Canadian Retailer - The Human Resources Issue - 21

ers make workplaces more responsive to employees in distress.
Retailers can download the national standards document related to psychological health in the workplace from the Mental Health Commission of Canada's website, mentalhealthcommission.ca. A range of resources, including
webinars, auditing tools, and training guides, are available through MHCC.
"Mental illness is a real illness," says Ed Mantler, Vice-President of Programs and Priorities at MHCC. He says that because retail has a higher
prevalence of mental illness, and because surveys show retail employees
are less likely to ask for help, retailers need to step forward and put in place
programs that adhere to national standards for promoting psychosocial
health. This is what the standards document helps retailers accomplish.
The standards are the "backbone" of Bell's initiatives. One of the most
important initiatives has been providing a leadership training program to
every manager in its business, including its retail operations. The training gives managers the DEALING WITH DISTRESSED CUSTOMERS
skills they need to recognize and respond to the Customers can increase workplace stress unnecessarily. Mantler
mental health challenges facing, according to says retailers should adopt a policy of non-tolerance for abuse
and harassment of employees by customers.
current statistics, one-third of their employees.
Individual responsibility

Robinette offers strategies for how retailers can deal with
customers who may suffer from a mental illness.
* Put in place an early detection system. Train employees to spot
behaviours that may indicate a customer is distressed.
* Train everybody. Give tools and training to each employee, so
that challenging issues aren't left on the foot of one person, like
the store manager. Use role-playing as part of the training so
retail employees can learn what real situations might look like.
* Intervene in pairs. Younger, less experienced employees
shouldn't be left on their own to deal with a distressed individual.
* Personalize every issue. Each person is unique, and every
issue retailers encounter will need to be tailored to the person
in distress.
* Work with others. Join a local mental health working group to
discover how other local businesses are building supportive
environments for employees and their customers.

In private, some businesses have expressed
concerns that catering to mental health issues
might turn businesses "soft" and make employees less accountable for productivity. "Not true,"
says Deacon. "The evidence shows [good mental
health policies] are having the opposite effect."
Beyond the tangibles of reducing turnover and
short-term disabilities, bringing mental health
out of the shadows has helped employers and
employees talk about what is really happening.
"People now understand mental health," says
Deacon. "It's not an excuse but it can be a reason
for certain behaviours. But that doesn't absolve
employees from responsibilities."
See MHCC's Ed Mantler and Bell Canada's
Katie Robinette, Executive Director of Healthy Minds Canada,
Monika Mielnik explore the issues of mental
says a well-grounded approach to supporting good mental health
health in the workplace at the 2017 RCC Human
can help businesses underline and support individual responsibilResources Conference on April 19 in Toronto.
ities. "The behaviours, not the disease, are what we can manage,"
To register, visit www.rcchrconference.ca/
says Robinette. Addictions, like alcoholism, for example, are illcontent/register.
nesses, and illness must be treated by health professionals. But behaviours that contradict company policies, like showing up drunk
to work, can be addressed by management. Businesses can hold
employees to account for their behaviours, not their illnesses.
In spite of the attention given to mental health concerns, more must be
done, particularly in how businesses serve employees. "Benefits are shocking," Mildon says of EAP programs offered by most businesses. "They cover
almost nothing of the cost of a visit [to the doctor]." She encourages retailers
to look at the limits on psychological services provided through employee
benefits. "Look at the benefits and maximize coverage," she says.
Presutto agrees. "We do not believe the current level of support for mental health benefits is sufficient to provide treatment and we encourage all
companies in Canada to step up and join this important effort. And we recommend that other companies work in collaboration with their provider to
determine what level of support they can provide their employees."

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THE HUMAN RESOURCES ISSUE

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