How managers can support employees on disability and those returning to work
The success of any organization relies on the health and wellness of its people. Now, more than ever, employers need strategic mental health policies and programs in place that encompass prevention, early detection and management, recovery, and return to work supports.
The good news is that with proper management, most employees are able to work successfully. Getting help as early as possible, and ideally before an absence, is key. Unfortunately, however, because of the stigma that is still attached to mental illness, people suffering from mental health issues often delay getting help and have the added burden of fear regarding how they will be perceived.
- It is key for managers not to make assumptions regarding anyone’s health, or the reasons why there might be behaviour change. The important thing to do is to talk to the employee about any changes you see, and problem solve regarding work issues. Help the employee understand that there are resources available to deal with whatever concerns they might have.
- One of the great benefits of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is that the manager does not need to know whether the employee is dealing with a mental health issue or some other issue. EAPs offer a wide range of support, in dealing with practical challenges such as child care and financial issues, through to significant depression. As such, a referral to an EAP is a natural step when there is a change in behaviour, or someone seems to be struggling.
In some cases, however, mental health issues can progress to the point where an employee can no longer remain in the workplace, leading to a short- or long-term disability claim. If this happens, there are a few key things a manager can do to support their employee and ensure a successful return to work.
- Keep in constant contact with the employee while they are away. This is paramount, especially as communication helps with the employee’s self-perception. As a manager, you want the employee to continue to see themselves as an employee, not as a patient or disability claimant.
- Managers should not be the only one making contact with the employee; support and contact from coworkers is also very valuable. The most important thing is to show that you are concerned and also that you look forward to the employees return to work.
With adequate support and communication, recovery is achievable and can even be accelerated. Employees returning to the workplace should be provided with structure and feedback.
- Speak with the employee prior to their return to work. This will help alleviate their anxiety and establish goals for their return.
- Treat the returning employee as a brand new employee. Welcome them back, provide them with a mini orientation, clearly outline their responsibilities, and give regular feedback on their performance.
- Be yourself around the employee and don’t be overly self conscience around them. If the manager is anxious and expects problems, the employee will as well.
- Refrain from asking questions about the employee’s diagnosis or reasons for absence. If an employee does share this information with you, ensure you keep it confidential.
With the proper structure and controls in place, and by treating a mental health disability as no different from any other kind of disability, you can ensure a smooth transition and boost the morale and productivity of both the employee and your team.
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Paula Allen |
Posted by: deborahconnors
on May 11th, 2012
How’d You Sleep?
Steven Wright said, “When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, ‘Did you sleep good?’ I said ‘No, I made a few mistakes.’”
Another reply is “I slept like a baby … I peed on myself, I was up three times …”
How did you sleep last night? As opposed to other aspects of the Fuel component of my Exhilarated Model (e.g., nutrition, hydration, physical activity) that can be achieved with planning and effort, sleep seems to be less controllable. Yet it is profoundly important and foundational.
With all of the complicated factors we address in trying to enhance performance, adequate sleep is one of the most compelling and simple elements for effective productivity. I’ve worked with elite athletes and other world-class performers who will go to great lengths to gain a small competitive edge, but they readily will forgo getting enough sleep.
Apparently at least half of us are walking around sleep deprived. Experts say it is better to be a passenger with a drunk driver than one who has not gotten ample sleep. Part of what’s so dangerous about lack of sleep is that the impairment may not be obvious to the sufferer. Yet the impact of insufficient sleep includes reductions in mood, concentration, memory, and creative thinking. It takes enough sleep to learn and retain information — ironically, those of us in university settings (both students and profs) tend to be among the most sleep deprived. There are crucial restorative functions of sleep. With all the concerns about obesity, there is a clear association of weight gain and fatigue that lead to pre-diabetic conditions. We frequently eat not because we are hungry, but because we are tense and tired. Getting sufficient slumber is one of the best ways to avoid snacking.
