Canadian Safety Reporter

7 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2015 News | November 2015 | CSR Credit: Eviled/Shutterstock 'So... is that guy for real?' Despite stigma reductions, there are still those – including managers – who doubt the veracity of mental illness BY MARY ANN BAYNTON CYNICISM can be defined as a distrust of the intentions of oth- ers, and a belief 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 men- tal illness. Despite advances over the last decade in reducing stigma, there are still those who doubt mental illness is "real," believ- ing people living with mental illness are somehow faking it or accommodations equate to spe- cial treatment. Case in point: One-half of managers and supervisors be- lieved "whining or crying at work is a ploy to get attention," according to a 2012 Ipsos Reid survey on emotional intelli- gence in the workplace, com- missioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental 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 ex- perience 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, according to the Mental Health Commission 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, according to the commission. While changing the way a cynic thinks can be a challenge, the following four strategies can help turn down the volume on toxic attitudes. Acknowledge concerns In some instances, a cynical manager or employer may con- sider the duty to accommodate someone with a mental illness to be challenging, inconvenient or unwarranted — particularly if they feel the employee is fak- ing it. Forty per cent of all respon- dents to the Ipsos-Reid survey agreed with the statement "It is not fair to treat workers differ- ently based on their individual strengths and weaknesses." It is important not to admon- ish or judge the managers who find these situations challeng- ing, as that may simply rein- force their negative attitudes or drive their opinions under- ground, which will then seep out in their interactions with workers. Rather, it is important to acknowledge their concerns while still making it clear the or- ganization is committed to pro- viding a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Support managers in grow- ing knowledge, emotional intel- ligence Managers have sometimes been promoted to their posi- tions by virtue of their techni- cal skills or business acumen. Today, there is a growing rec- ognition of the need to support leaders in growing and enhanc- ing their knowledge in other ar- eas, including emotional intel- ligence (EI). Emotional intelligence en- compasses skill areas such as the ability to understand and deal with other people's emotions and reactions, understanding and managing personal reac- tions, and learning how to com- municate effectively, including conflict resolution. While a majority of managers and supervisors agree they have a responsibility to intervene if they suspect a worker is expe- riencing a mental health issue, 22 per cent of respondents dis- agreed, according to the Ipsos Reid survey. This may be tied to a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. Nearly one-third of managers (28 per cent) said they are un- comfortable when workers dis- cuss their emotions; 23 per cent admitted they have a hard time understanding 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 The 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, psycho- logical health and safety in the workplace comes down to the way we treat each other and interact while at work. This means addressing cynical at- titudes and behaviours in the workplace can contribute to a safer environment for everyone, not just those who are seeking accommodation. Creating and maintaining a psychologically healthy and safe workplace can seem like a daunting 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 Positive > pg. 8

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