For Human Resources Professionals, the beginning of the 2013 year is a great time to reflect on new developments in employment law. In this discussion led by Kelly VanBuskirk of Lawson Creamer, you will hear the latest in wrongful dismissal, human rights and employment standards cases from New Brunswick and beyond. A variety of case studies will be presented on relevant topics in employment law.

Harold will discuss tips on how to recognize mental illness in the workplace and what a Supervisor or HR Professional can or should do when they identify this with an employee.

Immediately following our monthly breakfast session, the Saint John Chapter will be hosting a brief Annual General Meeting.

For Human Resources Professionals, the task of ensuring that compensation aligns with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform a job well can be a daunting one. In this discussion led by Deb Armstrong of Armstrong Human Resource Specialists, you will hear the best practices of Job Analysis and how the results of this process can be applied to effective and appropriate compensation planning.

As a more in depth follow up to our June 2012 event on “Creating and implementing an effective (and enforceable) Attendance Management Policy”, this session will delve deeper into the topic of Attendance Management. Matt Hiltz from Cox and Palmer will provide a recap of the June 2012 session and will then take us through relevant case summaries, as well as, interactive problems & fact scenarios. Mr. Hiltz will provide guidance for creating an effective policy, the cornerstones of an attendance management policy, and other factors to be considered when developing such a policy.

Please join us in attending McInnes Cooper’s presentation on new and current legal developments affecting HR professionals. Lucie LaBoissonnière and Dominique Fontaine will present summaries of recent cases from across Canada and discuss how developments in the law may affect you in your day-today duties. A few big cases have made headlines in the legal community in 2013, such as the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on random drug testing and the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision on the definition of “workplace” pursuant to occupational health and safety legislation. There are other decisions which have not been quite so groundbreaking but that provide guidance on thorny issues that HR professionals regularly face. Lucie and Dominique look forward to presenting a selection of interesting cases at the breakfast meeting of November 26, 2013.

In a follow up to the Mental Health in the Workplace session in February 2013, Harold will delve deeper into Anxiety, Depression and impacts on Self-Esteem and work performance. Healthy self-esteem is by definition difficult for many folks to achieve given the various dysfunctional family backgrounds. When one has a mental health disorder, self-esteem is seriously impacted. We will look at how this happens and what we need to do to recover. There are people walking around every day with depression but don't realize they have the illness. Depression, along with anxiety, are the two most common forms of mental illness in the world today. Having a better understanding of mental illness and how to respond in an appropriate manner will help reduce stigma, encourage earlier intervention and put an end to the shame that keeps people chained to secrecy. This work shop is designed to create an awareness of mental illness in general, to recognize signs and symptoms and to understand why mental health first aid is THE band aid that works until appropriate intervention is made available. Harold C. Stevens is a Social Worker by profession who has been involved in adult education during the past 25 years. As a former Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Saint John, mental health issues are important to him both professionally and personally. The more awareness the community has about mental illness, the better we can mobilize to reduce the stigma associated with it.