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Category: Mediation

Police Sick Leave & First Responders’ Mental Health

Saskatchewan was launched an online program to provide first responders with some much-needed mental health support. Click here to read the full article.

“It’s important because when you need help, you kind of need it now,” says Regina paramedic.

Regina Leader Post

Meanwhile, here in Ontario, the president of the Stratford Police Association has sent an insightful letter to the editor of the Stratford Beacon Herald about how we need to talk more about the root causes of police sick time. You can read that letter here.

When uniform officers and police service employees are regularly asked to fill extra shifts and work overtime to make up for a lack of personnel, it can contribute to the development of high rates of burnout and individuals taking extended leaves of absence due to operational stress injuries. This creates a cyclical effect as staffing levels are then even further diminished, with less police personnel available to take on that additional work.

Rob McMillan, President
Stratford Police Association
in The Stratford Beacon Herald

When workplaces ignore mental health & harrassment

These three recent articles dive into bullying, harassment and mental health in the workplace.


Workplace bullying: ‘Fear is the biggest factor’

The most common form of bullying or harassment was “being undermined or humiliated in my job”, reported by 55% of women affected and 50% of men.

Then came “persistent unwarranted criticism” and “unwanted personal remarks”.

Read the full article on the BBC


Employer Pays for Failing to Investigate Harassment

In Bassanese v. German Canadian News Company et al. Justice Sossin of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice awarded the plaintiff, Ms. Bassanese, $50,000 in aggravated damages for the bad faith actions of her former employer, German Canadian News Company (GCNC).

Read the full article on SpringLaw


Mental health is the foundation of workplace safety

In 2013, the Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety introduced the concept that not only was there a responsibility for the workplace to become involved in maintaining the mental health of workers, but also that the workplace could even be a source of poor mental health.

Read the full article on Canada’s Occupational Health & Safety Magazine

5 Reasons Mediation Should Be Mandatory

Despite all the work on raising awareness of the benefits of mediation, it’s a chronically under-used approach, a last resort. All organisations need to be working on a basis of trust and openness – and that means being able to have grown-up conversations, not running to formal dispute processes, blame, recriminations and tribunals. The number of employees turning to an employment tribunal went up 10% in the last year, the backlog is up 39%.

FIVE REASONS WHY MEDIATION NEEDS TO BE MANDATORY (theHRDIRECTOR)

We couldn’t agree with this article more! Click here to read the full piece:

Advice for Managers

Workplace with employees researching conflict mediation resources online

Front line supervisors are at the heart of any law enforcement organization. They have their fingers on the pulse of employee satisfaction and are the first to recognize conflict in a team. If they allow that conflict to grow and fester or at worse, take sides, the conflict will only increase.

If the organization is big enough, the next level of supervision must keep tabs on multiple front line supervisors who they depend upon to communicate workplace conflict.

Unfortunately our egos can get in the way and some supervisors all not admit they have a problem they cannot resolve. This only adds to the problem as it escalates over time.

Admitting one needs help is both unnerving and extremely powerful at the some time. It identifies that you recognize your strengths and areas you need assistance with and shows incredible self awareness. Let’s face it, everyone needs little help once in awhile.

Fortunately there are numerous organizations with expertise that can assist to bring teams back on track. All you have to do is ask.