Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide - 4

As a Manager:
What Can I Do?
" I can offer assistance and accommodations. "
As a manager or supervisor, you can ensure your company's
commitment to a mental health-friendly workplace is carried out at
the ground level.
One key to this is ensuring all
employees have the right tools
and work environment to perform
their best. For certain employees,
including some employees with
mental health conditions, this
might involve making a reasonable
accommodation, when requested.
Not all accommodations are
tangible products or physical
changes, and that is often the case
when it comes to accommodations
for people with mental health
conditions. Furthermore, not
all employees with a mental
health condition will need an
accommodation. For those who do,
common examples include flexible
work arrangements and scheduling,
leave to assist in accessing
treatment, a workplace mentor,
more frequent breaks and other
strategies, such as allowing food or
drink at workstations to help with
potential side effects of medication.
You can also refer employees
seeking additional support to
any employee assistance
program (EAP) services.
EAPs assist employees and
family members experiencing
personal difficulties, including
but not limited to mental
health conditions, that
might be impacting their job
performance. Even if your
organization does not offer
formal EAP services, you
can take steps to make all
employees aware of mental
health service providers in their
communities.
It is important to note that it
is not your job to diagnose
or ask or speculate about an
employee's mental health.
Rather, it is to supervise and
ensure employees meet
performance requirements-
and address problems when
they do not. Providing support
and referring employees to
assistance for underlying issues
is an important strategy for
doing so.
Under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), a
reasonable accommodation
is considered any
modification to the work
environment, or the way
a job is done, that enables
someone with a disability
to apply for or perform
a job. When requested,
employers covered by
the ADA are required to
provide such reasonable
accommodations for
employees with disabilities,
absent undue hardship.
Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide
