| Who are ASENZ? |
The Association of Supported
Employment in New Zealand (ASENZ) was formed in
1994. It is
a not for profit organization committed to promoting
and implementing the ideas and practices represented
by the principles of supported employment. Membership
includes service users, employers, supported employment
providers, vocational service providers, and professionals
both organisational and individual. ASENZ holds
regional meetings and training forums at regular
intervals
in addition to National Conferences.
Watch the "Upcoming
Events" page to be aware of the next event
in your
area.
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| What is Supported Employment? |
The concept of "Supported
Employment" is one strategy to connect employers
with under utilized employees in ways in which each
party benefits. Supported Employment refers to a
process in which people traditionally denied career
opportunities due to the severity of their disability
are hired in jobs and provided long term, ongoing
support for as long is needed. It involves individual
career planning, employer labour job analyses and
the creative matching of a person to a work setting,
culture and task. This approach assumes that each
person, no matter what disability that he or she
has, is employable that each person can bring a return
on an investment to an employer when given the proper
support for as long as is necessary. (Dileo and Langton
1993:3)
Refer to the "Principles of Supported
Employment" in the "About
ASENZ" section. |
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| What does ASENZ do? |
ASENZ mission statement is "To
provide a high profile forum for the promotion, establishment
and development of Supported Employment Services
for people with disabilities in New Zealand, through
information, networking research and policy advocacy.
ASENZ
has been actively involved in developing working
relationships and partnerships with the Minister
of Social Development, senior staff at the Ministry
of Social
Development (the department formerly known as WINZ!), as well as links through
Board members to organisations such as Platform, Assembly for Disabled Persons,
Special Education Service, Mental Health Advocacy Coalition & the Mental
Health Commission. These links have provided a rich resource supporting ASENZ
in achieving its goals. |
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| How do I contact ASENZ? |
| Phone, email and postal addresses
are available on the contact uspage. |
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| What are the benefits of joining
ASENZ? |
» become a part of a vital
network of people involved in supported emplloyment
development and innovations
» access the very
latest information, publications and material on
Supported employmentfrom around New Zealand and
internationally
» access to support advice and assistance with the development of supported
employment services
» receive a regular newsletter |
| |
| How do I find out about other
supported employment services in my local area /
other ASENZ members / network meetings? |
| Several ways. You can ring the
main office. Ring the board member closes to your
area for details or look at the website section "Supported
Employment Providers" for the list of other
supported employment providers in New Zealand. |
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Is there anything I can study to do with Supported Employment? |
| There is also a diploma in Supported
Employment that ASENZ developed which is run through
UCOL and delivered by Tautoko Services via distance
learning. For more information contact John Taylor
of Tautoko Services on (06) 368-2611. |
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| How I might recognise signs of
mental illness in the workplace? |
While some symptoms may be
clearly discernable, in reality this is not always
the case.
Employers and supervisors may be able to notice
significant changes in their employees' work habits,
behaviours,
performance, and attendance, such as:
» consistent
late arrivals or frequent absences
» low morale
» lack of cooperation or a general inability to work with colleagues
» decreased productivity
» increased accidents or safety problems
» frequent complaints of fatigue or unexplained pains
» problems concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
» making excuses for missed deadlines or poor work
» decreased interest or involvement in one's work.
People who experience
problems such as those listed above may simply be having a bad day or week,
or may be working through a difficult time in their
lives.
A pattern that continues for a long period may, however, indicate an underlying
mental health problem. Where you are concerned about behaviours, talk with
your employee (privately) about how the job is working out, raise the concerns
you
have. Do not judge (ie. You're slacking offyou've been late 3 time this
week; next time..) instead " check things out" (ie. I get a sense that
over the last couple of weeks the job isn't going as well as it has been;
is there
anything going on for you at the moment?) Be honest, sensitive if necessary
but always open and respectful. |
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| Challenges that May Arise in the
Workplace Due to Mental Illness |
| The following are some of the
activities that person who experiences a mental illness
may have trouble with (again remember that there
a lot of different types of mental illnesses, that
this is not a complete list, nor do these limitations
apply to everyone who has a mental illness): |
* Screening out environmental
stimuli - an inability to block out sounds, sights,
or odors which interfere with focusing on tasks
Ex. An employee may not be able to work next to a noisy printer or in a high
traffic area.
Possible solutions: Move printer away from work area, allow employee to wear
headphones playing soft music, install high partitions around desk. |
* Sustaining concentration - restlessness,
shortened attention span, easily distracted, trouble
remembering verbal directions
Ex. An employee may have trouble focusing on one task for extended periods.
