BCLMA Topics Edition
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BC Legal Management Association A newsletter to help our Members, Representatives, Affiliates and partners stay current with the business of law ✦ Spring 2012 PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACES Improve your bottom-line results by ensuring staffers are mentally healthy By the Hon. Mary Collins and the tial source of What could go wrong? Vancouver Board of Trade’s competitive ad- Paralegals, mat-leave, contracts and the Karen Robson vantage, and also CRA… What could possibly go sychologically healthy workplaces offer obviates many le- wrong for our intrepid HR a way for law firms and other organi- gal ramifications chief? Well, nothing – as Pzations to reduce the costs associated associated with long as they are all kept with healthcare and employee turnover. failure to protect separate. But, of course, They also increase revenue by enhancing the psychological life doesn’t work like employee commitment, motivation and pro- well-being of that, does it? And ductivity. And they demonstrate that firms one’s employees. how would you Hon. Mary Collins answer Paula’s which maintain such a workplace are sophis- Consider, for query on Page 6? ticated and responsible employers. example, the following case of workplace Psychologically healthy workplaces are all trouble. An RCMP officer returned from ma- of the above – as well as a legal imperative, as ternity leave to find herself subjected to ex- we discovered in researching our major re- treme harassment by several of her com- port for the Vancouver Board of Trade. manding officers. Spring 2012 In today’s competitive business landscape, After almost one year of this treatment, • Improve your bottom line by ensuring taking practical steps to protect employee she found herself unable to sleep or eat, and staffers are mentally healthy . 1 mental health in law firms provides a poten- terrified of coming to work. She was diag- • BCLMA’s year strong on development, nosed with a major depressive disorder and says Gauvreau to AGM . 1 • Why avoiding bad behaviour in the office could BCLMA’s year strong on was left with no option but to be medically create more trouble – and how to root it out . 5 discharged from the force. • Making the business case for using social media development, says Although her tenure with the RCMP came as part of your marketing strategy, and ideas for a firm-wide policy about it . 9 to an end, her depression did not: she found • BCLMA quarterly newsletter popular, well-read Gauvreau to AGM herself unable to work due to her mental and offers articles and art readers think range The BCLMA’s Annual General Meeting was held health. In response, the RCMP officer filed a from excellent to valuable . .14 • This year’s BCLMA Conference to focus on how to on March 27 at the offices of Richards Buell Sut- complaint. prosper from the ‘never-ending changes’ of our ton LLP in Vancouver. About 20 people attended In the end, the BC Supreme Court ruled daily worklife . 17 HEROES • HO ER NO TE U N R U R L O O L • Volunteer Hero Awards: Two decades L V • • the event, including 10 Representatives, at which that she was unable to work because the force B C N L O E I G T A IA (and counting) for Ernie Gauvreau L C O MA SS outgoing president Ernie Gauvreau gave his report. had caused her serious psychological harm, building BCLMA . N.AG EM.EN T .A . .20 and awarded her almost a million dollars in • Litigation-support best practices save more than just want to acknowledge the BCLMA’s ef- damages, lost wages and lost future earnings. time & money – they could save your firm’s reputation . 21 Ifort to be green – particularly its ability The moral of this story is clear: Employers to recycle its President! I cannot believe are obligated to protect the psychological • BCLMA’s Member & Newsletter Services . 2 • The Firm . 3 how quickly the year has gone by. well-being of their employees, and if an em- • You Be The Judge, by Paula Butler: Answers I would like to take a minute to ac- ployee suffers a mental injury due to work- in the Case of the Boss’ Son and the Promotion, knowledge the tremendous contributions place negligence, recklessness or intentional plus the new Case of the Pregnant Paralegals . 6 • Save This Date . 11, 13, 17 of your BCLMA Board: Paula Kiess, Anita actions, the employer may be held liable. • Making the Moves . 19 Parke, Cindy Hildebrandt, Susan Spald- The Vancouver Board of Trade firmly • BCLMA’s Executive & Subsection contact info . 