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Canadian soldier charged with feeding cannabis cupcakes to artillery unit during live-fire exercise

I trust the medical experts to make the right determination when it comes to my health and the health of my subordinates. If they tell me someone needs stress leave. I would rather have someone on stress leave come back in shape than endure someone that isn’t functional because they “need to suck it up.” We have medical leave as part of our leave policy for a reason.

You really have no other choice. Those chits trump all.

Im not sure how anyone can't truly see mental health is being abused. The saddest part for me isn't the abusers is the truly hurting who are having their care distracted by the nefarious.
 
You really have no other choice. Those chits trump all.

Im not sure how anyone can't truly see mental health is being abused. The saddest part for me isn't the abusers is the truly hurting who are having their care distracted by the nefarious.
There are undoubtedly a few, yes. But not many troops will voluntarily choose the scorn and stigma that still ones with being down and out with mental health issues- or even being known to be receiving treatment.

I would suggest that a lot more are hiding mental injuries, and are putting a mask on and going to work each day because they don’t want to face that, and fear the ‘abusing the system’ label. How we talk about it matters.
 
Unless you meant something entirely different by "it's taken off like wildfire".

Replied to you in the Emergency Services forum, so as not to distract from the cannabis cupcake discussion.
 
There are undoubtedly a few, yes. But not many troops will voluntarily choose the scorn and stigma that still ones with being down and out with mental health issues- or even being known to be receiving treatment.

I would suggest that a lot more are hiding mental injuries, and are putting a mask on and going to work each day because they don’t want to face that, and fear the ‘abusing the system’ label. How we talk about it matters.

You and I have no idea how many are real or not. But I will tell you from where are sit, if the majority are truly hurting we have raised some weak children. I also do not see this stigma anymore. I have never seen anyone shunned for seeking help. And every supervisor I know, knows better than try to play loose and fast with MELs. Its easier to just accept it and move along.

The sad state is as more and more go down, more weight and pressure are put on the fit and able. I tell you we are burning the candle at both ends and the outcome is not going to be good.

We need to screen better for mental health during enrolment.
 
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You and I have no idea how many are real or not. But I will tell you from where are sit, if the majority are truly hurting we have raised some weak children. I also do not see this stigma anymore. I have never seen anyone shunned for seeking help. And every supervisor I know, knows better than try to play loose and fast with MELs. Its easier to just accept it and move along.

The sad state is as more and more go down, more weight and pressure are put on the fit and able. I tell you we are burning the candle at both ends and the outcome is not going to be good.

We need to screen better for mental health during enrolment.
One of the factors to take into consideration is the Federal Human Rights legislation. Sec 3(1) of the Act prohibits discrimination on the grounds of ... genetic characteristics or disability. S 7 prohibits discrimination in the matter of employment. s 8 in the matter of employment applications.

S 15(1) provides exceptions for: a) bona fide occupational requirements which itself is limited by (2) a requirement for accommodation except where there is undue hardship on the person or agency that needs to provide accommodation. Subsection (9), subsection (2) is subject to the principle of universality of service under which members of the Canadian Forces must at all times and under any circumstances perform any functions that they may be required to perform.

While it is straightforward that what we are talking about is discrimination under s3(1) the question is to what extent such discrimination is permissible under s 15. That is where interpretation comes in. I've been out of the system too long to follow where the case law or the departmental policies sit these days but from many of the discussions here it seems to me that the CAF is fairly generous in its accommodation policies.

The problem may be with what is good for the goose is good for the gander. We want to be very accommodating to people who have limitations based on physical or mental injuries from battle or employment but at the same time we want to be tougher on the people who come to us weak through no relationship with their service. Under human rights legislation it is hard to make that distinction. It would be nice if the Act expressly permitted such a distinction or alternatively if there was a system through veteran affairs that would permit an injured soldier to continue to provide service to the CAF through VA on VA's nickel without them remaining a serving member but something in the nature of an associate member with none of the universality of service requirements.

🍻
 
Just happened to come across this UK article today:

Growing number of Civil Service applicants declare themselves 'neuro-diverse' and ask to work from home and have time off to visit therapists​

  • More Civil Service applicants are declaring themselves to be 'neuro-diverse'
  • Job-hunters in Fast Stream scheme are requesting different working patterns
  • Whitehall staff recently launched a UK Civil Service Neurodiversity Network


That's a new word to me but I guess its been around for a while


🍻
 
Just happened to come across this UK article today:





That's a new word to me but I guess its been around for a while



🍻

Sometimes you just needs to cut your losses...

How To Reduce The Maintenance Of High-Maintenance Employees​




Most managers are familiar with the type: one employee who requires more managerial attention than all the rest combined. He or she may be a high performer or a low performer, but a common characteristic is the amount of management time consumed. Issues can be as variable as personalities: They may involve complaints, frustrations, conflicts with others, desires to do things their own way, problems with deadlines... but the common thread is the constant need for a manager's involvement to keep things on track.

I've often written and spoken about what I call the management variant of the "80-20" rule. Rather than "80% of your business often comes from 20% of your customers," my own version is that "80% of your management time is often spent on 20% of your employees.

Katherine Graham Leviss wrote extensively on this general subject in her 2005 book High Maintenance Employees: Why Your Best People Will Also Be Your Most Difficult...and What You Can Do about It. For those really wanting to delve into the topic, I'd suggest her book. For those interested in a quick crash course, following are my own observations after more than two decades of management.

I believe it's helpful to look at two groups: 1) highly valuable employees, and 2) problematic, less talented employees you'd ideally like to see succeed but (truth be told) are not that valuable to your organization.

