with mental illness, and subsequently, they anticipated and proactively planned for coverage during this time.
Structures and practices such as these are believed to provide workplace conditions that are mentally safe and healthy. They also come with administrative costs.
Examples of business structures designed to create enabling work conditions include:
• Knowing the needs of each worker in the business in order to facilitate planning and delivery of job accommodations while meeting the productivity/service needs of the firm. For example, identifying an individual’s preferred schedules, interest in providing coverage for shifts, and issues related to particular work sites, and using these to assist with individual and workforce planning.
• Administration and management positions, considered to be particularly highly stressful because of the complex social and emotional demands related to meeting workforce needs, are carefully monitored and subject to ongoing refinement to support the well-being and quality work of employees.
• Requests for accommodations are carefully evaluated to determine if the issue reflects a need for support rather than a change in the nature of the job. For example, requests for job changes based on the emotional stress associated with interpersonal conflicts may be dealt with by offering support around managing social conflict or problem solving.
• Providing flexibility with respect to time off, whether unanticipated, brief and/or extended, is the most prevalent accommodation issue.
All of the businesses that consider their positions to be employment (vs. training) describe exceptional flexibility in this area, and organize their workforce to ensure adequate coverage by retaining a larger workforce and keeping rosters of individuals willing to provide immediate coverage or seeking extra shifts.
• Business managers are frequently called upon to participate in the production and delivery of goods and services when coverage issues emerge. This can lead to frustration for these workers, who can experience having little control over their own schedules.
E. The clash between income support and business goals
A prevalent theme emerging across businesses is the extent to which the poverty status, and in particular, reliance on government disability income for financial security, impacts both workers’ participation in social businesses and business stability and to growth.
One of the businesses explicitly identified their goal as providing their employees the opportunity achieve some economic independence from government financial assistance. Interviews with workers in businesses were filled with comments related to the extent to which they experienced their work participation in social businesses as being compromised by policies governing their pensions and difficulties with administrative practices related to these pensions. For instance, they describe limiting the hours they work based on administrative errors on the part of pension offices that could leave them without the security of stable funding. One worker participant reflected that despite the economic benefits of the added income from jobs in the businesses, the long-term financial futures of those with mental illness working in the business remained grim.
For all but one of the businesses, this insecurity with respect to finances and work participation translates into a cautious workforce, with these forces weakening commitment and flexibility. One business described difficulties with directing business profits back to workers to further enhance their wealth, given that options such as financial bonuses or other resources
Working against the tendency to view work-related problems as problems of mental illness, one business defines work problems as issues of poverty. This prompts a problem-solving approach rather than an accommodation approach based on mental illness. For example, a worker with hygiene problems is supported in accessing and using inexpensive
“Dollar Store” products, rather than assuming the problem is an expression of mental illness.
with financial value would leave individuals subject to pension restrictions. This business directed profits instead to organizing social events valued by the workers, and their larger corporate structure also strategically planned new initiatives to provide workers with resources and opportunities that would promote their health and well-being. For example, they created an education bursary fund and “health dollars” that could be used towards the purchase of dentures.
F. Achieving social outcomes
Those businesses focusing on creating real
employment opportunities for people with mental illness were small businesses (employing between 4-8 people) or medium-sized businesses (employing 60-80 people). Most small businesses were part of a larger corporate structure that created many more employment opportunities. With very few exceptions, the work provided was part-time and the income earned supplemented the funds individuals received from government disability income. One business had evaluation data demonstrating that, within the larger corporate structure, some 30% of the workers were working beyond the financial “clawback” limits that existed with their provincial disability income plans. Across businesses, the average job tenure was
evaluated by business managers as good, with a core group of workers staying on the job for many years. Some smaller businesses had relatively little turnover, and this was noted to create tension within the local mental health system, which was looking to open up opportunities for other people.
