Half day open training event held in Toronto

1. It’s all in the mind
by Toronto Training and HR
March 2013

2. 3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and HR
5-6 Definitions
Contents 7-8 Myths around mental illness
9-11 How does poor mental health in the
workplace affect performance?
12-14 Costs of doing nothing
15-16 Why are we not doing anything?
17-19 Everyday changes which can make a
difference
20-21 Creating a positive impact
22-26 Mentally healthy workplaces
27-28 Areas where a difference can be made
29-30 Making things better
31-32 Stress
33-34 Reducing the instances of depression
35-38 Training outcomes
39-42 Front-line managers
43-45 Encouraging managers
46-48 Case studies
49-50 Conclusion and questions

3. Introduction
Page 3

4. Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and
human resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
10 years in banking
10 years in training and human resources
Freelance practitioner since 2006
The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR
are:
Training event design
Training event delivery
HR support
Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. Definitions
Page 5

6. Definitions
• Mental health
• Presenteeism
• Depression
• Stress
• Anxiety
Page 6

7. Myths around mental
illness
Page 7

8. Myths around mental illness
• You brought it on yourself
so pull yourself together
• Mental health problems are
for life
• People with mental health
problems are weird and
different
• People with mental health
problems are stupid and
weak
• People with mental illness
are violent and dangerous
Page 8

9. How does poor mental
health in the workplace
affect performance?
Page 9

10. How does poor mental health in
the workplace affect performance?
1 of 2
• Find it difficult to concentrate
• More likely to get into conflict
with colleagues
• Have difficulty in making
decisions
• Find it more difficult juggling a
number of tasks
• Take longer to do tasks
Page 10

11. How does poor mental health in
the workplace affect performance?
2 of 2
• Put off challenging work
• Rely more on colleagues to
get work done
• Find it more difficult to learn
new tasks
Page 11

12. Costs of doing nothing
Page 12

13. Costs of doing nothing 1 of 2
• Increased absenteeism
• Poorer physical health
• Greater use of Canada’s
healthcare system
• Employee turnover
• Higher benefits costs
• Greater use of prescription
drugs
• Lower levels of employee
engagement and job
satisfaction
Page 13

14. Costs of doing nothing 2 of 2
• Less favourable employer
brand or reputation
• Fall in creativity and
innovation
• Difficulties in recruitment
Page 14

15. Why are we not doing
anything?
Page 15

16. Why are we not doing anything?
• The stigmatization of the
issue
• Belief that “there is not
much we can do”
• Belief that this is the
person’s personality
• Belief that this is for the
family to deal with
• Belief that it is not the role
of Canada’s employers
• Don’t believe the data
Page 16

17. Everyday changes which
can make a difference
Page 17

18. Everyday changes which can make
a difference 1 of 2
• Take the lead
• Avoid clichés
• Think about your body
language
• Ask how you can help
• Don’t just talk about mental
health
• Don’t avoid the issue
• Give them time
Page 18

19. Everyday changes which can make
a difference 2 of 2
• Don’t tolerate language or
behaviour that is focused
on someone’s physical or
mental characteristics
• Be flexible
• Liaise with the team about
issues that may be raised
by these adjustments
• If the workload is causing
or exacerbating a mental
health condition take
reasonable steps to address
Page 19

20. Creating a positive impact
Page 20

21. Creating a positive impact
• Focus on education and
communication to reduce
fear, stigma and discrimination
• Create a culture conducive to
good mental health
• Demonstrate leadership at the
top
• Provide the tools and training
to support managers in their
role
Page 21

22. Mentally healthy
workplaces
Page 22

23. Mentally healthy workplaces 1 of 4
• Workload
• Work scheduling
• Work-life balance
• Work environment
• Management style
• Communication
Page 23

24. Mentally healthy workplaces 2 of 4
STEPS TO TAKE
• Develop a culture where open
and honest communication is
encouraged, and support and
mutual respect are the norm
• Encourage an ethos where
people know it’s OK to talk
about mental health to help
reduce stigma and
misunderstanding-allows them
to tell you if they need any
adaptations to working practice
that will support them in doing
their job

