The Covid-19 Pandemic has caused a collective and individual level of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and has exacerbated many mental health conditions of employees in the workforce. With nearly two years of working from home, quarantines, Covid-19 scares and a polarized society, many employees are seeking mental health-based leave, sick leave, and changes and accommodations from their employers. How do the federal, state, and city employment laws protect employees with mental health conditions? Are the current laws alleviating employees’ plights, or making them worse? Equally important for business owners: what is your role, your legal and ethical obligation, in accommodating mental illness among your workforce? Can compliance with the law help employers to regain a healthy and productive group of employees? Tune in on Tuesday, February 1st from 5pm to 6pm (EST), for this special episode of Employment Law Today, and tune in for PART 2 on Frank Harrison’s show, “Frank About Health”, on February 3rd at 5pm (EST).
About Frank Harrison:
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By Segment
SEGMENT 1
2:57-15:21: Tonight, Eric is joined by Frank Harrison, who also has a show here at TalkRadio, Frank About Health! Frank is also the founder of Health-E-Media that helps everyone towards a better quality of life including those without access to affordable healthcare. This episode is part 1 about the pandemic and how it has affected our mental health and the workplace. Frank speaks about how he went to college for a business degree, eventually got a job in a bank, and even was a DJ on the side. He always found himself looking into psychology and helping people in some shape or form. Monitoring his health as someone who has epilepsy, was none of his reasons for starting his podcast show. He also has family members who have gone through health issues such as not being able to afford healthcare. Because of this, he also became an advocate for healthcare.
SEGMENT 2
17:38-30:57: Eric and Frank talk about the pandemic and mental health. Frank says that Covid-19 was something that no one really knew what to do about. We all had to relearn how to go about our life and what it means to be true to ourselves and learn individually on how to live with this change. Frank says that in order for everyone to be aware of what has changed , we first have to be aware of ourselves and emphasize self awareness. He goes into detail about the increase in mental illness in people and how treatment and care has affected this and how this all has been affected by the pandemic. Because of this, the way we have handled such changes have all been different. We have had to be isolated in our own “cocoons”. Frank talks about how the virus has redefined human beings and everything changes even more constantly than before. So when there is some sort of normal, it’s not that easy to go about “normal” anymore.
SEGMENT 3
33:03-47:39: On this segment, Frank and Eric continue their discussion on the lack of connection many people have had throughout these challenging times. Eric talks about how this has affected what disability leaves means for employees and employment. Frank talks about the great resignation happening with the working class like in restaurants, hotels, essential workers or even those working in large companies. Many employees, Eric says, find that their employers aren’t meeting with them with their needs. Frank mentions that he sees that many workers from lawyers to teachers are preferring to work from home because they got used to this method. But also, many employees may not feel valued by their employers and may even feel burnt out, something that Frank said is some reasons why there is a great resignation. There are also different feelings and emotional benefits that come with working from home like a different feeling of accomplishment or not having to wear a mask. But this experience is different for everyone. There are also people working from home who have difficulty being at home working and taking care of their children. Frank says that employers have to try adjusting accordingly to the needs of employees which is a challenging process. This is where self awareness comes into play, as employers need to be aware of what their own needs are as business won’t just be normal as it once was.
SEGMENT 4
49:36-59:22: Coming back from the final break, Frank talks about his goals of Frank About Health and being a health advocate. Frank had a show here on Talk Radio to talk about epilepsy, but he decided to create Frank About Health to talk about Covid19 as well as other illnesses. His goals are also to help people become their own advocates to adapt with the changes and their own health. His approach is to help others to be transparent, self aware and self empowered. It’s also about working with doctors and family members to be healthy. Frank says that you shouldn’t just rely on others but to work with others to be able to help yourself and advocate for yourself and your well being. You can find Frank R. Harrison at frankabouthealth102@gmail.com, you can also visit frankrharrison.com as well as health-e-media.com. Part 2 of this insightful conversation about mental health and employment law post covid will continue on the next episode of Frank About Health, Thursday at 5pm Eastern right here and on Facebook.com/TalkRadioNyc!!
About Employment Law Today
Helping Business With Employment Law Issues.
For many business owners, it can be overwhelming to keep up and comply with the federal and state labor and employment laws that govern how they run their business. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are new laws and regulations regarding hiring, firing, and workplace practices and protocols — all of which can increase business owners’ anxieties about regaining traction or thriving again. On my weekly show, we will be discussing the most common employment law related questions and challenges that business owners have been facing in these uncertain times.
The show will have three main goals: (1) to inform businesses about employment law updates, (2) to inspire businesses by giving them the tools to move forward, and (3) to demonstrate how some business owners have overcome their employment law problems, walked through the challenges imposed by this pandemic, and have taken steps to regain traction during the reopening phases of this pandemic.
Our guests will include professionals who advise businesses from an H.R., legal, and financial perspective, along with thriving business owners who will share their experiences and insights into running a successful company while complying with labor and employment law mandates during COVID-19.