Although a range of other business and social goals were described, there was, with one exception, relatively little systematic evaluation of the
achievement of these goals. Businesses that offered training or considered themselves stepping stones to employment did not collect data to demonstrate actual outcomes in this area. However, interview data with business management provided anecdotal evidence that positive employment outcomes were being achieved. With one exception, businesses that considered the work offered as real employment did not keep data related to the movement of workers to other businesses, indicating that this was not a focus of their mission.
Interviews with the stakeholders associated with the business revealed a wide range of expected social benefits from participation, although there was no formal evaluation associated with any of these benefits. The perspectives of the workers themselves provided powerful feedback related to the nature of the benefits they experienced as a result of participation in the business.
These benefits included:
• The experience of mental health stability, decreased episodes of acute mental illness and intensive forms of treatment including hospitalization. One employee noted that a previous Canadian study had demonstrated decreased mental health service use associated with participation in consumer-run businesses. Features of the social business associated with this mental health stability included the experience of structure in the day, the flexibility the businesses afforded for time off for self-care related to mental health, and a reduction in social isolation.
• A sense of acceptance and empathy, and the lack of stigma associated with the need for work accommodations related to mental health issues.
• Opportunities for social interactions and developing new contacts among both peers with mental illness and members of the public.
One business experiences few
issues related to the disincentives of working posed by government disability income. In this business, over 80% of the people with lived experience of mental illness work full-time and earn minimum wages or higher based on well-defined and standardized specifications of job grade levels. Workers have the costs of their medications covered while working full-time hours. Workers are encouraged to come to work even when they experience their capacity to be less than one hundred percent.
The business belief is “we prefer
presenteeism to absenteeism”.
with mental illness, and subsequently, they anticipated and proactively planned for coverage during this time.
Structures and practices such as these are believed to provide workplace conditions that are mentally safe and healthy. They also come with administrative costs.
Examples of business structures designed to create enabling work conditions include:
• Knowing the needs of each worker in the business in order to facilitate planning and delivery of job accommodations while meeting the productivity/service needs of the firm. For example, identifying an individual’s preferred schedules, interest in providing coverage for shifts, and issues related to particular work sites, and using these to assist with individual and workforce planning.
• Administration and management positions, considered to be particularly highly stressful because of the complex social and emotional demands related to meeting workforce needs, are carefully monitored and subject to ongoing refinement to support the well-being and quality work of employees.
• Requests for accommodations are carefully evaluated to determine if the issue reflects a need for support rather than a change in the nature of the job. For example, requests for job changes based on the emotional stress associated with interpersonal conflicts may be dealt with by offering support around managing social conflict or problem solving.
• Providing flexibility with respect to time off, whether unanticipated, brief and/or extended, is the most prevalent accommodation issue.
All of the businesses that consider their positions to be employment (vs. training) describe exceptional flexibility in this area, and organize their workforce to ensure adequate coverage by retaining a larger workforce and keeping rosters of individuals willing to provide immediate coverage or seeking extra shifts.
• Business managers are frequently called upon to participate in the production and delivery of goods and services when coverage issues emerge. This can lead to frustration for these workers, who can experience having little control over their own schedules.
E. The clash between income support and business goals
A prevalent theme emerging across businesses is the extent to which the poverty status, and in particular, reliance on government disability income for financial security, impacts both workers’ participation in social businesses and business stability and to growth.
One of the businesses explicitly identified their goal as providing their employees the opportunity achieve some economic independence from government financial assistance. Interviews with workers in businesses were filled with comments related to the extent to which they experienced their work participation in social businesses as being compromised by policies governing their pensions and difficulties with administrative practices related to these pensions. For instance, they describe limiting the hours they work based on administrative errors on the part of pension offices that could leave them without the security of stable funding. One worker participant reflected that despite the economic benefits of the added income from jobs in the businesses, the long-term financial futures of those with mental illness working in the business remained grim.
