Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 20, 2015 FEATURES 17 Employee Recognition That Works! Request a Demo www.terryberry.com/demo 800.253.0882 Get a FREE Demo Labour law research just got faster, easier and more comprehensive. LabourSource™ on WestlawNext® Canada combines the most robust collection of grievance arbitrations with court and board decisions, expert commentary, legislation and collective bargaining-related content – with Canada's most advanced search engine. A single search delivers the content you're looking for, whether it's case law, legislation, commentary, or legal memos. You can then filter your results to get exactly what you need. With LabourSource, you'll always be confident that your research is complete and that you haven't missed anything. Experience the benefits • Prepare winning grievance arbitrations and labour board applications • Successfully negotiate favourable collective agreements • Stay up to date on the latest labour-related decisions, industrial relations and economic news Legal content that is labour focused, not labour intensive Introducing LabourSource™ on WestlawNext® Canada See the LabourSource advantage View a demo at westlawnextcanada.com/laboursource 00224EP-A47770 HEALTH & SAFETY Making mental health mandatory 2012 shooting tragedy triggers campaign for awareness, change By Katie Burrell I s there potential for positiv- ity to come of tragedy? On Jun. 15, 2012, when Travis Baumgartner shot four of his co- workers while they performed a routine cash transfer at HUB Mall in Edmonton, it didn't seem that there could ever be a silver lining. Brian Ilesic, Eddie Rejano and Michelle Shegelski lost their lives; their families lost parents, children and partners. Matthew Schuman was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head; his life would never be the same. In the days, weeks and months following the brutal attack, the fallout rippled across the Team- sters Local Union 362, which rep- resented the workers. Families struggled with the devastation of losing a loved one. Employees battled with feeling unsafe in their workplaces. Most tragically, three lives were taken, and a fourth was dramatically altered. In this case, tragedy has sparked a revolution for awareness and change. The Teamsters Local 362's "Make It Mandatory" cam- paign is predicated on the fact that although one in five Canadians suffer from mental health issues, according to the Canadian Men- tal Health Association, many are reluctant to seek help because of the intense stigma that surrounds these struggles. "ere needs to be a require- ment that, no matter where you work, you are required — ev- ery employer in this country is required — to have a mental health awareness program," says Wayne Garner, Local Union 362 vice-president. e Make it Mandatory cam- paign brings the conversation on mental health to the table. By encouraging the public to use so- cial media to call on celebrities, thought leaders and policymak- ers to advocate for mental health awareness in the workplace, Make It Mandatory stands up for those who feel left in the dark. e campaign uses videos to show the heart-wrenching strug- gle of families dealing with these difficult issues, and articles to fill out the stories behind these bat- tles so, ultimately, solutions can be created. But what do the solutions look like? Mental health is integral to the well-being of a workplace, an environment where people face challenges every day. From financial stress to physical stress, demanding learning curves to communication breakdowns, mental health is tested often at work. Managing human dynam- ics amplifies this. e bottom line: If mental health support was ac- cessible in every workplace, what effect could that have on the over- all culture of work? The Make It Mandatory campaign goes beyond raising awareness to start the process of creating solutions for an issue that has been misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated for too long. Employers are encour- aged to look at their business and highlight areas of communication that need development. Policy- makers at a government level can hold up their end by establishing policies to support these changes. If appropriate communication infrastructure is built into busi- nesses, employees can begin to feel their management team is open to this conversation — not only will this make business more effective, it will result in an overall feeling of safety while at work. Not everyone who is silently struggling with mental health is- sues is violent towards himself or others. Nonetheless, it is impera- tive that employers act to guar- antee that people are less at risk while they are at work. e Make It Mandatory cam- paign mandates this by driving a movement of cultural aware- ness — working to lift the stigma around mental health, foster built- in support and establish accessible resources. ere is no reason to suffer alone but by creating aware- ness and open dialogue, through an online community, we can de- grade this internal turmoil. To a degree, the workplace is a controlled environment; there- fore, communication and support can and should be mandatory. Reconciling trauma by repur- posing it for positive change is not a new concept, but the Make It Mandatory campaign is timely, thoughtful and integrated. It's not placing blame — it's looking to improve the lives of employees across the country. Through awareness, mental health issues can be managed, en- suring the workplace is safe for all. Katie Burrell is a writer for Teamsters Local 362 in Calgary. For more infor- mation, contact Teamsters Local 362 vice-president Wayne Garner at wgar- ner@gtl362.ca. Through awareness, mental health issues can be managed. Credit: Dan Riedlhuber (Reuters) Police investigate the scene of an armoured-car robbery at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on June 15, 2012. A shooting during the attempted robbery left three dead and a fourth critically injured.

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