Mental Health in the Workplace

Most of us take it for granted in the workplace today that our organization is responsible for ensuring our safety on the job. Systems like Worker’s Compensation programs are also taken as a given, and certainly here in Canada, there is no one in the workforce today who would remember a time before these programs were in place. In Canada, Ontario was the first province to enact Worker’s Compensation legislation, in 1915, with other provinces following suit shortly thereafter. Worker`s Comp remains a provincially legislated requirement today, and though the details differ province to province, the fundamental nature of the program is the same; workers who are injured on the job are eligible to apply for payment of wages for lost time, and compensation for outside medical costs. The employer pays the cost for the insurance, in exchange for the worker giving up the right to sue the employer over the injury. So far, so good.

In the past, worker`s compensation has been limited almost exclusively to the concept of physical injury or illness in the workplace. But that may be changing. I believe we are in the middle of a shift in thinking, one in which the psychological safety of the worker will come to be considered in the same way as physical safety. Last year, the Canadian government released a (voluntary) standard for psychological health and safety in the workplace, and recent developments in the law suggest that employers are increasingly being expected to ensure workers are not being exposed to excessive mental stress at work. There have also been a few recent Worker’s Compensation judgements that suggest the bulwark against mental stress claims being considered eligible for Worker’s Comp is crumbling, and will continue to do so.

A psychologically safe workplace is “one in which every practical effort is made to avoid reasonably foreseeable injury to the mental health of employees” (Schain 2009). Compensation for mental injury is an emerging area under the law, and mental suffering awards in constructive dismissal cases are increasingly common (and larger). Mental harm can be held as a consequence of overwork, especially poor working environments, abusive behaviour by management, etc… So there’s a pretty solid trend going on here. In Zorn-Smith vs. Bank of Montreal (2003), Ms. Zorn-Smith was awarded an increased notice entitlement and $15,000 for mental suffering, and given that damage awards have increased up to 700% between 2005-2010, I would certainly expect to see the numbers increase. Now, granted that Ms. Zorn-Smith was working in a position for which she was not qualified, putting in a crazy amount of hours, and dealing with an organization that didn’t seem particularly inclined to help her deal with any of these issues, and I would certainly hope that most organizations might have a more reasonable approach, but the trend is there- overwork and stress your people out, and expect to pay the price for that.

What this means for your workplace really depends on the organization. My personal feeling is that this trend makes sense, and good employers likely already have systems in place to deal with at least some of these issues. That said, there is still a tremendous stigma concerning mental health among many Canadians, and duty to accommodate, etc. is still a bit fuzzy. Believe me, even in the best and most supportive environments, there’s still lots of grey area to run into. However, for those of us in less-supportive environments, there’s a pretty strong argument to be made in favour of revising those aspects of your organizational culture, policies and procedures that are less than totally supportive, and it comes with dollar signs attached.

So where do you think you’re at, and where do you want to be?

Appraisals

Formal appraisals are an integral part of just about any organization’s performance management process. Dreaded by employees and managers alike, appraisals are generally touted by human capital management professionals as key in increasing productivity. There are a wide range of appraisal solutions out there, which are mostly designed to make managers and employees hate the process less, and make it a little more likely that the system will be used according to design.

Ultimately, the primary purpose of the performance appraisal process is to manage employee performance. So are there other ways to manage performance?

The key to managing performance is feedback. Feedback can be handled in any numbers of ways, and doesn't have to be a formal process at all. In an ideal world, where feedback is a constant occurrence, clearly communicated and reciprocated, perhaps you could do away with a formal performance management system, but the reality is that such systems serve more than one purpose. For one thing, they serve to demonstrate that conversations concerning performance have occurred, and to document the key points of the discussion. Should you ever need to terminate an employee for cause, this and other documentation will prove to be critical in determining whether or not proper cause exists (hint: it’s pretty rare outside of cases of serious misconduct) .

In an organization with a very high level of trust between colleagues, where open and honest communication and feedback is a part of everyday working life, perhaps a case can be made that formal appraisals aren't necessary from a feedback perspective, whether they are 360s, online, or otherwise. However, they will always be necessary for documentation, in the absence of a world where all employees are good ones, and thus, managers and employees alike better just resign themselves to the fact that they really aren't going anywhere. 

