Changing the Culture for #GCMentalHealth

1. Changing the Culture for #GCMentalHealth Presentation to the Union of National Defense Employees Sapna Mahajan & Denis St-Jean Co-Chairs Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace May 2nd 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario

2. Agenda Our Journey Our Centre Our Focus Culture Change Questions 1 2 3 4 5

3. Psychological H&S in the workplace January 2011 - The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) and CSA Standards initiated a project to establish a Technical Committee on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Standard was released January 16, 2013

4. Creating and Sustaining a Psychologically Safe Workplace = Goal #1 of the Standard • A psychologically safe workplace is: • One that allows no significant harm or injury • to employee mental health in negligent, reckless • or intentional ways • One in which every reasonable effort is made • to protect the mental health of employees [due diligence]

5. Psychologically Safe Workplaces and Psychologically Healthy Workplaces ……putting the horse before the cart…… • A “psychologically safe” workplace is one where • every reasonable effort is made to protectthe mental health of workers. • A “psychologically healthy” workplace is one where • every reasonable effort is made to promote the mental health of workers. • [= goal #2 of the Standard] • Safety first!

6. Psychosocial factors in the standard 2. Organizational culture 3. Clear leadership & expectations 4. Civility & respect 1. Psychological support 5. Psychological competencies and requirements 6. Growth & development 8. Involvement and influence 7. Recognition and reward 10. Engagement 11. Balance 9. Workload management 13. Protection of physical safety 12. Psychological protection 14. Chronic stressors identified by workers

7. Our Journey The Government of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada established a Joint Task Force The Clerk of the Privy Council placed mental health at the top of the management agenda, and convened an advisory group the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy was released The Joint Task Force on Mental Health released three reports September 2015 / April 2016 / January 2018 … to build a healthy, respectful, and supportive work environment that strengthens the public service

8. #GCMentalHealth A Collaborative Universe for Culture Change.

9. Centre of Expertise Taking Shape 3 pillars of the Mental Health Strategy: Building Capacity Measuring, Reporting, & Continuous Improvement Changing Our Culture • To align, support and integrate with the broader work in the area of diversity, inclusion and wellness. We connect, convene and engage employees, communities, networks and organizations by providing resources, facilitating information exchange and sharing best practices. We raise awareness and help reduce stigma through mental health promotion campaigns, outreach activities and speaking engagements. We inform, influence and impact accountability, performance and policy tools to identify and address psychosocial hazards in federal workplaces.

10. Roles & Responsibilities for Centre of Expertise Influence and connect other mental health related activities enterprise wide Engage and educate via Federal Speakers’ Bureau Offer a best practice repository Provide roadmap for alignment with the National Standard Identify factors and gaps that may affect the psychological health and safety of the workforce Convene communities of practice and networks Provide expert advice, support and guidance Have regional and national presence

11. Our Reach in Numbers 100+Deputy Ministers Mental Health Pledge 70+ Mental Health and Wellness Champions More than 20,000 public servants reached through Federal Speakers Bureau Testimonials 128,155+ web page views 2,000+ GCconnex members “While Let’s Talk Day is over, the need for conversations on #MentalHealth in our workplaces doesn’t end. Keep the dialogue going with resources from @CEMHW_CESMMT #MentalHealthMatters #GetLoud” @_RonParker - President, Shared Services Canada 2,500+ Twitter followers

12. Impact across Government 48% 67% 56% of LDAs have performed a joint psychological hazard analysis informed by survey results of employee believe their organization does a good job of raising awareness of mental health in the workplace of employees believe their workplace is psychologically healthy 32% 34% 29% of employees feel a high level of stress related to pay or other compensation-related issues of employees feel a high level of stress related to not having enough employees to do the work of employees feel emotionally drained at the end of their day

13. Prioritizing Future Efforts

14. Culture Change Through Everyday Actions… …to create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Be engaged and participate on an ongoing basis Be aware of your own behaviours and their impacts Ask questions to know your workforce Suspend judgment Be open to suggestions Have an open dialogue with employees and colleagues … know that no one is immune to mental health issues, including some of your best performing employees

15. 8 Ways to Mobilize for #GCMentalHealth Join theConversation Join ourCommunity Raise Awareness,Reduce Stigma Offer EAS Training Host a Joint Learning Program Workshop Learn about The National Standard Add Being a Mindful Employee to Learning Plans Use On The Agenda forYour Team Action Plan * In Slide Show mode, click on icon for direct link to resource.

16. canada.ca/workplace-wellness • To align, support and integrate with the broader work in the area of diversity, inclusion and wellness.

17. Connect with us

18. MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE What should be happening concretely in my department?

19. Building Success – A Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Psychological Health and Safety Management System in the Federal Public Service How do we get started? (CHAPTER 1) Establish a Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health (JSCMH) Jointly identify 1 or more champions Jointly determine the project sponsor Jointly develop the JSCMH’s terms of reference Jointly develop an initial communication strategy

20. Building Success – A Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Psychological Health and Safety Management System in the Federal Public Service Start by knowing your workplace… (CHAPTER 2) + Evaluate the workplace Assess data Jointly conduct an evaluation of the organization’s workplace psychological hazards Jointly assess data to identify problem areas, and develop recommendations for the next steps Train staff Evaluate supports Train staff to undertake the psychological workplace hazard analysis Jointly identify and evaluate programs, policies and workplace practices that may affect psychological health and safety

21. Building Success – A Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Psychological Health and Safety Management System in the Federal Public Service …continue with an implementation strategy… (CHAPTER 3) Build an evaluation plan Create a training plan Develop a communication plan Develop work plans Build a change management plan Prepare for critical events Establish a resourcing plan

22. Building Success – A Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Psychological Health and Safety Management System in the Federal Public Service …and regularly assess progress… (CHAPTER 4) INVESTIGATE AND REPORT INCIDENTS • This chapter focuses on: • Lessons learned by early adopters of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace; and • Tips for successful implementation. MONITOR PERFORMANCE CONDUCT A JOINT MANAGEMENT REVIEW PRIORITIES INTEGRATION …to continually improve activities.

23. Questions? Comments? Send to mhstrategy@tbs-sct.gc.ca