EMA Connect Tauranga (October 2026): Navigating the grey areas of mental health and employment relations

Mental health conversations are becoming a common and complex part of workplace management. Whether you're navigating performance concerns, requests for accommodation, prolonged attendance issues, or organisational change, employers are asked to balance empathy, legal obligations and business needs.

But where do your responsibilities begin and end? What information can you request? And how do you manage these situations confidently, while ensuring fair process and minimising risk?

Bay of Plenty HR and business leaders, we invite you to join us for the next EMA Connect breakfast workshop, led by EMA Consultant, Chris Longman.

This collaborative, hands-on session will explore real-world scenarios and practical approaches to exploring where mental health challenges intersect with employment processes, including:

• What support should you provide to an employee reporting mental health issues, and what steps can you reasonably expect them to take?
• How do you balance operational requirements and performance expectations when facing frequent absence due to mental health concerns?
• What health information are employers entitled to request, and when is it reasonable to seek further evidence?
• If mental health concerns arise during a restructuring process, how should this influence your approach and decision-making?
• How do you have difficult conversations without avoiding the issue altogether?

Designed for HR professionals, people leaders and small business owners, this workshop combines expert guidance with peer-to-peer discussion, providing an opportunity to compare approaches and share experiences. You'll leave with practical insights you can apply that same day within your organisation.

Chris Longman brings extensive experience supporting New Zealand businesses through complex employment relations matters and understands the challenges employers face when managing mental health issues in the workplace. Chris brings 20+ years of experience in partnering with businesses for HR and employment relations support and will be no stranger to EMA Members in the Bay of Plenty.

These workshops regularly hit capacity, so register now - and bring your stories.

EMA Members say:

"I always get a perspective that I wasn't aware of. I enjoy hearing the challenges or insights across industries the challenges or insights or experiences they have, so I'm not operating in a vacuum." - Julienne Cowan, HR Business Partner, Allevia Radiology

"Every time I attend a breakfast, training or talk with EMA I have nothing but good things to say. The speaker at this particualar event was excellent, personable, and answered questions honestly and thoroughly. Would always recommend." - Ben Simpson, People and Culture Lead, Tautoko Mai

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