Mental Health and Performance Management: Threading the Needle

Author: Richard B. Johnson and Victoria Merritt
Current to: November 2022

Your latest Practice Point to arrive as part of CLEBC Online Course Materials is “Mental Health and Performance Management: Threading the Needle” — a paper that dives into the topic of mental health and its intersection with employee performance management.

This paper was originally prepared by Richard B. Johnson of Ascent Employment Law and Victoria Merritt of Dentons Canada LLP for the recent Human Rights Conference 2022. As the authors state, the present-day workforce involves an increasing prevalence of mental health issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, bullying & harassment, increasing overwork, blurred lines between work and non-worklife, and more.

Not only are there significant legal considerations at play but astute judgment and a high degree of sensitivity and empathy is needed when “threading the needle” between mental health and employee performance management.

While the authors are careful not to bite off more than they can chew, they focus on a series of solutions available to deal with the tension between addressing mental health while ensuring employee performance is managed. Their paper also reviews the legal framework and practical considerations applicable to address the issue from an organizational level.

 

View PDF of the paper