and share solutions in a private and understanding space, LO is looking at additional ways to provide dedicated resources around mental health to help employers foster wellness on their teams and to help workers who could benefit from support.
Below are some free, accessible resources to help create a healthier, more resilient workforce — without major costs or complex initiatives.
• CCOHS online training for employees and employers
• IHSA workplace mental health and safety tools
• MHCC webinars on Workplace Mental Health
• MHCC voluntary national standard for psychological health and safety in the workplace
• Workplace Safety and Prevention Services roadmap to mental harm prevention
Supporting mental health helps build a resilient, engaged workforce that feels supported. Business owners who take action today will see long-term benefits in their teams, their operations and their bottom line.
For links to the online resources listed, please see the Resources section below.
This article is provided for information only and is not intended to be medical advice.
The reality? Over 500,000 Canadian workers are absent from work every week due to poor mental health, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Yet, only 23 per cent of employees feel comfortable discussing psychological health concerns with their employer. This means that most workers try to cope in silence.
Supporting mental health in the workplace isn’t just a personal issue: it makes good business sense. High turnover, absenteeism and reduced productivity all take a toll on the bottom line.
That’s why mental health and wellness have been an active topic of discussion for Landscape Ontario (LO) and our Provincial Board of Directors. While the association’s member-only Peer to Peer Network offers landscape business owners the opportunity to discuss all manner of business challenges and share solutions in a private and understanding space, LO is looking at additional ways to provide dedicated resources around mental health to help employers foster wellness on their teams and to help workers who could benefit from support.
Below are some free, accessible resources to help create a healthier, more resilient workforce — without major costs or complex initiatives.
• CCOHS online training for employees and employers
• IHSA workplace mental health and safety tools
• MHCC webinars on Workplace Mental Health
• MHCC voluntary national standard for psychological health and safety in the workplace
• Workplace Safety and Prevention Services roadmap to mental harm prevention
Supporting mental health helps build a resilient, engaged workforce that feels supported. Business owners who take action today will see long-term benefits in their teams, their operations and their bottom line.
For links to the online resources listed, please see the Resources section below.
This article is provided for information only and is not intended to be medical advice.