25. Mentally healthy workplaces 3 of 4
STEPS TO TAKE (CONTINUED)
• Give employees control over
their work-lack of control is
known to increase stress
• Ensure that every employee
has the right level of skills for
the job
• Make sure that people have a
manageable workload
Page 25

26. Mentally healthy workplaces 4 of 4
STEPS TO TAKE (CONTINUED)
• Operate flexible working hours
(where business structures
allow) so that employees can
balance the demands of home
life with work
• Check the work environment
and eliminate unnecessary
stressors such as flickering
lights or unnecessary noise as
these factors can aggravate
anxiety in particular
Page 26

27. Areas where a difference
can be made
Page 27

28. Areas where a difference can be
made
• Workloads
• Technology
• Managing change
• The immediate manager
• The organization’s culture
Page 28

29. Making things better
Page 29

30. Making things better
• Adjusting working hours
• Allowing more frequent
breaks than others
• Providing a “workplace
buddy”
• Changing how work duties
are performed
• Redeployment into a
different role
Page 30

31. Stress
Page 31

32. Stress
• Employer awareness and
understanding
• Options for employers
• Benefits of Employee
Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Page 32

33. Reducing the instances of
depression
Page 33

34. Reducing the instances of
depression
• Setting unrealistic short work
deadlines
• Giving people complex work
responsibilities yet no
decision making authority
• Giving people routine and
monotonous jobs only
• Poor management practices
where managers are seen to
be unfair or unsupportive
• Failing to give praise and
recognition to employees
Page 34

35. Training outcomes
Page 35

36. Training outcomes 1 of 3
• I have a better
understanding of mental
health and work now than I
had before the training
• I am confident in my ability
to support people with
mental health conditions in
the workplace
Page 36

37. Training outcomes 2 of 3
• I am able to intervene
earlier through improved
awareness of the signs and
symptoms of common
mental health conditions
• My awareness of best
practice in supporting
employees experiencing a
mental health condition is
better now than it was
before I took the training
Page 37

38. Training outcomes 3 of 3
• I feel able to change the
way my organization
supports employees
experiencing a mental
health condition
• I want to learn more about
mental health and work
through further courses
and study programs
Page 38

39. Front-line managers
Page 39

40. Front-line managers 1 of 3
• Up to date knowledge of
support and resources
available to employees with
mental health issues
• Procedures or guidelines to
follow if a direct report has
a mental health issue
• Training on how to
recognize mental health
issues in employees and
how to have conversations
with such employees
Page 40

41. Front-line managers 2 of 3
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
• Recognizing signs and
symptoms
• Community supports available
• Medical factors influencing
mental health issues
• Strategies for keeping
employees functional and
successful in the workplace
• Responses to negative
reactions
Page 41

42. Front-line managers 3 of 3
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
• Insight into legal requirements
• Handling difficult
conversations
• Softer skills
• Creating an inclusive work
environment
Page 42

43. Encouraging managers
Page 43

44. Encouraging managers 1 of 2
• Challenge your own
prejudices
• Be supportive
• Keep any information he
tells you about his
condition or impairment
strictly confidential
• Use the right language to
foster a positive and
supportive environment
Page 44

45. Encouraging managers 2 of 2
• Don’t tolerate language or
behaviour that is focused
on someone’s physical or
mental characteristics
• Be flexible
• Liaise with the team about
issues that may be raised
by these adjustments
• If the workload is causing
or exacerbating a mental
health condition take
reasonable steps to address
Page 45

46. Pointers for managers
Page 46

47. Pointers for managers 1 of 2
• Don’t assume work
pressures affect people in
the same way
• Don’t assume it has to do
with work-it could be
something happening at
home
• Make adjustments if a
person is not coping
• Conversations should be
positive and supportive
• Do’s and don’ts
Page 47

48. Pointers for managers 2 of 2
• Issues to talk about
• Responding to distress
• Communicating with
colleagues
• Return to work action plan
Page 48

49. Conclusion and questions
Page 49

50. Conclusion and questions
Summary
Videos
Questions
Page 50