1. The Employers Toolkit – Disability Management
Kelly Alarie, RN, COHN, CDMP
Cowan Insurance Group Ltd.

2. What is A Healthy Workplace?

3. What is A Healthy Workplace?
Positive and Supportive Organizational Culture
Psychological and Social Support
Clear Leadership and Expectations
Civility and Respect
Challenging but not overwhelming psychological demands
Growth and Development
Recognition and Reward
Workload Management
Engagement
Work/Life Balance
Psychological Protection
Protection of Physical Safety
Source: Mental Health Standards

4. Signs of an Unhealthy Workplace!

5. Signs of an Unhealthy Workplace!
Absenteeism issues
High Employee and Family Assistance Program usage
High disability claims
Low morale (poor staff perception)
Poor work environment
Low productivity
Higher rate of accidents /incidents (WSIB)
Poor company reputation/high turnover

6. Available Resources for employers
Pro-Active Wellness:
Available Resources for employers
EFAP services
Public Health Resources
Seminars from your insurance companies / Disability Management (DM) providers
On-line resources
Professional Resources (associations and memberships
Government Resources

7. Potential Wellness Programs
Pro-Active Wellness:
Potential Wellness Programs
Blood Pressure Clinic
Nutritional Sessions
Stress Management
Sleep Hygiene
Mental Health Training
Smoking Cessation

8. Pro-Active Wellness Potential Workshops Parenting Classes
Mental Health Awareness
Marital /Relationship Strengthening
Assertiveness Training
Balancing Work & Home
Dealing With Workplace Stress

9. Recent Focus: MENTAL HEALTH
The National Standards of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace released on
January 16th 2013
Their mandate has been prolonged until 2017!
The cost to the Canadian economy is $50 billion/year
Presenteeism is related to lost productivity
The biggest cause of both Short and Long Term Disability Claims are Mental Health claims

10. Benefits to Employees Increased job satisfaction Higher Morale
Better physical and mental health
Enhanced motivation
Improved ability to manage stress

11. Benefits to Employers Improved quality, performance, and productivity
Reduced absenteeism and turnover
Fewer accidents and injuries
Better ability to attract and retain top-quality employees
Improved customer service and satisfaction
Lower healthcare costs

12. STRATEGIES COMMIT: Both by upper management and unions PLAN:
Utilize the tools;
“do not reinvent the wheel”
IMPLEMENT:
Start with your statement and end with action
EVALUATE:
Utilize audit tools to see if it’s making a difference
REASSESS
Set annual dates and improvement dates as needed

13. What Does This Really Mean?
Better accommodation of our employees
Overcoming stigma
Providing programs towards physically and psychologically healthy workers
Psychologically and physically healthier workplaces

14. Supportive Return to Work
Acknowledge the employee:
“You are looking better”
“How are you doing”
Take time to listen
“Let me know if you need anything”
“It is so nice to have you back”
Regular check backs on how the person is doing

15. The Laws That Guide Canada Labour Code Human Rights Act
Return to Work Legislation (Duty to Accommodate)
Worker’s Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
Occupational Health & Safety Act
Various Collective Agreements
Employment Standards

16. Workplace Action: Levels of Prevention Primary:
Hire accordingly, train, support
Secondary:
Recognition, provide tools
Tertiary:
Support the identified problem

17. Step 1-Are you building the right team
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 1-Are you building the right team
Present your culture
Ensure the qualifications
Discuss accommodated work
If it is not your practice don’t agree to it
Ensure you understand what the candidate’s expectations are
Present your team’s personality
Ask questions pertaining to personality traits

18. Step 2- Is the workplace physically safe?
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 2- Is the workplace physically safe?
Health & Safety Policy
Proper training and follow up
Proper reporting
Proper investigations
Proper reviews
Employer and employee Input
Pro-active with inspections and not
reactive with incidents?

19. Step 3- Is the workplace psychologically safe?
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 3- Is the workplace psychologically safe?
Policy in place utilizing Mental Health Standards
Proper training and follow up
Proper reporting
Proper investigations
Proper reviews
Employer and employee input
Pro-active steps to acknowledge issues and prevent incidents?

20. Step 4-Are you managing disabled workers?
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 4-Are you managing disabled workers?
Employer and employee training
Modified work is available and expected
HR/Management tracking of disabled worker
Ongoing communication with disabled worker
Are you aware of the nature of the absence, ongoing treatment and prognosis
Ongoing review of the program
Employer and employee input
ACCOMMODATION

21. Accommodation Process: Provide the following:
Nature of illness
Permanent or temporary (i.e. prognosis)
Detailed restrictions/limitations flowing from the disability
Basis for the medical conclusions (not results)
Effects of treatment, including medications

22. Step 5-Is there modified work in place?
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 5-Is there modified work in place?
Policy in place for both occupational and non-occupational absences
Proper orientation upon hiring
Manager and employee training
Proper listings of modified work available
Managers responsibility of the modified budget
Supportive environment for returning workers
Ongoing review of the program
Employer and employee input

23. Step 6-Are your workers remaining at work?
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 6-Are your workers remaining at work?
Recognized
Rewarded
Compensated
Cared for…

24. Step 7-Proactive Wellness
Employer’s Toolkit:
Step 7-Proactive Wellness
Programs available for management
Programs available for employees
On-going evaluation of providers
Assessment of results
Utilization of statistics to focus programming
Utilization of existing resources (EFAP, insurers, public health, Cowan)
Modify programs as required

25. Challenges in Disability Management

26. Disability Management Statistics
Overall, since 2000, both the incidence and the number of days lost for personal reasons (illness or disability, and personal or family responsibilities) have shown a rising trend
Industries with higher absence rates include: health care and social assistance (14.1 days), transportation and warehousing (13.0) and public administration (12.5)
Compared to lowest averages by full-time workers in primary industries (6.5) and in professional, scientific and technical services (6.7)
Whether full or part week, overall women's absence rates are higher from 1999 to 2009
(Statistics Canada - Catalogue no X)

27. Culpable vs Non-culpable
Distinction between culpable v. non-culpable absenteeism is key
AMP should have two approaches/streams:
Culpable absences - Disciplinary response
Non-culpable absences - Non-disciplinary response
“Duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship”…..
(Emond Harnden – Ottawa Ontario)

28. Attendance Management Program
Set out benchmarks for identifying a threshold level of absenteeism which draws employees into the AMP
Set out a procedure for counselling employees, and measures that can be taken to improve attendance (supportive)
Establish a series of escalating steps (i.e. meetings with higher levels of management)
Put employee on notice that dismissal may result from continued unacceptable rates of absenteeism (only after accommodation to the point of undue hardship)
(Emond Harnden – Ottawa Ontario)

29. Disability Management Cases

30. Resources
The Standard - Download CAN/CSA-Z /BNQ /2013 Standard ( 13_BNQ_ _2013_EN.pdf)
The Guide - tial=30
Public Health Units in Ontario
Cowan Insurance Group – Health & Disability

31. Questions?