Spring Forward 2010
In This Issue:
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Monday, April 26, 2010 |
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Celebrate Mental Health Week this May
Mental health issues affect one in five Canadians, including your employees. Depression will rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020. The effects of mental illness are not only felt by individuals, but by their co-workers and employers. Canadian CEOs see stress, burnout and physical or mental health issues as the main issues limiting productivity in Canada.
Unfortunately, two-thirds of people struggling with mental health conditions do not get any treatment, or do not attend a mental health professional. Undiagnosed or under-treated mental health conditions add a layer of complexity to the performance issues of those people who valiantly try to stay on the job. Few managers or supervisors have much awareness or comfort in addressing performance issues where mental health issues may be involved.
While the statistics regarding the mental health trends are concerning, the good news is that there is a lot that can be done. What is your organization doing to recognize Mental Health week this May?
Here are some opportunities to learn more about managing people with mental health issues in the workplace:
Register for the May 12 HRANS-PEI Breakfast with Linda Gaudet speaking on Dealing with Mental Health Issues in the Workplace.
Linda Gaudet (from HRA) will be presenting information on programs available through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The CMHA has developed a variety of training and related resources under its program mentalhealthworks. This package of resources includes a variety of presentations and workshops available to various groups in organizations. Its most popular product is Complex Issues. Clear Solutions. Learn more about tools you can bring to your managers, senior management team, and employees at this breakfast presentation.
Venue: Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, 75 Kent Street, Charlottetown, PE
Book an Awareness of Mental Health at Work Workshop for your organization: This half day workshop is a great way to help people in your organization get more comfortable in discussing mental health issues, and introduce some key concepts for mentally healthy workplaces. Priced at $1500 for sessions delivered on Prince Edward Island for up to 30 participants per session, this is a great value. Contact Kathryn Coll or Linda Gaudet or call 902-626-2500 for more information.
Attend other events like…
The HRANS-Halifax Dinner with David Penney speaking on the Quiet Crisis of Mental Health on May 4 at the Westin Hotel.
David Penney is the Director for Atlantic Canada with Human Solutions EFAP. He has spent 2 decades working within the field of mental health issues and how they affect the workplace and the workforce. David has been a keynote speaker and presenter at numerous conferences across Atlantic Canada and beyond, and presently works with several major Atlantic Canada employers as a consultant on these difficult and important problems.
Or check out the HRANS-Cape Breton Dinner on May 18th in Sydney, Nova Scotia
Learn more. The Canadian Mental Health Association’s website is rich in resources, with .pdf pamphlets on a variety of mental health topics, and events in your area.
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace website offers a diversity of ideas and strategies from a variety of sources. This information comes from researchers as well as from promising practices.
Other sites provide different perspectives on mental health and how workplaces can make a difference:
The Mental Health Round Table http://www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca/
Mental Illness Awareness Week http://www.miaw.ca/en/mental-illness/what-is-mental-health/mental-health-at-work.aspx
And remember to stop and 'smell the flowers', it ensures that you slow down and take a few deep breaths -- a great way to ease tension, and relieve stress.
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Out and About
Old Problems? New Solutions!
Michele Dorsey recently contributed to a panel discussion at a Human Resources Professional Development Day Healthy Workplace, Healthy Employees. Sharing the session with Greg Howard, of the Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission, and Joan McDonald of Inverlie Consulting, the panel explored how human rights complaints, internal harassment investigations, and internal team workshops can rehabilitate tainted workplaces. The uses and limitations of each approach were discussed and explored with participants.
Human Rights Complaints can be an effective tool for employees where they were discriminated against on the basis of a protected ground such as race, colour, ethnic origin. However, it is not available as a tool where harassment cannot be linked to a protected attribute cited under legislation.
Internal harassment investigations may be helpful in the complainant, respondent and other workplace parties an opportunity to voice their observations and view points. However, the usefulness of the process depends upon the terms of the workplace harassment policy. Does the conduct complained of come within the investigator’s mandate? Does the investigator’s report have the support of organizational follow through? One of the real values through investigation processes is to identify opportunities to intervene further 'upstream', to promote civil behaviour in the workplace, and thereby prevent inappropriate behaviour that can escalate into harassment.
