HR AWARDS
2018
NATIONAL
22
Medavie Blue Cross Best Mental Health Initiative
Aird & Berlis
A
fter a guest lecture for management
about mental health, an idea was born to
fully address the issue in the workplace at
Toronto law fi rm Aird & Berlis.
"We were inspired to have a conversation about
something that doesn't get talked about a lot in the
legal profession, and probably most professionals
more generally, which is mental health and the
universality of struggling at different times in your
life or whether you're having mental health struggles
directly or you're caring for loved ones and friends
that are struggling with mental health," says Corrine
Kennedy, partner at Aird & Berlis.
After the talk, some members of management
opened up about the topic, according to Kennedy.
"Our managing par tner was the fi rst one
to say, 'We need to do something about this;
this conversation the four of us are having is
incredibly cathar tic — how do we make that
cathar tic for the entire fi rm, how do we move
that conversation forward?' "
This was two years ago and Kennedy was given
the task (and tabbed as the fi rm's diversity and
inclusion partner) to set up a series of programs
and initiatives for the 400 employees at the fi rm.
"I went back and I did the research, and I came up
with a plan. And that plan had a bunch of different
prongs (and) one of (them) was focused on having
that conversation all year-round, but sort of kicking
it off through a mental health week," says Kennedy.
Mental health a year-round conversation at Aird & Berlis
By John Dujay
HR AWARDS
NATIONAL
2018
HONOURABLE
MENTION
Fidelity Canada
HR AWARDS
NATIONAL
2018
WINNER