Possible solutions: Break large projects into smaller tasks, allow brief but
more frequent breaks to stretch, walk around, get fresh air, assign tasks one
at a time. |
* Maintaining stamina - having
energy to work a full day, combating drowsiness due
to medications
Ex. An employee may not be able to work a full 8 hour day.
Possible solutions: Part time hours, rest breaks in middle of day, job sharing. |
* Handling time pressures and
multiple tasks - managing assignments & meeting
deadlines, prioritising tasks
Ex. An employee may not know how to decide which tasks should be done first,
or be able to complete tasks by the due date.
Possible solutions: Break larger projects down into manageable tasks, meet regularly
to help the employee to prioritize tasks or to estimate time to complete project. |
* Interacting with others - getting
along, fitting in, talking with coworkers, reading
social cues
Ex. An employee may not talk with coworkers at breaks, or may have trouble knowing " how
things go around here".
Possible solutions: Establish a mentor or coworker buddy relationship to introduce
the employee to others or to show the employee " ropes". |
* Responding to negative feedback
- understanding and interpreting criticism, knowing
what to do to improve, initiating changes because
of low self esteem
Ex. An employee may not seem to understand the feedback given, or becomes upset
when criticism is delivered.
Possible solutions: Arrange a meeting with the job coach and employee to facilitate
feedback, use a feedback loop (ask employee's perspective of performance, describe
both strengths and weaknesses, suggest specific ways to improve), give employee
the chance to read written feedback privately, and then discuss. |
* Responding to change - coping
with unexpected changes in work, such as changes
in the rules, job duties, supervisors or coworkers.
Ex. An employee may take longer to learn new routines, or feel stressed when
new supervisors or coworkers start work.
Possible solutions: Prepare employee for changes that will be happening, explain
new rules or duties, make a special effort to introduce new staff to employee
and orient new supervisors to employee's needs. |
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| How do I know if someone really
has a mental illness? |
Because there is still a lot of
stigma associated with mental illness, many people
would not choose to acknowledge a mental illness
unless they really need to do so. This type of documentation
can be provided by a medical doctor, clinical psychologist,
or other licensed professional such as a licensed
social worker, licensed mental health counselor or
certified rehabilitation counselor.
You are not allowed
to ask for records, history of the illness, treatment
or other types of personal information that are
not relevant to the work situation.
Once an employee discloses a mental illness,
what kind of information do I need and how can
I get it?
In general, you need to know what the
effect of the illness may have on the employee's
functioning in the job.
Specifics regarding psychiatric
history, diagnosis and medications are not as
relevant as the specific
challenges that they might present in the workplace.
First and foremost it is important to appreciate that each each person
will experience
symptoms differently; how a mental illness "shows itself" is
shaped by the personality of the person who experiences it.
Most employers
want to know such practical information such as:
What kinds of accommodations work for someone who experiences a mental
illness?
Various types of mental illness may affect the
ways that someone thinks, communicates, sleeps
or feels, among other activities.
The types of accommodations
that work tend to be those that address these
social, emotional and cognitive types of activities,
such
as
changes
in interpersonal communication, supervision and support, flexibility
in schedules,
and adjustments
in how directions are given, tasks are organised, or time is managed. |
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| What do I say to coworkers who
want to know why an employee is getting special treatment? |
It is illegal to share confidential
information about an employee's disability, medical
condition or accommodation (indicating a disability)
without the permission of the employee, with the
exception of those who need to know on a business
necessity basis.
This means that only the person providing
or approving the accommodations, those in charge
of safety and risk procedures, or those responsible
for Equal Opportunity
or Affirmative Action need to know. All information about disability and
accommodations must be kept separate from personnel
files. Your Employment Consultant be able
to advise you on such issues. |
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| Can I fire an employee with a
disability who is not doing the job? |
While employers are encouraged
to provide reasonable accommodations to employees
who expereince a disability, employers are not expected
to change the standards of performance, or the essential
functions of the job itself, with the exception of
modifying or eliminating marginal, or nonessential
functions of the job.
Procedures for taking disciplinary
actions with employees who are not performing
the essential functions of the job should be guided
by
the Employment Relations
Act. Your Employment Consultant may also be able to assist you in dealing
with sub-standard performance.
The above has been
adapted from the Boston University, Centre for
Psychiatric Rehabilitation website: www.bu.edu/cpr/.
Any
further questions, please contact us. |