Negative influences in the workplace can be addressed when the right tool is selected, and the necessary resources are brought to bear in developing a solution that fits the needs of that organization at that time and place. Internal workshops can turn teams around where there is a sincere desire to do so at all levels of the organization, combined with an appreciation for group dynamics, and process.
Michele notes:
"The trend towards including 'psychological violence' as an element of Occupational Health and Safety is gathering momentum. Employers are accustomed to ensuring the physical safety of employees through well established OH&S standards; jurisdictions are now extending this expectation to psychological safety as well. Employment Standards legislation has long protected workers from sexual harassment in the workplace, and now legislatures across the country are looking at OH&S legislation to protect workers from psychological violence. Harassment and Civility in the Workplace will require more attention as Employers look to limit their losses on the OH&S front."
Michele looks forward to working with HRA's clients to help them assess their risk and take steps to deal with behavioral challenges in their workplaces."
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No Sincerity = No Job
 It appears that some people have not heard the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. The tale tells of an honest, but naughty young George being asked if he had cut down a tree, and his immediate admission of doing so. Alas, some people have yet to recognize the power of confession and a sincere apology.
In a January 2010 decision, an arbitrator upheld the dismissal of a Crew Chief Electrician who had been caught inflating his hours claimed for on-call work. Co-workers brought the situation to the employer’s attention. Surveillance confirmed the complaints. However, when the concern was brought to the employee’s attention, he denied padding his time sheets, and continued to do so throughout the investigation until he was informed that he had been under surveillance. The surveillance showed that the employee had inflated his hours worked on four separate days.
In considering whether to return the employee to his employment, the arbitrator considered arbitral case law concerning workplace dishonesty and theft, and considered the following factors:
(1) bona fide confusion or mistake by the grievor as to whether he was entitled to do the act complained of;
(2) the grievor's inability, due to drunkenness or emotional problems, to appreciate the wrongfulness of his act;
(3) the impulsive or non-premeditated nature of the act;
(4) the relatively trivial nature of the harm done;
(5) the frank acknowledgement of his misconduct by the grievor;
(6) the existence of a sympathetic, personal motive for dishonesty, such as family need, rather than hardened criminality;
(7) the past record of the grievor;
(8) the grievor's future prospects for likely good behaviour, and
(9) the economic impact of discharge in view of the grievor's age, personal circumstances, etc.
In doing so, the arbibtrator noted that he . . .
"not only declined to admit his wrong-doing to the employer, he continued his deception at arbitration. He portrayed himself as a victim of harassment, and attempted to deflect blame on to others. He attempted to attribute his inflated time-keeping to lack of training, and the absence of structure and rules. He claimed that he simply did what everyone else did. All of these claims were completely unfounded explanations to deflect blame away from himself. The only admission he made was to making the mistake of waiting till Tuesday to fill out the sheets, an assertion he made for the first time after he knew he was caught. I have concluded that the inaccurate time-keeping, all of which were in the grievor's favour, was not the result of the delay in filling out the time-sheets or sloppiness."
The arbitrator also took into consideration the fact that the employee held a position of leadership and trust. He worked alone and unsupervised, keeping his own time. His misconduct was repeated on each of the four days under surveillance. While he asked for his job back, he did not acknowledge any culpability on his part. The only admission was that he made the mistake of waiting until Tuesday to record the start and end times for the jobs he performed. The arbitrator concluded “in all of the circumstances, the grievor has not given reason for optimism that there is potential for a future employment relationship where the employer can reasonably expect honesty and trustworthiness. The grievor's serious misconduct, and his continuing deception subsequently, is not overcome by any significant mitigatory circumstances in his favour.”
One wonders what the outcome might have been if the employee had made an immediate confession and apology…
Ottawa (City) and Ottawa-Carleton Public Employees Union (C.U.P.E., Local 503) (Baumert) (Re) (2010), 100 C.L.A.S. 191
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