Guidelines For Dealing With Psychiatric Issues At Work

The ADA covers psychiatric as well as physical disabilities, but employers often focus on the physical. This 60-minute webinar on psychiatric issues at work sets out the employment rights of people with psychiatric disabilities and what employers owe them under the ADA and related laws.

With an emphasis on workplace accommodation, you'll look at how the ADA Amendments Act broadened the definition of disability, when someone with a psychiatric disability is qualified for a job, and when safety concerns trigger the direct threat analysis.

The session also covers discrimination, disparate treatment and disparate impact, leave and attendance, medication and substance abuse, permissible inquiries and medical exams, co-worker concerns and case examples.

• Explain how the ADA, ADAAA and related laws define and address psychiatric disabilities
• Describe the extent and limits of the duty to accommodate employees with psychiatric issues
• Identify practices that can lead to discrimination claims under federal law
• Determine when undue hardship or direct threat is a valid defense
• Balance accommodation duties with a safe workplace for co-workers, customers and the public

• Mental illness in the workplace: trends and statistics
• Applicable laws: the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, executive orders and others
• Potential legal issues: discrimination, disparate treatment and disparate impact
• The ADA: definition of disability, reasonable accommodation, undue hardship and direct threat
• Workplace safety and violence issues
• Leave and attendance issues
• Medication
• Substance abuse
• Permissible inquiries and medical exams
• Co-worker questions and issues

Employers must accommodate qualified employees with mental impairments unless it causes undue hardship or the employee poses a direct threat. Knowing which concerns are valid, and how far your duties go, helps you avoid legal trouble while keeping the workplace safe and productive.

It suits HR directors, managers, hiring managers, executives, business owners, safety officers and compliance officers in any industry.

• HR Directors
• Managers
• VP’s, Hiring Managers
• CEO’s
• COO’s Business Owners
• Senior Management
• Safety Officers
• Compliance Officers.
• Any industry or business with employees.

Janette Levey Frisch, has over 20 years of legal experience, more than 10 of which she has spent in Employment Law. It was during her tenure as sole in-house counsel for a mid-size staffing company headquartered in Central New Jersey, with operations all over the continental US, that she truly developed her passion for Employment Law. Janette operates under this core belief: It is possible, and it is in an employer’s best interest, to proactively solve workforce challenges before they become problems, before they result in lawsuits or steep fines caused by government audits. Janette works with employers on most employment law issues, acting as the Employer’s Legal Wellness Professional — to ensure that employers are in the best position possible to avoid litigation, audits, employee relations problems, and the attendant, often exorbitant costs. Janette authors the firm’s weekly blog, where you can read each week, in plain English (not legalese) about issues impacting employers today. Janette has written articles on many different employment law issues for many publications, including EEO Insight, Staffing Industry Review, @Law, and Chief Legal Officer. Janette has spoken and trained on topics, such as Criminal Background Checks in the Hiring Process, Joint Employment, Severance Arrangements, Pre-Employment Screening among many, many others. Janette serve on the Workplace Violence Prevention Institute, a multi-disciplinary task force, dedicated to providing, holistic, proactive and cutting-edge solutions and resources for employers committed to ensuring a safe workplace.