Performance Management

Performance management is one of the key areas in which a strong human capital function can bring value to the organization. Having an effective  PM system contributes directly to the bottom line of the organization through ensuring that desired outcomes and goals are clearly understood by all involved, and that everyone is working towards these common goals. The problem lies in ensuring that your organization’s performance management system is effective.

Purchasing a pre-made PM system is a convenient option, but pre-made systems are very rarely targeted specifically enough to the needs of your organization to ensure maximum effectiveness. Hiring a consultant to design a PM system can be much more tailored, but may be prohibitively expensive. Consequently, the project design may fall right into the laps of the HR department itself.

When that happens, it’s important to make sure you’re doing it right. One of the ways in which HR can fail the organization is by getting too caught up into what the perfect PM system looks like from HR’s perspective, and forgetting what it looks like to the rest of the stakeholders. If your managers and employees are not on board with the system you’ve designed, it won’t be effective. Have you ever complained that your managers “just don’t get it” and wondered why they can’t be bothered to use the fabulous system you’ve designed/implemented? If so, my guess is that you don’t have great buy-in from your managers- either they don’t understand why your system is important, or it doesn’t measure what’s important to them. In either case, you have some work to do.

That means that the very first part of designing a performance management system is identifying your stakeholders, and getting them involved. Identify the goals- what do you want your PM system to manage? And why? If your system covers the things your managers need it to cover, you’ll have a much higher acceptance level and therefore much higher effectiveness.

This is also the time to have a conversation about areas your PM system needs to cover- and now is the time to talk about competencies. Chances are really good that between the managers and the employees doing the work, they have a much better idea of the competencies required to do the job than you do. It’s also an opportunity to make sure that the staff see your PM system as fair. If the employees don’t think your PM system is fair, they won’t engage, and your effectiveness will be much reduced. Keep bringing those competencies back to your identified goals, too- your system will only be valid if it’s actually measuring the elements required to meet the goals you’ve already identified.

Once you have your list of competencies, then you need to decide how the PM system should be set up. Is an annual review really going to be as effective as you need it to be? How about quarterly coaching? Weekly coaching with quarterly reviews? How formal does your system need to be? What works best with your organizational culture? And how much paperwork is too much?

The closer you can keep your Performance Management System to the needs outlined above, the higher the effectiveness of the system will be. Designing a system with the input of your SMEs and stakeholders is the best way to ensure that you get a system that serves the needs of the organization and helps contribute positively to the bottom line through increased productivity and clarity of purpose.

You may not ever be able to keep everybody happy with your performance management system. But if it is effective, and measures the things it’s supposed to measure, you will see positive results.Performance management is one of the key areas in which a strong human capital function can bring value to the organization. Having an effective  PM system contributes directly to the bottom line of the organization through ensuring that desired outcomes and goals are clearly understood by all involved, and that everyone is working towards these common goals. The problem lies in ensuring that your organization’s performance management system is effective.

Purchasing a pre-made PM system is a convenient option, but pre-made systems are very rarely targeted specifically enough to the needs of your organization to ensure maximum effectiveness. Hiring a consultant to design a PM system can be much more tailored, but may be prohibitively expensive. Consequently, the project design may fall right into the laps of the HR department itself.

When that happens, it’s important to make sure you’re doing it right. One of the ways in which HR can fail the organization is by getting too caught up into what the perfect PM system looks like from HR’s perspective, and forgetting what it looks like to the rest of the stakeholders. If your managers and employees are not on board with the system you’ve designed, it won’t be effective. Have you ever complained that your managers “just don’t get it” and wondered why they can’t be bothered to use the fabulous system you’ve designed/implemented? If so, my guess is that you don’t have great buy-in from your managers- either they don’t understand why your system is important, or it doesn’t measure what’s important to them. In either case, you have some work to do.