For all but one of the businesses, this insecurity with respect to finances and work participation translates into a cautious workforce, with these forces weakening commitment and flexibility. One business described difficulties with directing business profits back to workers to further enhance their wealth, given that options such as financial bonuses or other resources
Working against the tendency to view work-related problems as problems of mental illness, one business defines work problems as issues of poverty. This prompts a problem-solving approach rather than an accommodation approach based on mental illness. For example, a worker with hygiene problems is supported in accessing and using inexpensive
“Dollar Store” products, rather than assuming the problem is an expression of mental illness.
with financial value would leave individuals subject to pension restrictions. This business directed profits instead to organizing social events valued by the workers, and their larger corporate structure also strategically planned new initiatives to provide workers with resources and opportunities that would promote their health and well-being. For example, they created an education bursary fund and “health dollars” that could be used towards the purchase of dentures.
F. Achieving social outcomes
Those businesses focusing on creating real
employment opportunities for people with mental illness were small businesses (employing between 4-8 people) or medium-sized businesses (employing 60-80 people). Most small businesses were part of a larger corporate structure that created many more employment opportunities. With very few exceptions, the work provided was part-time and the income earned supplemented the funds individuals received from government disability income. One business had evaluation data demonstrating that, within the larger corporate structure, some 30% of the workers were working beyond the financial “clawback” limits that existed with their provincial disability income plans. Across businesses, the average job tenure was
evaluated by business managers as good, with a core group of workers staying on the job for many years.
Some smaller businesses had relatively little turnover, and this was noted to create tension within the local mental health system, which was looking to open up opportunities for other people.
Although a range of other business and social goals were described, there was, with one exception, relatively little systematic evaluation of the
achievement of these goals. Businesses that offered training or considered themselves stepping stones to employment did not collect data to demonstrate actual outcomes in this area. However, interview data with business management provided anecdotal evidence that positive employment outcomes were being achieved. With one exception, businesses that considered the work offered as real employment did not keep data related to the movement of workers to other businesses, indicating that this was not a focus of their mission.
Interviews with the stakeholders associated with the business revealed a wide range of expected social benefits from participation, although there was no formal evaluation associated with any of these benefits. The perspectives of the workers themselves provided powerful feedback related to the nature of the benefits they experienced as a result of participation in the business.
These benefits included:
• The experience of mental health stability, decreased episodes of acute mental illness and intensive forms of treatment including hospitalization. One employee noted that a previous Canadian study had demonstrated decreased mental health service use associated with participation in consumer-run businesses.
Features of the social business associated with this mental health stability included the experience of structure in the day, the flexibility the businesses afforded for time off for self-care related to mental health, and a reduction in social isolation.
• A sense of acceptance and empathy, and the lack of stigma associated with the need for work accommodations related to mental health issues.
• Opportunities for social interactions and developing new contacts among both peers with mental illness and members of the public.
One business experiences few issues related to the disincentives of working posed by government disability income. In this business, over 80% of the people with lived experience of mental illness work full-time and earn minimum wages or higher based on well-defined and standardized specifications of job grade levels. Workers have the costs of their medications covered while working full-time hours. Workers are encouraged to come to work even when they experience their capacity to be less than one hundred percent.
The business belief is “we prefer presenteeism to absenteeism”.
with mental illness, and subsequently, they anticipated and proactively planned for coverage during this time.
Structures and practices such as these are believed to provide workplace conditions that are mentally safe and healthy. They also come with administrative costs.
Examples of business structures designed to create enabling work conditions include:
• Knowing the needs of each worker in the business in order to facilitate planning and delivery of job accommodations while meeting the productivity/service needs of the firm. For example, identifying an individual’s preferred schedules, interest in providing coverage for shifts, and issues related to particular work sites, and using these to assist with individual and workforce planning.
• Administration and management positions, considered to be particularly highly stressful because of the complex social and emotional demands related to meeting workforce needs, are carefully monitored and subject to ongoing refinement to support the well-being and quality work of employees.
• Requests for accommodations are carefully evaluated to determine if the issue reflects a need for support rather than a change in the nature of the job. For example, requests for job changes based on the emotional stress associated with interpersonal conflicts may be dealt with by offering support around managing social conflict or problem solving.
