Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JUNE 2018 2 NEWS Strong ROI to hiring people with mental illness: Study Analysis shows five-year net savings of $56,000 to $204,000 BY JOHN DUJAY AFTER a traumatic event in 2012, "Nancy," a government worker in the Nova Scotia trans- port department, was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disor- der, panic disorder, social anxiety and depression. But it didn't stop her from being successful in her job — in fact, it had the opposite effect. "I am constantly thinking of every possible outcome of every possible situation, so... when a crisis comes up or a deadline, I handle that stuff like a breeze be- cause I am so mentally prepared for any possible outcome," said Nancy, who requested her real name not be used. "I'm feeling my best and my happiest and healthiest when I'm busy. e way that translates in the workplace is that (from) when I show up until the minute I leave, I am working my butt off and I am crazy productive." When an employer makes the decision to hire a worker living with a mental illness, it's not only the right thing to do, it makes eco- nomic sense, according to a study. A Clear Business Case for Hir- ing Aspiring Workers by the Men- tal Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) provides a cost-benefit analysis that shows a potential five-year net savings of $56,000 to $204,000 can accrue to companies that hire these people. ese savings materialize due to decreased absenteeism, lower turnover and increased output, according to the study. "It's things like improved organizational climate and cul- ture," said Sapna Mahajan, direc- tor of mental health prevention and promotion, workplace initia- tives, at the MHCC in Ottawa. "Sometimes that actually in- creases the reputation for the or- ganization that can lead to better recruitment and retention, and also just job satisfaction for those who are being accommodated." ere are also benefits around productivity, retention and ab- senteeism, said Rebecca Gewurtz, assistant professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, and lead researcher for the study. "ose were the three areas that we could actually calculate dollar figures to," she said. Workers also benefit monetari- ly, found the study. "e projected five-year bene- fit-to-cost ratio of being accom- modated was approximately four to 12, so the net benefits (to em- ployees) range from $31,000 to as high as $67,000 over five years," said Mahajan. A lot of employers want the dollar figures attached to hiring workers suffering from mental illnesses, she said. "e two things we hear from workplaces is 'We want the evi- dence, the business case, but we also want clear tools and recom- mendations on how to do that. We want to be better-equipped.' And so our focus now is building more evidence and data and actually helping workplaces." The research looked at five employers. "We did a really deep dive into some Canadian organizations to understand what was currently happening from the perspec- tive of accommodated workers, co-workers, managers, HR pro- fessionals and other workplace stakeholders," said Gewurtz. "We looked at multiple per- spectives: It wasn't just the ac- commodated worker impacted, but the whole workplace context." Intangible benefits e study found significant in- tangible benefits reported by nearly all stakeholders, according to Gewurtz. "Those were things like in- creased work-life balance, in- creased employment opportuni- ties, better relationships among co-workers, better job satisfac- tion," she said. "Those were benefits to the actual worker, and then organi- zations also told us that some of those benefits trickle down, and so we saw increased job satisfac- tion for all workers, improved organizational culture — the way people interacted, and improved organizational reputation." For employers, there's a huge market of potential new workers waiting to be tapped, according to the study, because unemployment rates for people living with mental illness are high. "Among those with the most severe and complex mental health problem and illnesses, there's about 70 to 90 per cent of them that are unemployed, which is astounding," said Mahajan. "We know — and research has shown — that individuals living with a disability can be just as qualified, reliable, faithful, loyal and high- performing as their counterparts who do not have a disability." The MHCC refers to these workers as the "aspiring work- force," she said. "at's really the people who I'm talking about who haven't been able to enter the workforce, or are in and out of the work- force, due to various reasons and illnesses. But they want to work and we know that work is really linked to recovery and it's one of those kinds of social determi- nants so important in anybody's recovery journey." Good HR practice Many of the recommendations in the report are really about good, innovative HR practices, said Gewurtz. "Organizations that implement good HR practices that embrace diversity and inclusion within the organization, and look at good universal benefits for all employ- ees, are probably going to find that the accommodations, the additional accommodations that people with mental illness might need, they are already leveraging what exists." "People living with mental illness can be productive work- ers, but they might work differ- ently or need to work at different times, different places so they might have some slightly differ- ent needs that can be accom- modated. And then when you do that, you're creating a better environment," she said. "Organizations can step back and think, 'How do we enable flex- ibility, as much as we can, within our organization?' and they will actually find that's how you create an inclusive environment because different people can work in dif- ferent ways." Employers need to create cul- tures that value diversity, embrace open communication and worker engagement — making sure men- tal health is part of the overall health and safety framework, said Mahajan. "You kind of expand your no- tion of health and safety." Looking ahead, MHCC is de- veloping a guide and toolkit for employers to help them make their own internal cost-benefit calculations, she said. "We're trying to really break down those barriers as much as we can and enable employers to take action and be explicit about it." AI and HR Canadian HR Reporter spoke with Maaz Rana, co-founder and CEO of Knockri, and Ji-A Min, head data scientist at Ideal, to hear how AI is being used to eliminate bias — often unconscious — in the recruitment process. Closing tech's gender gap will take decades At Apple and Google, it will take up to 15 years for women to comprise half of the workforce Introducing new agreements for existing employees Ontario Superior Court confirms strategic way for employers to introduce agreements Accommodating lawbreakers Accommodation of employees' legal troubles may be necessary, as long as they aren't enough to irreparably damage the employment relationship Quebec won't introduce tip-sharing mechanism sought by restaurant owners Labour minister prepared to study wage gap disparity, however Starbucks changes bathroom policy following racial firestorm Move to open bathrooms to customers will help employees make 'right decision': Chairman BLOGS BRIEFS NEWS FEATURED VIDEO BLOGS BRIEFS NEWS FEATURED VIDEO BLOGS BRIEFS NEWS FEATURED VIDEO Recent videos, stories and blogs posted on www.hrreporter.com. Check the website daily for updates from Canada and around the world. Creating accessible, sustainable employment A Clear Business Case for Hiring Aspiring Workers by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) also profiled a non-profit organization in Toronto that only hires people with mental illness. "As a social enterprise, we see creating accessible and sustainable employment as a beneficial end in and of itself regardless of financial profits. Money, time, and resources invested in that effort are never lost," said Joyce Brown, executive director of Working for Change. "Furthermore, investing in people who otherwise have barriers to the workforce results in loyal and dedicated staff, with less sick days and staff turnover." "The benefits for us are a fairly dedicated workforce: People are very motivated to work, it makes a huge difference in their lives if they've been unemployed for some period or on a disability income, so it makes a huge economic difference as well as just increasing their social connections and their community," she said. The organization employs workers for differing time periods. "For some people who are going through a bit of a crisis, they may need a period where they're just looking for some part-time work," said Brown. "It might be three four-hour shifts a week or something like that; it puts some structure back in their lives and a bit of a sense of a routine and normalcy, and then over time people may, and often do, want to work more and more hours until they're close to full time." 2 0 1 7 READERS' LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT TRAINING CHOICE STRATFORD LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Invest in your leaders with solutions tailored for your business www.stratfordmanagers.com/leadership-development

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