That means that the very first part of designing a performance management system is identifying your stakeholders, and getting them involved. Identify the goals- what do you want your PM system to manage? And why? If your system covers the things your managers need it to cover, you’ll have a much higher acceptance level and therefore much higher effectiveness.

This is also the time to have a conversation about areas your PM system needs to cover- and now is the time to talk about competencies. Chances are really good that between the managers and the employees doing the work, they have a much better idea of the competencies required to do the job than you do. It’s also an opportunity to make sure that the staff see your PM system as fair. If the employees don’t think your PM system is fair, they won’t engage, and your effectiveness will be much reduced. Keep bringing those competencies back to your identified goals, too- your system will only be valid if it’s actually measuring the elements required to meet the goals you’ve already identified.

Once you have your list of competencies, then you need to decide how the PM system should be set up. Is an annual review really going to be as effective as you need it to be? How about quarterly coaching? Weekly coaching with quarterly reviews? How formal does your system need to be? What works best with your organizational culture? And how much paperwork is too much?

The closer you can keep your Performance Management System to the needs outlined above, the higher the effectiveness of the system will be. Designing a system with the input of your SMEs and stakeholders is the best way to ensure that you get a system that serves the needs of the organization and helps contribute positively to the bottom line through increased productivity and clarity of purpose.

You may not ever be able to keep everybody happy with your performance management system. But if it is effective, and measures the things it’s supposed to measure, you will see positive results. 

Critical Skills

I recently completed a survey from an HR association asking what I thought was the most critical skill in professional practice in HR. Now, I think it’s very difficult in just about any profession to pick just one critical skill, and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it.

Part of the problem is that HR really is a very broad function. As someone who has experience as the entire HR department for a small function, I can certainly attest to the many different hats an HR Generalist can wear. That’s a job title that doesn’t lie, folks. And because HR encompasses so many different areas, it’s hard to pick one key skill that covers them all.

After I’d thought about it for a while, I decided that the absolutely most critical skill in HR is paying attention. I thought about saying “listening”, but decided that that’s a bit too narrow for what I actually mean. Certainly the ability to listen actively and empathetically is very important to practice in HR, but often it’s as much about what people don’t say as it is about what they do. It’s also very much about body language and facial expression, too- so it goes way beyond just listening. It’s also about picking up on unvoiced cues, and analyzing the information that you’re getting. Sometimes it’s about putting together a conversation you’re having now with other bits and pieces of information that you’ve collected along the way.

If you can pay attention to everything, you may find that the casual lunchroom conversation you overheard can take on a whole new meaning during the manager’s meeting. You can never have too much information, and I can think of several times in my career where a seemingly unrelated tidbit has turned out to hold some very useful information that’s helped to clarify other issues.

If you can listen, carefully, and pay attention, and then think critically about that information, you will find that you have a leg up in making key decisions.

What do you think are key skills in HR?

Why Getting Fired Isn't The End of The World- A Personal Perspective

As I write this, I'm sitting at home in the middle of the afternoon, because I don't have a job anymore.

I was let go in the middle of August, and, to be honest, it was a shock. I had known for some time that I didn't fit well within the organization, and had been looking at job listings for a while, but I had planned on finding another opportunity, giving notice, and doing all the things that you're supposed to do. In the meantime, I was doing my job to the best of my abilities, had received very favourable performance reviews, and wasn't getting any negative feedback or anything.

The morning that I was let go, I had just finished payroll when my boss and the head honcho walked into my office. I immediately knew it wasn't go, just because they were coming to me instead calling me downstairs.

That was my first experience with being terminated. It was handled pretty well, I was given my paperwork and details of a severance agreement were figured out, and then I bundled up my office plants and off I went.

It's taken me a little while to getting around to writing this blog entry, I think because it takes a little time to wrap your head around things. I didn't really get a solid explanation for why- it was a "business decision,"- but I suspect it has to do with fit issues, because I certainly knew it wasn't the right place for me. I've never felt such a mixture of anxiety and relief as I did then. Anxiety because oh my God, I'm unemployed, what do I do? and relief because I knew it wasn't working well and now I didn't have to go back.