• Providing flexibility with respect to time off, whether unanticipated, brief and/or extended, is the most prevalent accommodation issue.
All of the businesses that consider their positions to be employment (vs. training) describe exceptional flexibility in this area, and organize their workforce to ensure adequate coverage by retaining a larger workforce and keeping rosters of individuals willing to provide immediate coverage or seeking extra shifts.
• Business managers are frequently called upon to participate in the production and delivery of goods and services when coverage issues emerge. This can lead to frustration for these workers, who can experience having little control over their own schedules.
E. The clash between income support and business goals
A prevalent theme emerging across businesses is the extent to which the poverty status, and in particular, reliance on government disability income for financial security, impacts both workers’ participation in social businesses and business stability and to growth.
One of the businesses explicitly identified their goal as providing their employees the opportunity achieve some economic independence from government financial assistance. Interviews with workers in businesses were filled with comments related to the extent to which they experienced their work participation in social businesses as being compromised by policies governing their pensions and difficulties with administrative practices related to these pensions. For instance, they describe limiting the hours they work based on administrative errors on the part of pension offices that could leave them without the security of stable funding. One worker participant reflected that despite the economic benefits of the added income from jobs in the businesses, the long-term financial futures of those with mental illness working in the business remained grim.
For all but one of the businesses, this insecurity with respect to finances and work participation translates into a cautious workforce, with these forces weakening commitment and flexibility. One business described difficulties with directing business profits back to workers to further enhance their wealth, given that options such as financial bonuses or other resources
Working against the tendency to view work-related problems as problems of mental illness, one business defines work problems as issues of poverty. This prompts a problem-solving approach rather than an accommodation approach based on mental illness. For example, a worker with hygiene problems is supported in accessing and using inexpensive
“Dollar Store” products, rather than assuming the problem is an expression of mental illness.
with financial value would leave individuals subject to pension restrictions. This business directed profits instead to organizing social events valued by the workers, and their larger corporate structure also strategically planned new initiatives to provide workers with resources and opportunities that would promote their health and well-being. For example, they created an education bursary fund and “health dollars” that could be used towards the purchase of dentures.
F. Achieving social outcomes
Those businesses focusing on creating real
employment opportunities for people with mental illness were small businesses (employing between 4-8 people) or medium-sized businesses (employing 60-80 people). Most small businesses were part of a larger corporate structure that created many more employment opportunities. With very few exceptions, the work provided was part-time and the income earned supplemented the funds individuals received from government disability income. One business had evaluation data demonstrating that, within the larger corporate structure, some 30% of the workers were working beyond the financial “clawback” limits that existed with their provincial disability income plans. Across businesses, the average job tenure was
evaluated by business managers as good, with a core group of workers staying on the job for many years.
Some smaller businesses had relatively little turnover, and this was noted to create tension within the local mental health system, which was looking to open up opportunities for other people.
Although a range of other business and social goals were described, there was, with one exception, relatively little systematic evaluation of the
achievement of these goals. Businesses that offered training or considered themselves stepping stones to employment did not collect data to demonstrate actual outcomes in this area. However, interview data with business management provided anecdotal evidence that positive employment outcomes were being achieved. With one exception, businesses that considered the work offered as real employment did not keep data related to the movement of workers to other businesses, indicating that this was not a focus of their mission.
Interviews with the stakeholders associated with the business revealed a wide range of expected social benefits from participation, although there was no formal evaluation associated with any of these benefits. The perspectives of the workers themselves provided powerful feedback related to the nature of the benefits they experienced as a result of participation in the business.
These benefits included:
• The experience of mental health stability, decreased episodes of acute mental illness and intensive forms of treatment including hospitalization. One employee noted that a previous Canadian study had demonstrated decreased mental health service use associated with participation in consumer-run businesses.
Features of the social business associated with this mental health stability included the experience of structure in the day, the flexibility
Features of the social business associated with this mental health stability included the experience of structure in the day, the flexibility