About 60 per cent of Canadian adults feel tired most of the time and get, on average, 6.9 hours of sleep a night, although experts recommend eight hours. Canadian research indicates 30 per cent of adults get fewer than six hours a night (e.g., Samuels, 2011). Consider before there were electric lights, most people slept ten hours a night … so eight may be more a matter of what is reasonable than what is optimal.
I’ll be exploring this and related topics in “Mens sana in corpore sandwich: Sleeping, eating, and moving for healthy minds” a session at the Better Workplace Conference in October in Vancouver.
Posted by: billystrean
on March 26th, 2012
Conference 2011 Synopsis
What follows is a synopsis of the conference, highlighting some of the key learnings that delegates were exposed to over the course of the three days.
Building on the Conference 2011 theme, “A Business Imperative” the idea of:
clarity, focus, and connection leading to business solutions
was a primary thread through the presentations and discussions.
The ideas of clarity and connection were first found in Roy Spence’s opening keynote when he said that:
“purpose will not make decisions easier, but clearer.”
Purpose connects our business to the difference we are trying to make.
“Purpose gives us a course to steer.”
One concept that came out loud and clear was the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Managing Mental Health Matters, a Great-West Life workshop by Dr. Joti Samra and Mary Ann Baynton, focused on the necessity of emotional intelligence. One facet, emotional self-regulation, was especially important for managers. The importance was highlighted through a question posed by Mary Ann:
“What is it within you that makes it challenging to respond effectively to emotionally distressed workers?”
Answering this question honestly and training to improve emotional self-regulation is a top priority in the psychologically safe modern workplace.
Once managers are trained in emotional intelligence, it is possible to move beyond psychologically safe workplaces to psychologically healthy workplaces. A psychologically healthy workplace, according to Karen Seward of Morneau Shepell, is where mental health is not merely protected but promoted.
Our steps toward promoting mental health need to address interpersonal challenges, because acts of incivility can reduce staff perception of psychological safety in the workplace leading to lowered employee engagement. Sharone Bar-David called this process a:
“spiral of incivility.”
Daily acts of incivility lead to unhealthy and unproductive workplaces because “humans don’t like being treated like this.”
Stephen Hammond, in a workshop on human rights, echoed this sentiment. Often employers attempt to create workshop policies to superficially protect themselves from the negative consequences of ignoring disrespectful behaviour. The reality is that:
human rights trump policies, procedures and contracts.
If you allow disrespectful behaviour to continue, in the words of Stephen, “a poisoned workplace is what you’ve got” and the courts have far less sympathy than in times past. Pleading ignorance is no longer an excuse.
Businesses must begin consciously creating workplaces that protect human rights.
But how do unhealthy workplaces move forward? It comes from changing unhealthy patterns and self-reflection. According to Carla Rieger, in the session “How to Avoid the Top 4 Mistakes Change Leaders Make” when people are resistant to changes in the workplace, the question to ask is:
What is my role in their resistance? How am I implementing this change process?
By getting clear on the role you play, you are better able to enable people to create their own change, to get engaged in the change process. Carla has found that:
“people support what they help create.”
Giving employees structure and then permission will enable them to think outside the box and create their own solutions.
This paradox of structure, leading to creativity, leading to clarity, also found its way into Lynda Curtin’s Strategic Thinking Forum. Through the use of thought channeling tools Lynda led attendees to contemplate their challenges from multiple perspectives and to connect seemingly disparate ideas. At the core of her presentation was this idea of connecting opposites, strategy as finding patterns in the fog, the importance of intuition in the cut-and-dried world of business:
the reality that a far-reaching vision needs focus to gain power and movement.
Connecting our vision of seeing healthy organizations become “the expected” versus “the extraordinary” to our every day actions and workplace policies will be the key to success.
According to Lori Casselman and Janet Young of Sun Life Financial, there is a dearth of Canadian statistics on wellness in the workplace. This leads to “taking a blind shot” rather than being able to target risk factors and track changes over time.
