By Karen Ayres, CHRP

Healthy workplace essentials begin with aligning and implementing a long-term strategic focus specifically on mental health and creating a psychologically healthy workplace.  This would be in addition to any strategic initiative that is already in place providing healthy practices and support available to all staff.

It is about continuous improvement and creating awareness and education on what it takes to create and maintain a psychologically healthy workplace for the long term.  It is all about being proactive and mitigating risk for the organization.

Policies and practices are widely understood at all levels of the organization.  Training and support is provided to anyone required to manage, supervise and or lead others in a team in regards to mental health contributing factors, loss of productivity, bullying and/or harassment, acceptance of individual needs in balance with business needs.  Being fair to all parties will win the day.

What is the benefit for organizations?   When including and establishing baseline measures and goals regarding mental health and creating a psychologically healthy workplace.  Organization’s can begin to measure the Return on Investment (ROI) regarding turnover, lost work time (due to injury/stress), productivity levels, morale, employee engagement, and other drivers for the business, departments and teams.

Risk for litigation is on the rise as employees become more aware and savvy regarding Bill 14.  The organizations that establish themselves as proactive in creating a psychologically healthy workplace, taking annual steps within their strategic plan will be the one’s less likely to find themselves in lawsuits down the road.   Employee’s that fall victim to poor management practices may not at the outset identify that they have been wronged under Bill 14 and/or Human Rights Bills, or Work Safe BC or collective agreements, etc.  Over time though, as employees become more aware, employers may find themselves in class action suits for breach of contract.  This applies to management and front-line employees in all types of organizations; not-for-profit, unionized and private practice.

There is a strong belief that law suits will increase in the foreseeable future until organizations see creating a strategic initiative that takes care of the “whole person” not just their physical well-being.

Which category does your organization fall into?

Do you consider your organization to be pro-active or passive?   How is “Healthy Workplace” essentials rolled into your Strategic Plan?  Is your “Healthy Workplace Strategy” part of your governance mandate and risk mitigation?

References:
www.mentalhealthcommission.ca
www.worksafebc.com
www.excellence.ca