MHCC WorkplaceWebinar16 Presentation 2015 01 28 ENG

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Implementing the National Standard:

The Legal Case and Perspective From a Small Canadian Business

Lauren Bernardi, Lawyer and HR Advisor January 28, 2015, Noon‐1:00 p.m. ET

Important! Send questions/comments to:

‘All Participants’

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@mhcc_ #workplaceMH #StandardCda

Presenter

Lauren Bernardi Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP

1. National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard)

2. Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP

• Implementing the Standard

• The Legal Case 3. Questions

Agenda

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National Standard for

Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

• Mental health can be affected by everyday life and stressors, including those experienced in the workplace

• Most adults spend more waking hours in the workplace than anywhere else

• Workplaces play an essential part in maintaining positive mental health

• Mental wellbeing should be considered in the same way as physical wellbeing through prevention and promotion

• Everyone has a role in building a mentally healthy workplace

• No organization is too small to be affected

Mental Health in the Workplace

500,000 : approximate number of Canadians who will not go to work because of mental illness on any given week

$ 51 Billion : annual

cost to the economy in

health and social services,

income support, and lost

productivity

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• Absenteeism

• Presenteeism / lost productivity

• Disability claims

• Injuries / illnesses

• Grievances / complaints

• Turnover

• Legal implications

The Cost of Doing Nothing

What is the Standard?

The Standard is a set of guidelines, tools, and resources focused on promoting employees’ psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors

 Voluntary – set of tools, not rules

 Aligned with existing standards and tools

 Applicable to any organization – regardless of size or sector

 Intended to enable employers and employees to measure progress

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/thestandard

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Navigate the Journey

MHCC and the CSA Group collaborated to develop

“Assembling the Pieces: An Implementation Guide to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace”

• Intended to be used in conjunction with the Standard to guide organizations on their journey towards creating psychologically healthy and safe workplace environments

• Assist organizations through the initial planning stages through to full implementation

• Officially launched in November 2014

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/standardguide

Case Study Research Project

Following more than 40 organizations

• Three year national study

• Breakdown barriers to implementation and identify gaps and challenges

• Determine promising practices

• Build a strong business case for implementation

• Inform future revisions to the Standard

• Identify tools/resources to help with implementation

• Create blueprint for future organizations

that wish to implement the Standard

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bernardi

human resource law LLP

Implementing the Standard

Overview

What motivated us

What we’ve done so far

What we are learning through this process

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Introduction

Bernardi HR Law is a small boutique firm

13 of us

Recent growth initiative

One of 40 participants in the case study

1. Commitment and Leadership 2. Evaluation and Corrective Action 3. Implementation

4. Planning

5. Management Review

Five Main Stages

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Make it part of

everything

you do!

Five Main Stages

Commitment and Leadership

• Started the process in 2013

• 2 key stakeholders driving it

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Five Main Stages cont’d

Evaluation and Corrective Action

• Management evaluation

• Staff survey

• Used a 3rd party

• Benchmarked against IPSOS Reid Survey

Five Main Stages cont’d

Implementation

• Identified 4 areas for growth

• Initiatives:

• internal change

• policies

• benefits and training

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Five Main Stages cont’d

Planning

Goals set for the coming

year

Involves different levels

Five Main Stages cont’d

Management Review

• Will repeat the survey in 6‐12 months

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bernardi

human resource law LLP

The Legal Case

Workplace harassment

Duty to accommodate

Due diligence

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The Business Case

Issues for small workplaces

Culture more noticeable but easier to address Each person has a greater impact

Affects productivity and the bottom line

• Addressing mental health issues need not be intimidating

• Worth the effort for an engaged, productive workplace

• Makes business sense not just “legal sense”

Bottom Line

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Questions?

Download Assembling the Pieces: An Implementation Guide to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/standardguide

Download the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard)

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/thestandard

Visit Bernardi Human Resources Law LLP www.hrlawyers.ca

Date: February 25, 2015 at 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET

Topic: Supporting grieving employees in the workplace, in the face of a tragedy

Speaker: Pickering Public Library

To watch our past webinars, visit our website at:

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/workinar

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