Not even surgery can hold Allen back from doing meaningful work
Bird flu was headline news in 2009. That year tested Paula Allen’s resolve in a way that would shape her approach to workplace mental health and disability management.
Allen’s employer, Morneau Shepell, had researched the virus—an infectious disease that affects mainly birds but can migrate to humans and may be fatal—three years before, so it wasn’t caught off guard by the outbreak threat, says Allen. But the firm had to provide its clients with a thorough, tailor-made plan to address some of the risks the pandemic posed. Allen’s portfolio included disability management as well as the design and deployment of workplace solutions, so she was appointed to lead the charge.
Allen worked with pharmaceutical companies and public health departments to determine best practices for disaster planning, support and communications. With the help of a colleague, she recruited nurses, communicated with medical associations and developed comprehensive response protocols. “Our responsibility as an organization was to help [organizations] by providing solutions,” says Allen, currently vice-president of research and integrated solutions with Morneau Shepell. “It was somewhat uncharted territory.”
Between February and April of that year, under Allen’s leadership, Morneau Shepell supplied employers with information, consultation, antiviral support and response planning. It was critical not only to ensure that employers understood the situation clearly but also to reduce anxiety, Allen explains.
By June 2009, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases of bird flu had been reported in 74 countries. As public stress mounted, Allen’s team had to be equipped to field questions (e.g., Can you purchase antivirals? Will the virus mutate?). “We needed to help [organizations] understand the pandemic—help them understand what they could do and how to manage what was outside of their control,” says Allen. And her team had to maintain “a fair bit of calm” to deliver the service. “If anyone was anxious, it was our responsibility to absorb that negativity and redirect the energy with facts and actionable plans.”
As if her work responsibilities weren’t enough, on June 11—the day the World Health Organization raised the influenza pandemic alert to Phase 6, the most dangerous phase—Allen found out that she needed surgery to remove a tumour from her ovary. “It was just bad timing,” she recalls.
Compelled to schedule her surgery on the first available Friday, Allen spent a weekend recovering. Despite the pain, she was working from home the following Monday.
“Given the right mitigating factors, people can manage significant personal and situational challenges and come out the better for it,” says Allen, crediting meaningful work, a supportive company culture and a collaborative team for her ability to cope with a traumatic event and return to a demanding work schedule.
“Many people would think it’s difficult and damaging to be overworked—and it can be,” she adds. “But if you have the right environment, the right tools and the right work structure, you can offset that.”
While Allen’s pandemic planning period was exceptionally stressful, it encouraged her to push her boundaries in a way she likely wouldn’t have if 2009 had been a calmer year. She believes the workplace can either help or hinder people’s performance, mental health and resilience. “What I experienced was the best of how it can help.”
Rehana Begg is a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto. rehanabegg@rogers.com
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