It's still a bit of a struggle to deal with the fact that, even though I know it wasn't working well and I was looking to leave, I got fired. There is a stigma attached to that, and a certain amount of shame attached to admitting it, even though I have counseled others not to feel that way under similar circumstances. And, as much as I was sympathetic to others in a similar position in the past, I have more understanding now having gone through it myself, and I think it will make me a better HR professional for it.

So right now, I'm unemployed. In the past three weeks, I have reorganized my kitchen, our storage unit, and our closet, started baking my own bread, and made three kinds of preserves, in between getting rather more serious about the job hunt. I've caught up on my reading, including my issues of HBR, and been working my way through some of Khan Academy's free courses on programming and economics. While it's been great to get organized, and I'm keeping busy with no problems, I'm also hoping to be back to work soon, in a great organization that will be a much better fit for me, so wish me luck!

Work/Life Balance

Work/Life balance is a huge deal in the modern world of HR. We talk about the importance of work/life balance and what that looks like in the modern world of always-on internet and cells phones, and worry about burnout and overtime pay, and what we should want.

Unfortunately, it's still a reality for an awful lot of the workforce that an inability to answer an email at 9:00 PM or an unwillingness to put in ten hour days in the office shows. How many people do you know, or how many workplace cultures have you seen, where putting in long hours is seen as a badge of pride, or at least good for bragging rights?

To me, there are several issues with this. The first is that working too much has a negative impact on productivity (see here if you're interested in some of the the research), and the second is that hours worked should come a distinct second to work accomplished. Ten hours of work should not be intrinsically more valued (especially if overtime is being paid out!) than eight hours of work, unless more is being accomplished in that ten hours, which, in my experience, is often not the case. A culture that focuses on results instead of on long hours is going to be focusing on productivity- that makes much more sense, and it allows your staff to go home when they're done for the day, and stay later when something needs doing, and not burn out so badly.

I believe that the reason you see this focus on hours worked is laziness- hours worked is an easy metric, compared to the work of breaking down and assessing progress and achievements, so lazy HR leads to an hours-worked-equals-dedication focus. It's an easy trap to fall into, it's reliable, but it isn't valid, because hours worked does not equal work accomplished.

What do you think? What can you do to shift this mindset in your workplace (if it's there) and do you think you need to?

Happy Canada Day from Calgary!

For those of you who are maybe a little further afield, the city I live in, Calgary, recently suffered a disaster-flooding. Calgary is located along the confluence of two rivers, the Elbow and the Bow, and they both spilled their banks just over a week ago. There have been some pretty hard hit residential areas, as well as a fair bit of downtown. I was affected among 75,000 people who were evacuated, as our downtown condo is only a couple of blocks from the river. We were told to leave on Thursday night, and watched the TV on Friday and Saturday to see the water covering block after block.

I am very lucky. We have a fourth-floor condo, so we knew even as we left that most of our stuff would be ok. We have a storage unit in the parkade, and haven't yet been able to access it to find out the bad news, but it could have been so much worse. I have a coworker who is from High River, a town south of Calgary that suffered tremendously with flooding, who has literally lost everything except the clothes on his back. We have good friends who kindly let us stay with them for a week, and we came home to everything basically intact, aside from a rank fridge full of spoiled food, and a (presumably) flooded storage unit. We are among the lucky ones, and we've been trying to give something back to those who haven't been as lucky.

It has been a tremendous experience living here through all this, and I have to say- I'm proud of my city. Calgary handled the emergency situation calmly and with strong planning, so kudos to our city council and workers- they deserve it. Calgarians immediately stepped up and brought their A games to the situation- we had more offers of places to stay than we could possibly have used, people were posting ads on kijiji to invite displaced strangers into their homes, and the city's evacuation centres were barely used. Volunteers have flooded into affected neighbourhoods, helping people to reclaim their homes. Everywhere we go, local businesses are running programs for flood relief and collecting donations- it's been incredible. So, thank you, fellow Calgarians, for showing the world what a wonderful city we have and the dedicated people living and working in it. I am proud of all of us.

Anyone looking to help can donate to the Red Cross here.