Statistics are important so that there is a clear record of effectiveness, but it is equally important not to reduce employees and their health down to simply numbers. This human connection reappeared at Conference 2011 in the form of:
health ambassadors being a part of a better workplace initiative
as mentioned by Marie-Claude Pelletier and Dr. Mario Messier of GP2S and Patrice Roy of Desjardins Group. Clarifying how initiatives work, supporting back-to-work transitions, and acting as the link between management and front-line staff are just a few of the roles that a health ambassador can play.
This connecting role also re-emerged in a panel discussion moderated by Mira Jelic of NOVUS Health.
Care is prone to breaking down during fragile transition periods.
Nurses are beginning to act as advocates, helping patients navigate the health system, ensuring that the connection doesn’t get dropped once patients leave the hospital. These health connectors play an essential role. However,
as important as the role of advocate and ambassador are, they are less effective without a strong underlying organizational health strategy to prop them up.
The necessity of a clear and connected strategy was the subject of Nancy van Boxmeer’s breakout session. According to Nancy, we should no longer create strings of single wellness programs. If we want wellness then we need strategy. What are you trying to accomplish with your wellness programming? How does this connect with the business you are in? If there is no connection then there is no sustainability because there will probably be no measurable impact on the bottom line.
A healthy workplace strategy that is integrated into the business strategy becomes not only sustainable but also essential because it directly improves business operations.
The impact of the strategy is clearly connected to the focus of the business.
It is this mindfulness in business planning that was best summarized by John DeHart, co-founder of Nurse Next Door, when he said that:
culture was built “by design or by default.”
A starting point for John was creating a vivid future – creating a “painted picture” that made his vision tangible and clear, including an everyday reminder of what he was trying to accomplish. This was his way of, in the words of Health Work & Wellness™ President & Managing Director, Deborah Connors, “saying his plan out loud” and exemplifying what we can accomplish with clarity, with maintaining our focus and valuing our connections.
Thinking about the Conference 2011 theme, over the course of the three days speakers and delegates considered the question:
When does creating a healthy workplace become a business imperative?
Answers included:
- When it becomes clear that not doing so is a shortsighted business choice.
- When leaders and managers realize that the health of their employees is directly connected to the bottom line.
- When we all take a step back and focus on the bigger picture: it becomes clear that work is not an island, but a small part of a bigger community.
In short, delegates at Conference 2011 discovered that:
- clarity, through purpose and vision
- focus, through self-evaluation and reflection, and
- connection, through human interaction and respect
leads to effective business solutions that create a better workplace.
Did this conference synopsis resonate with you? Join us for the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2012 in Vancouver to hear and discuss first-hand the latest concepts in workplace health. For more information visit www.healthworkandwellness.com.
Posted by: deborahconnors
on November 18th, 2011
Sticking to Core Purpose Pays Off
In Southwest Airlines Rule # 16: A Culture Has its Own Language, we looked at how great cultures brand their own language to help bring out their uniqueness. In Southwest Airlines Rule #15: Invent Your Own Culture and Put a Top Person in Charge of It, we looked at how great companies design their own cultures from the ground up so they become unique. So today we visit Southwest Airlines Rule # 27: See Your Business As a Cause.
“Southwest Airline’s mission is Freedom to move about the country. Before Southwest, only 15 percent of adults in the United States had flown on even one commercial flight. By the end of the century, 85 percent had taken to the skies. A prime reason is the “Southwest Effect”—the phenomenon in which the entrance of Southwest into a market lowers the average fare on other airlines while dramatically increasing the number of Passengers.”
This is purpose. Why we do what we do, beyond just making money. As Jim Collins says, it is the secret ingredient in great companies. When you have purpose, or fight for a cause, it elevates you above the ordinary, and if you can stick to it, then over time, you become a radically different company. Like Apple. Like Starbucks. Like most of the “great” companies in the world.
I recently met Roy Spence, the author of”It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For” the founder of The Purpose Institute. His firm was behind some of Southwest Airlines most successful advertising. He told me the story of Southwest’s decision to not charge for bags, like every other airline in the business was doing. (See “Bags Fly Free“)
A consultant came in, and told them they would drop $350 million straight to the bottom line by just following suit. Every airline was doing it. It would combat higher gas prices, and help stem the losses that were flowing out of airline companies.