23 President’s Report fl to Page 3 Employee health fl to Page 2 SPRING 2012 ✦ BC Legal Management Association ✦ www.BCLMA.org ✦ Member Services: [email protected] 2 Topics BC Legal Management Association SPRING 2012 cannot ignore the psychological health of Editor: Stephanie Marsh from Page 1 their organizations. Bob Waterman (Chair), Employee health fl The Mental Health Commission of Editorial Committee: believes that workplace mental health is a Lorraine Burchynsky (Topics Advertising), Paula Canada points out thateight during years, thethere last has Butler, Ann Halkett, Sunita March, Peter Morgan. serious business issue, been a 700% in- Committee administrative support: Jane Kennedy. Peter Morgan and has joined the Paage 1 of 29 crease in the Paga e 1 of 29 Managing Editor, Designer: Paga e 1 growing movement of 29 number of court- .org toward improving This issue and the newsletter’s archiveBCLMA are all awarded settle- PDF format at: www. the psychological available in ments due to men- BCLMA, CANADA well-being of British Editorial © 2012 es tal injury in the ORGAN:Newsletters ly Healthy Workplac M PsychologicallyPsPsycPsychycohloohlgooigcalicall yHealthy Health Workplacesy Workplaces Columbia work- logically Heal Being Published by: e Ptshycholy oWgicoal rWkpell- ne Results and Employe laces workplace. This IImprovingmprImovipIvimriongprvi i ovinBottomBottvigi ngBoom ttBott o LineLim L iResultsne Resu andlts a nEmployeed Employ Psychologicalee Psychologic Well-Beingal Well-Being om Line Results and www.Morgan-News.com Employee Psycholo places. Over the last gical Well-Being trend reveals that few months, the the courts are in- : Cindy Hildebrandt Board of Trade’s BCLMA President creasingly holding Health, Wellness employers responsible WHO WE ARE and Well-Being for the physical and Task Force en- , founded in 1972, is a non-profit organiza- psychological health The BCLMA gaged leaders in tion with 120 Representatives and 240 Affiliates across and safety of their em- ’s goal to provide educational and Submitted by: BCLMA Submitted by: FORCE the field of men- WELL-BEING TASK , AND HEALTH, WELLNESSubmitted by: BC. It is the TTHTHEHE HHEALTH,EALTH, WWELLNESS,ELLNESS, AANDND WELL-BEINGWELL-BEING TASKTASK FORCEFORCE THE HEALTH, WELLN ESS, AND WELL-BE ployees. ING TASK FORCE tal health, and networking opportunities, to enhance skills as legal ad- In addition, the reviewed cur- ministrators and managers, and to provide professional Commission is helping to rent literature. and personal benefits to its registrants. develop a voluntary : It also sur- national standard in MEMBER SERVICES veyed partici- Canada for assessing pants at the Board of G Opportunities to network with other law firm ad- During the last psychological health Trade’s November ministrators and managers are provided by events such and safety in the work- 2011 forum, Let’s Talk: eight years, there has as our annual Spring and Winter socials, or our monthly place. subsection meetings.We host an annual Managing Part- Mental Health in the been a 700% increase This standard, to ners Event, and a large conference every other year. Workplace. in the number of be released later this The culmination of G The Job Bank on our website outlines information year, is a significant these efforts is a land- court-awarded settle- on potential employment opportunities for all types of step towards reducing mark Board report en- legal-related and lawyer positions. ments due to mental the economic burden titled, Psychologically G The Discussion Board on our website enables Rep- injury in the workplace associated with mental Healthy Workplaces: Im- resentatives and Affiliates to quickly get questions an- proving Bottom Line Re- illness by providing organizations with the swered and obtain advice from others who may have faced similar situations. The best. way to get involved is sults and Employee Psy-. tools and guidance needed to improve the BCLMA to become a part of the chological Well-Being psychological health and safetyAction of Guide their for : This report provides an overview of workplaces. An interactive NEWSLETTER SERVICES why workplace mental health is an impor- is here: Employers is a public newsletter. We will be pleased to add tant issue for The Board’s thousands of Topics http://tinyurl.com/7qkxltj while other you to our email list for it. Please contact the Editorial members, as well as some practical ap- workplace resources are here: Committee Chair, or any member of the Editorial Com- proaches and resources for addressing is- http://tinyurl.com/bmenxmu mittee listed on the back page, for comments on any of sues related to workplace mental health. New legislation in BC is also in the these articles or to offer suggestions for articles in future There is no question about it: the suc- works to broaden the definition of mental issues, or for adjustments to the circulation list. Com- cess and productivity of a workplace is di- ments are always welcome. stress as a ground for claims under Work- : rectly affected by an organization’s capaci- Safe BC, and this too will likely add to the REPRODUCTION RIGHTS ty and willingness to manage issues related requirements of employers to maintain is copyrighted, however we encourage you to cir- to employee mental-health.