Tigercat Proves It Values Mental Health
With a staff of over 1,800 people at 10 locations across southern Ontario, Tigercat Industries represents a true community where respect is a core principal of the company’s business philosophy. Employees are considered partners, not numbers. But while the ethos at Tigercat fosters collaboration and cooperation, the fast-paced, customer-focused environment can still be stressful. Tigercat’s management understands this and proactively works to give staff the skills and knowledge needed to recognize signs of stress in themselves and their coworkers so they can respond appropriately when it occurs.
Over the past 7 years, Tigercat has sent more than 288 managers, supervisors, and team leads to attend Mega Health’s Mental Health First Aid workshops. Health, Wellness, Policy Educator at Tigercat, Patricia Forbes, comments, “Along with medical first aid, Mental Health First Aid training is an important tool we believe assists our leaders and the team members who report to them.”
A core part of a comprehensive Health and Safety plan, the Mental Health First Aid workshops are designed to improve mental health literacy and help people better manage potential or developing mental health problems in themselves, their family members, friends, and colleagues. Attendees learn how to recognize the warning signs of mental health problems and how to respond to them as one would to any first aid situation.
Patricia notes, “The feedback we have received from those returning from the 2-day Mental Health First Aid training with Robin Bender of Mega Health has been very positive. Our people report that they have a new understanding of mental health and illness and they feel better prepared to support their team members as well as people in their private lives. Participants repeatedly say that Robin’s deliver of the content and knowledge is exceptional.”
Mega Health’s Mental Health First Aid workshops are open to both individuals and organizations. They are held in the Waterloo Region every month except July, August, and December, and can also be held on-site at a company’s location.
