New Mental Health Guidebook helps retail businesses to better understand workplace mental health and how it can impact their customers and business success

Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is excited to announce the launch of their new Mental Health in Retail Guidebook, made possible through the generous support of the Ontario Government’s Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. This free-22-page guidebook offers critical information, insights, and strategies to help retail employees better understand how the mental health of their team can impact their customers and business success.

The past couple of years have forced retailers to pivot in all areas of the business. Stores have been forced to limit in-person shopping, introduce curbside pickup, and accelerate ecommerce, all while operating within a new set of safety measures. As the gatekeepers of these new protocols and safety standards, frontline retail workers have been dealing with different points of stress, anxiety, and frustration at the customer level. Overall, the impact to the mental wellbeing and overall health of retail employees has been significant.

To help retailers and the frontline employees they support, RCC has developed the Mental Health in Retail Guidebook that provides:

• Resources and tools for retail employees to assist in evaluating their mental health
• Strategies and tactics for practicing de-escalation in customer service
• A psychological Health and Safety plan for the retail workplace.

“The past couple of years have had considerable impact on the mental health and well-being of those working in the retail sector,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, RCC. “RCC is proud to provide retailers with a resource that addresses common issues facing retail workers and strategies for building mental health into their business operations.”

To complement the learning in the Mental Health in Retail Guidebook, RCC hosted two webinars in September with the Mental Health Commission of Canada for retailers wanting to learn more about building mental health into their retail operations. Learn more and access the recording here. These webinars are part of RCC’s EnAbling Change for Retailers, a series designed to help retailers tackle accessibility from every angle.

The Mental Health in Retail guidebook, available in French and English, can be downloaded for free here.

About Retail Council of Canada

Retail is Canada’s largest private-sector employer with over 2 million Canadians working in our industry. The sector annually generates over $78 billion in total compensation. Core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) were over $433B in 2021. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members represent more than two-thirds of core retail sales in the country. RCC is a not-for-profit industry-funded association that represents small, medium, and large retail businesses in every community across the country. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, we proudly represent more than 45,000 storefronts in all retail formats, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers, and online merchants. dev-rcc.pantheonsite.io.