TORONTO — Starbucks Canada is recognizing the importance of mental health with an update to its employee benefits. The company has increased its mental-health benefits from $400 to $5,000 per year for all employees who work 20 or more hours a week, as well as their dependents, according to Benefits Canada.
“The statistics are very clear that mental health is an important issue affecting many Canadians,” says Sara Presutto, VP of Human Resources, Starbucks Canada. “We do not believe the current level of support for mental-health benefits provided by Canadian employers is sufficient and we encourage all companies in Canada to step up and join this important effort.”
Starbucks’ workforce is largely made up of young people, with an average employee age of 24. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 70 per cent of mental-health problems first present in childhood or adolescence.
