Crossing the Rubicon: When is Bad Behaviour a Disability?

Recorded Date: May 19, 2021

Time: 9am – 10:30am PDT

Speaker: Glenn French

Recording

To access the recording of this webinar, please go here. As a member of SafetyNow, use discount code SAFETYNOW21 to watch the recording for free on demand. All ancillary material is available as a handout with the recording.

About the Webinar

As an occupational health and safety risk, violence has galvanized the attention of legislators, mental health practitioners, employers, and organized labour in the wake of well-published incidents of workplace harassment, assaults, and in some cases, fatalities. It appears that we have reached, if not exceeded, what Malcolm Gladwell referred to as the “tipping point,” a moment of critical mass, the threshold or the boiling point of a particular issue.

Although it may appear that violence, as occupational risk, has suddenly taken center stage, the issue has been gaining momentum over the past two decades in much the same way as other workplace abuses such as bullying, psychological harassment, and sexual harassment. Employers who ignore this trend do so at their peril, given dramatic increases in the number of litigations and multi-million-dollar settlements.

Human Resource and Occupational Health practitioners are on the front line of this issue, often the first to hear of individuals who are behaving in a way that causes them to worry about their safety. In response, they are confronted with questions such as, “Does this employee have a mental health problem which requires accommodation or are they exhibiting bad behaviour for which they should be held accountable?”

This webinar will address this question and others that workplace practitioners must consider when deciding on the next steps. Participants can anticipate learning more about:

  • The evolving definition of workplace violence: How did we get here?
  • Screening for potential threats and making appropriate referrals
  •  The factors to consider when deciding on a medical or disciplinary route
  • Importance of ‘Perceived Personal Control’ and workplace violence
  • Managing external caregivers/medical professionals: asking the right questions
  • Safety considerations when terminating an employee of concern

About the Speaker

Glenn French is President of the Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence based in Toronto, Canada. Mr. French has held many senior administrative and clinical positions within both the private and public sectors. Many of Canada’s leading organizations interested in the safety and wellbeing of their employees have retained him.