Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER October 19, 2015 16 FEATURES HEALTH & SAFETY 'Is he for real?' Despite stigma reductions, there are still those – including managers – who doubt the veracity of mental illness By Mary Ann Baynton C ynicism can be defined as a distrust of the inten- tions of others, and a be- lief others are not representing their true motives. We see this cynicism in the workplace in many situations, and certainly in instances where a co-worker is living with mental illness. Despite advances over the last de- cade in reducing stigma, there are still those who doubt mental ill- ness is "real," believing people liv- ing with mental illness are some- how faking it or accommodations equate to special treatment. Case in point: One-half of managers and supervisors be- lieved "whining or crying at work is a ploy to get attention," accord- ing to a 2012 Ipsos Reid survey on emotional intelligence in the workplace, commissioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Men- tal Health in the Workplace. An additional 15 per cent of all respondents (supervisors and employees) said they believed "people who are depressed could just snap out of it if they really wanted to." Of course, this is simply not true. Many of us — including the cynics — can expect to experience a mental illness at some point in our working careers. One in five (21.4 per cent) of the working-age population (20 to 64 years of age) was living with a mental health problem or illness in 2011, accord- ing to the Mental Health Commis- sion of Canada (MHCC). It is also projected that by the time people reached 40 years of age, one in two people in Canada will have had, or will have, a mental illness, accord- ing to the commission. While changing the way a cynic thinks can be a challenge, the fol- lowing four strategies can help turn down the volume on toxic attitudes. Acknowledge concerns In some instances, a cynical man- ager or employer may consider the duty to accommodate some- one with a mental illness to be challenging, inconvenient or un- warranted — particularly if they feel the employee is faking it. Forty per cent of all respondents to the Ipsos-Reid survey agreed with the statement "It is not fair to treat workers differently based on their individual strengths and weaknesses." It is important not to admon- ish or judge the managers who find these situations challenging, as that may simply reinforce their negative attitudes or drive their opinions underground, which will then seep out in their inter- actions with workers. Rather, it is important to acknowledge their concerns while still making it clear the organization is commit- ted to providing a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Support managers in growing knowledge, emotional intelligence Managers have sometimes been promoted to their positions by virtue of their technical skills or business acumen. Today, there is a growing recognition of the need to support leaders in growing and enhancing their knowledge in other areas, including emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence encom- passes skill areas such as the ability to understand and deal with other people's emotions and reactions, understanding and managing personal reactions, and learning how to communicate effectively, including conflict resolution. While a majority of managers and supervisors agree they have a responsibility to intervene if they suspect a worker is experiencing a mental health issue, 22 per cent of respondents disagreed, according to the Ipsos Reid survey. is may be tied to a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. Nearly one-third of managers (28 per cent) said they are uncomfort- able when workers discuss their emotions; 23 per cent admitted they have a hard time understand- ing where workers are coming from when they are upset; and 24 per cent are not sure what to say or do when a worker is upset. Education and training to in- crease understanding of mental health issues, and to improve emotional intelligence, can help decrease cynicism from both managers and co-workers. When leaders increase their own EI, it can raise the EI quotient of the entire team. Demonstrate commitment to psychologically healthy workplace e National Standard of Cana- da for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace defines a psychologically healthy and safe workplace as one that promotes workers' psychological well- being and actively works to pre- vent harm to worker psychologi- cal health, including in negligent, reckless or intentional ways. To put it plainly, psychological health and safety in the workplace comes down to the way we treat each other and interact while at work. is means addressing cynical attitudes and behaviours in the workplace can contribute to a safer environment for every- one, not just those who are seek- ing accommodation. Creating and maintaining a psychologically healthy and safe workplace can seem like a daunt- ing task, but it doesn't have to be. For those employers that don't know where to begin, the standard provides a framework to help guide employers as they work toward psychologically safe and healthy work environments. Show what's possible through accommodation e majority of employees with mental illnesses can find ways to manage their condition and con- tinue to do the jobs they enjoy and are qualified to do. e best way to reduce frustration, discrimination and stigma is to directly address the issue of accommodation and demonstrate how supporting an employee with mental health-re- lated issues can benefit everyone. This relates to the W.I.F.M. principle or "What's In It For Me?" • e employee wins because in- dividuals living with a mental illness who remain a contribut- ing member of a work team are much more likely to recover and even thrive. • Co-workers and managers win — even the cynics — because the individual living with a mental illness has a greater opportunity to continue working to his full capacity, maintaining productiv- ity levels across the team. • Business wins because leaves of absence may be avoided or shortened. The key to supporting em- ployee success is focusing con- versations on what needs to be accomplished, rather than on what hasn't been done well. is shift in focus can help even cyni- cal managers to better support the employee, as the emphasis is on brainstorming solutions and strategies that support the em- ployee to get work done effec- tively, rather than what the cynic may have previously perceived as "excusing" the employee from performing her duties. Few managers, however, are comfortable with this type of conversation. ey may turn to a health-care professional, hoping to gain direction about what sup- ports the employee needs. But a health-care professional rarely knows enough about the work environment or job demands to offer solutions that are targeted to the realities of the work situation. To address this need, tools such as Supporting Employee Success — A Tool to Plan Accommodations from the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health can help. Supporting employee success This resource essentially leads managers and employees through what might have been an uncom- fortable, personal or emotional conversation and focuses it on workplace issues in an objective and non-judgmental way. It avoids private medical in- formation altogether and instead considers such job expectations as the ability to meet deadlines, deal- ing with overlapping tasks, receiv- ing critical feedback and interact- ing productively with others in the workplace. is kind of tool allows for the manager or employer to describe the level of need for each expecta- tion, for the employee to state his current ability, and for a trusted third party (usually the health- care provider) to review potential solutions that have been used to address the related issues for other employees who worked success- fully with a mental health issue. ere will always be cynics but, in time, the positive results of suc- cessful accommodations — in terms of increased productivity and a psychologically healthy and safe workplace — will ideally out- weigh lingering, negative attitudes. Mary Ann Baynton is the program director of the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace in Toronto. For more information, visit www.workplacestrategiesformental- health.com. Credit: Eviled (Shutterstock)

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