Like so much in effective management, a key here involves clarity. First, for the top performers:

Clarity of feedback about the kind of behavior expected: The issue is usually not with the quality of work that is done, but the way it's done: the personal conflicts, the team squabbles, the time spent dealing with miscellaneous uncollaborative activities. From a manager's perspective, it's essential to be clear about what's acceptable and what's not. Make it clear how much you value them and their contributions, but at the same time make it equally clear there are limits to the amount of time that can be spent on unproductive drama and intrigue.

Provide challenging assignments that will engage them and fully utilize their abilities. A talented employee who's totally engaged with a challenging project will have much less opportunity to go off track. In such circumstances, engagement usually equals productivity. An effective antidote for a valued but high-maintenance individual is a steady diet of high-involvement projects.

For problematic lower performers, the fundamental challenge is to ensure standards are set and the message is unmistakable:

Clarity of performance expectations - what can be tolerated: Confronted by malingering, carping, gossiping, tardiness, conflicts, work not turned in on time or of mediocre quality... management needs to make it completely clear what level of work and behavior are required, and what can and can't be tolerated. Clear performance objectives coupled with ready feedback are the managerial tools of choice.

Up or out - Managers - just trying to be nice people - often have a natural tendency to put up with too much for too long. Unfortunately, problems rarely resolve themselves. At some point "enough is enough" and high-maintenance employees have to be managed up or out. Either they raise their performance to the needed standards or they can find work elsewhere. This of course is the time to work closely with HR to ensure performance standards are clear and well documented - and that if "up" isn't happening, the proper protocol is followed when "out" is only alternative. It's never enjoyable, but sometimes it has to be done.

Keep in mind that an overriding objective here is for managers to be protective and productive about their own use of time.

If you're constantly preoccupied with one high-maintenance employee, you won't be nearly as effective as if your time were more in your own control and evenly distributed.

 
What is sad in this story, its she make this amazing carrier dust from this move. Like what she thinking when doing this...
 
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Alternate translation: it's sad that a trained combat arms soldier would be working in the canteen.
 
I would suggest that a lot more are hiding mental injuries, and are putting a mask on and going to work each day because they don’t want to face that, and fear the ‘abusing the system’ label. How we talk about it matters.
You are absolutely right about that. And we are coming to a societal maturity where we realize that statements matter less than the manner in which we follow through on them.

We know that concerns about career and social implications, particularly in professions that involve living in violence and trauma (your own or others), create a bigger barrier to accessing services for most of these jobs than their usually top-notch benefit plans. The culture we create in organizations to make asking for and receiving assistance okay - as well as facilitating returns to meaningful work, matters.

Need convincing? Its right there for every leader:

Know your soldiers and promote their welfare
 
You are absolutely right about that. And we are coming to a societal maturity where we realize that statements matter less than the manner in which we follow through on them.

We know that concerns about career and social implications, particularly in professions that involve living in violence and trauma (your own or others), create a bigger barrier to accessing services for most of these jobs than their usually top-notch benefit plans. The culture we create in organizations to make asking for and receiving assistance okay - as well as facilitating returns to meaningful work, matters.

Need convincing? Its right there for every leader:

Know your soldiers and promote their welfare
True leaders prepare their soldiers for war.
The CF did a horrible job at that (I would assume still does - but I am long stale for that comment to have 100% accuracy ) - as do most Militaries outside of their SOF. In the same vein that most LE and other first responders do a piss poor job of preparing their members for emotional trauma.

Proper mental training, effective and realistic training would do a heck of a lot more do reduce issues of CSR/PTSD.
As opposed to a bunch of BS bravado in training that does nothing for downrange effects.

Education into what the body and mind do under stress, and giving member the tools and conditioning to function during and after critical incidents is going to pay off a whole lot more than soley dealing with issues after the incidents.

Proper counseling after issues helps, and not some half baked counsellor - but real professional mental health specialists who specialize in the specific area of trauma.
 
True leaders prepare their soldiers for war.
The CF did a horrible job at that (I would assume still does - but I am long stale for that comment to have 100% accuracy ) - as do most Militaries outside of their SOF. In the same vein that most LE and other first responders do a piss poor job of preparing their members for emotional trauma.

Proper mental training, effective and realistic training would do a heck of a lot more do reduce issues of CSR/PTSD.
As opposed to a bunch of BS bravado in training that does nothing for downrange effects.

Education into what the body and mind do under stress, and giving member the tools and conditioning to function during and after critical incidents is going to pay off a whole lot more than soley dealing with issues after the incidents.

Proper counseling after issues helps, and not some half baked counsellor - but real professional mental health specialists who specialize in the specific area of trauma.
Altess we are better that US if you check the forum or the others platform you wiol see that every soldier quit because of poor leadership ect....
 
Trying to find a smoking gun for mental health issues is intellectually dishonest.

There are hundreds of factors that need to be considered and you can't simply pin it on weakness, etc.

I'm certain if the CAF actually commissioned a study by medical professionals that interviewed thousands of people, they would find out very quickly what the issues are.
 
We've put enough people in boxes who were paranoid that they'd be seen as weak or malingering. I buried one personally.

Shitty people do shitty things, regardless of their mental state. Ask anyone who has been through the meat grinder of Mental Health how "easy" it is to fake a diagnosis, or get the right amount of support. Screening people for mental resiliency is situating the estimate.

Bdr Cogswell did something unforgivable and tried to use her diagnosis to save her own skin; that in and of itself is deplorable. Mental Health diagnosis is an explanation, not an excuse. The first thing you're told is that regardless of your struggles, you're still accountable for your actions. She tried to shirk that accountability and I hope she gets what's coming to her.
 
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