For much of his life, Dick Averns has known there was something different about him - he just didn't know what.

"I can remember from my earliest days having what I would call spasms and my brother would make fun of me," the 44-year old Calgarian says. "I just lived with it and was able to contain a lot of it when I wasn't in public situations."

It wasn't until three years ago that Averns, an artist and instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design, was finally diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome.

A neurological disorder, Tourette's is characterized - and often stereotyped - by motor tics and verbal utterances.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
Instructor Dick Averns, left, with project participants Alex Link, Elizabeth Singer and Randi-Lee Ryder.

"A lot of the time Tourette's is not what you think it is - it's not people walking down the street and jerking their head and shouting obscenities," Averns explains. "That's quite rare and the big picture is lots of people have this."

In fact, it's estimated that one in every 100 people may have Tourette's, a figure that's similar to the statistics for autism and bipolar disorder. The number of people suffering from these and other mental and neurological illnesses prompted Averns to take action.

With funding from several Alberta colleges, Averns and a team of researchers looked at the workplace challenges facing people with mental illness.

"When you consider that one in five Canadians (according to figures from the Canadian Mental Health Association) will be affected by mental illness and that our workforce is suffering from a shortage of workers, now is certainly the time to be addressing how progressive employment strategies can heighten career success," Averns says.

The study, which used art and creative writing to help participants open up about their experiences, examined challenges such as alienation, conflict and career choice. It also shed light on the workplace stigma that often surrounds these conditions.

"In many cases when people disclosed their illness to their employer, they were adversely affected," Averns explains. "A lot of people found that they're not able to keep jobs for long."

It's something Winnipeg marketing specialist Jonathon Garwood knows all too well.

"Having bipolar has cost me numerous jobs and I can't count the number of people I know who were let go from jobs because of their illness when it came out," he says.

"It doesn't matter if you're a good employee - they can find 101 ways to let you go without it being about the mental illness."

Diagnosed in 1991 soon after entering the workforce, Garwood had a bright future ahead of him. He'd graduated at the top of his class with a commerce degree, but says the stigma of his disease was hard to overcome.

"The most painful thing about having a mental illness is not the mental illness but the stigma," says Garwood. "If we did this to people who had cancer or diabetes or MS there would be a public outcry and every politician in the country would be screaming for it to change."

Jumping from job to job, Garwood had a lot of negative employment experiences. But he also came across some forward-thinking bosses willing to give him a chance.

As a salesman at a Dufresne Furniture store in Winnipeg, Garwood was allowed to work a reduced shift when he found the standard 12-hour day too much of a struggle.

"It's just part of our culture to look after people, whatever problem or illness they may be dealing with," says Dan East, Dufresne's vice-president of new market development.

"I think it stems from the fact that we started as a mom-and-pop business in Kenora and, as we grew, we wanted to keep that environment of taking care of your people."

Now Canada's largest independent furniture retailer with stores from Alberta to Ontario, Dufresne has been named one of Canada's 50 best-managed companies for several years running. East says employee satisfaction has a lot to do with that success.

"What you put out is what you get in return. Treat people the way you want to be treated - it's not complicated, but I think a lot of businesses overcomplicate things and forget that."

One company that's on the leading edge of employee accommodation is Canada Safeway. The grocery giant has been hiring people with disabilities for more than 50 years and the retailer wouldn't have it any other way.

"A lot of companies say they want to hire people with disabilities, but we actually do it," says Safeway spokeswoman Betty Kellsey. "It's become part of the fabric of our company and it's not something we talk about as a strategy - it's something we do."

Recently nominated for the Mayor's Award in Edmonton for hiring people with disabilities, Safeway is part of a national campaign to get more employers to consider tapping into this so far under-utilized workforce in an effort to help solve the skills shortage.

"We've found people with disabilities of all kinds - whether it's physical, mental or mental illness - are very hardworking and very dedicated to their jobs," Kellsey says. "It's been a very positive experience and they bring a lot of valuable skills to the table."

Perhaps the biggest reward for employers - in an ever-tightening labour market - is loyalty.

While it can take more time to train, integrate and accommodate employees with mental or physical conditions, they're much more likely to stay in a positive work environment once they find it.

"People with disabilities who are trained well and integrated, not just in their job but also in the community network of the store, are very loyal and tend to stay longer, so, from a business perspective, it just makes sense."

Averns' study on optimizing workplace achievement came to the same conclusion. It also found small accommodations - like letting people with Tourette's have a quiet space to work - made a big difference.

"I know for myself I work better in the morning so I've changed my routine to do my writing when I'm fresh," Averns says. "The biggest thing employers can do is give people the flexibility and accommodation they need to get the job done."

Garwood couldn't agree more.

"If someone was blind, you'd get Braille," he points out. "If they were deaf, you'd supply the TTY phone (a phone enabled to send text over phone lines) - you wouldn't scream at them: 'Why can't you hear the phone?' I deal with life in different ways than the average person and all I need is a boss who is understanding."

It's something Safeway has taken to heart - partnering with organizations that represent the disabled and mentally ill to make sure local stores have the right resources on hand. And once new hires start, it's important the entire team embrace them.

"If an employee - any employee - comes in and doesn't feel welcome they'll leave and that's the main fact of the labour shortage we're in," Kellsey says.

For his part, Averns is expanding his research project. He's now looking for a large employer, like an oil company, that has workers in lots of different environments both indoors and out, who would be willing to have a more comprehensive study conducted in their environment.

"Many people are afraid to disclose their condition, but the more we know the more we can do to help," Averns explains.

"The most important thing is to be open to other people's idiosyncrasies - we all have them."

(Tess van Straaten can be reached at tess@businessedge.ca)