But Southwest said no. We got into the business to give people the freedom to fly, and this goes against everything we stand for. So they didn’t do it.
And then they woke up one day and they realized they had made an extra $1.2 billion by taking away business from the other airlines for making this decision.
This is why Jim Collins calls purpose the secret ingredient in companies. Having a strong core purpose keeps us clear on what our priorities are. It keeps you focused on the important things. And sure, it has nothing to do with making money. But that is the secret. The companies, that stick to their purpose over the long term, actually end up making far more money. Funny, isn’t it?
Posted by: johndehart
on October 28th, 2011
Lesson #15: Invent Your Own Culture and Put a Top Person in Charge of It..
Interesting take on culture by the final keynote speaker at Conference 2011, John DeHart.
Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines came out with their “40 Lessons To Learn” on their 40th anniversary. Southwest is famous for their culture, and their leaders attribute their unmatched success in the airline industry to this. As you can guess, there were a number of lessons on the importance of culture.
Here is Lesson # 15: Invent your own Culture and put a top person in charge of it.
“The person behind Southwest’s unique culture is Colleen Barrett, the airline’s former president. A native of tiny Bellows Falls, Vermont, and a graduate of Becker Junior College, Colleen (no one calls her “Ms. Barrett” and gets away with it) was Herb Kelleher’s legal secretary when Southwest got its start. She started as the corporate secretary in 1978, rose to VP of administration in 1986, and became president and chief operating officer in 2001. By the time she stepped down in 2008, she had crafted the tone and SPIRIT that defines Southwest today, from the legendary annual Halloween party to the way a gate agent treats a Customer.
Sporting a long white ponytail, she looks more like a sweet grandmother (actually, she is a grandmother) than a corporate titan. But anyone who acted against the Southwest way of doing business—who, in other words, behaved in a way that seemed less than heartfelt—were immediately set right.
Heartfelt. If one word defined Colleen and the Culture she worked to create, that’s it. We love that Forbes rated her above Queen Elizabeth II in its 100 Most Powerful Women ranking in 2005. She didn’t make No. 1., but only because Forbes doesn’t grade people by the size of their hearts.”
Point # 1: Invent your own culture.
Southwest is unique. There is no airline like them. There is no company like them. They stand in a class of their own. Why? They had leaders like Herb Keller (founder) and Colleen Barret who recognized that one of their main jobs as a leader was to build and lead a company that never strayed from their purpose and always stuck to their values. So they designed Southwest airlines around these principles. And by doing so, became a unique company.
So many companies are the same. They share the same, boring, old core values. They have a mission statement that is a paragraph that no one (even the founder and CEO) can communicate. And most of all, even if their values aren’t old and boring, they don’t know how to live them. So they never form a unique identity with their culture. And they never form a unique identity in the marketplace, either.
Point # 2: Put a top person in charge of it
How many examples of great brands can we name that started to fail once the founding CEO left the CEO position? Lots. Apple, Dell and Starbucks are the first 3 that come to mind. Why? Because the spirit of the company also left with the founding CEO. Sure they hired super smart people. But super smart people don’t always have the heart and the spirit that the founder embodies. And when this disappears, so can your culture. When the company’s purpose isn’t truly embodied (read blog post “Making Tough Decvisions to Preserve Your Core: Learning From Starbucks), that is when your brand will start to falter.
Southwest did it right. They hired someone from within that embodied the spirit of the company. Colleen certainly wasn’t the smartest CEO out there. But she was someone who would champion the cause. Apple learned the hard way. This time, they promoted from within. I bet after Howard Schultz turns Starbucks around, that he will appoint someone from within as the CEO.
Even if you cant do this, (as with most fast growth, entrepreneurial companies like Nurse Next Door) you better make sure that your person at the top embodies the spirit of your company, and they champion the cause.
Posted by: johndehart
on October 2nd, 2011
Testimonial
“Once again, this wonderful conference let me rub shoulders with the Who’s Who of the world of wellness”— , Manager, Employee Health and Safety Saskatchewan Government Insurance