Oh the stress of Christmas, the holidays, family and finances! Every year we face the same dilemmas! How can we help employees to manage this stress and remain productive through the turmoil of holiday planning and preparations? This webtip covers the statistics with respect to stress in the workplace and strategies for employers to manage stress in the workplace.

Many employers are faced with proposed return to work plans from well-meaning health providers, but what is a reasonable expectation of the employer to accommodate these return to work plans? This webtip will examine the human rights decisions that impact employers' decisions around return to work and accommodation.

This webtip examines the impact on eliminating mandatory retirement in the workplace and the duty to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Strategies for accommodation of an aging workforce and processes to determine when an individual is unable to perform the essential duties are provided.

Employers are becoming more aware of the costs of absence and the impact of ineffective return to work programs in the workplace. Both occupational and non-occupational return to work programs can cost an employer if done ineffectively; creating modified work pools and administrative processes that are unwieldy. Choosing not to manage the return to work is not an option. For employers who choose not to manage the return to work, absenteeism and lost time increases, cutting into the bottom line by up to 12% of their profit margin.

The newest research, with respect to disabilities in the workplace, has noted a rise in employer concern regarding presenteeism. What is presenteeism? Presenteeism is the measurement of the productivity of an employee when they are in the workplace. The employee may be present in the workplace but their productivity is low due to mental health issues, pain, disability, improper ergonomics or improper job match. The cost to the employers for presenteeism is hard to capture in direct dollars but it is noted in productivity studies.

Researchers have reported that mental health conditions comprise 30% to 40% of all long-term disability claims in Canada (2001). 20% to 30% of the population will have a depressive episode at some point in their lives, costing over $3 billion to Canadian businesses (2002). It is important for employers to understand the impact of mental health issues in their workplace and to find strategies to assist with return to work.