Work it out

Looking for a way to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and limit turnover? Air™ Institutes’ new, research-based approach supports a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce.

As an employer, it can be difficult to manage the impact of low resilience in the workplace. Mental health claims represent 70 per cent of the total cost of disability claims, which means business owners shoulder a heavy financial burden in the form of sick time, disability claims and lost productivity. Not to mention the time and money lost to grievances, harassment investigations, employee strain and presenteeism. In Atlantic Canada, where attrition is already an issue, the financial impact can be severe.

The statistics, although daunting, do not suggest that employee mental health cannot be supported and improved in a workplace setting. Essentially, employers need more resilient workers. Some people have a high capacity for resilience, meaning they tolerate change and bounce back from adversity without experiencing lasting disturbance. Others have a low capacity, making them more sensitive to every day stressors. In a work environment, low resilience can directly impact your bottom line, as it’s linked to employee disengagement, low morale, interpersonal issues, and mental health challenges.

Halifax’s Air™ Institutes has a solution. They offer customized training programs based on the research of Air™ founder, Dr. Jackie Kinley. The Institutes’ programs are deliberately crafted to help employees build resilience. Through 20 years of research, Kinley has discovered that group-based resilience training is exceptionally effective. Furthermore, each functional component of resilience is directly linked to the capacities that are widely attributed to an effective and productive workforce. And when it comes to dealing with attrition, it can be a game-changer.
“Air™ Institutes provides the opportunity to be the best you can be,” says operations coordinator Marissa Walter. “And I think this is especially pertinent for Atlantic Canada because we have talented people here that we want to retain. These programs offer fundamental skills to help people thrive at work and in life. Organizations that leverage such an approach only stand to gain.”

After all, people stay engaged in workplaces where they’re happy, and where they feel encouraged to achieve their professional and personal best. The math is simple: Build a resilient workplace culture, and you’ll spend less on talent acquisition and psychological disability claims. You also stand to boost your reputation as a great company to work for.

Air™ Institutes’ Pathways to Resilience is a customized program designed to help employees become stronger, more flexible, and ultimately, more resilient. The Pathway has a systemic design offering multiple points of entry depending on both individual and organizational need. It offers a comprehensive approach to strength building that ranges from mental fitness awareness, to the acquisition of knowledge and skill development.

“Our programs teach essential skills,” says Walter, “and each component of the material links back to specific behaviours that help people perform, interact, and ultimately do their job in the most efficient and productive way possible.”
Air™ Institutes achieves this by assessing each employee’s resilience to help individuals identify and understand exactly where their potential lies. This perspective provides a scientifically informed approach to learning and development needs. Air™ Institutes also recognizes the unique needs at an organizational level. Thus, considering an evaluation of individual employees as well as the overall needs of the workplace, Air™ Institutes can customize a plan that will address your organization’s specific challenges.

Simply put, Air™ Institutes offers a HR solution that’s fundamentally different.
“This is about creating lasting change,” says Kinley. “When you drill down, you find skills that haven’t been developed. The potential is there, but it hasn’t been actualized. It’s a win-win approach: investing in and harnessing human potential offers a sustainable approach to the growth and development of individuals and organizations. There’s been lots of talk about mental health. We focus on mental fitness: let’s walk.”