Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace: A Practical Update for the New Reality

Employers have seen a dramatic rise in mental health claims over the course of the pandemic. Mental illness poses serious challenge to employers, from increased employee absenteeism, health and safety risks, and accommodation requests.

While the legally compliant management of workplace mental health issues has presented major challenges to employers in the past, these difficulties have only been exacerbated by the fallout from the COVID epidemic and the new workplace environment that has arisen from it.

This webinar will explore the latest challenges and best practices for complying with your duty to accommodate mental health requests and the consequences of failing to do so.

12:00 PM ET Opening Remarks 

12:05 - 12:55 PM ET
Employers' duties & obligations in accommodating mental health in a changing workplace

Though employers have become more accustomed to meeting the duties to accommodate physical restrictions of their employees, the growing phenomenon of accommodating mental health requests presents unique challenges and often requires a different approach.

It is critical that employers are well informed on the evolving issues surrounding accommodating mental health requests and are up to date on their legal obligations. This panel discussion will provide practical tools for minimizing your legal risks while meeting your obligations in accommodating employees in this new reality.

• Legal framework: Clarifying the legal definition of ‘mental health’ as it relates to employer duties & obligations
• Recent employment and labour law decisions regarding the accommodation of mental illness in the workplace and the limits of the duty to accommodate
• A look at emerging challenges and how the duty to accommodate applies to remote employees
• Latest best practices in managing mental health claims

Moderator:
• Zeinab Yousif, Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
Panelists:
• Lisa Goodfellow, Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
• Jonathan L. Dye, Partner, Filion Wakely, Thorup, Angeletti LLP
• Jennifer Mathers McHenry, Founding Partner, Mathers McHenry & Co
• Anne Gallop, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright

12:55 - 1:00 PM ET
Final comments and takeaways

This program qualifies for 1.0 Professionalism CPD hour with the Law Society of Ontario.