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 – Ottawa, Ontario

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

3. Psychological H&S in the workplace
January 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] 4

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

7. Our Journey … to build a healthy, respectful, and supportive
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. Measuring, Reporting, & Continuous Improvement
Centre of Expertise Taking Shape
3 pillars of the Mental Health Strategy:
Building
Capacity
Changing
Our Culture
Measuring, Reporting, & Continuous Improvement
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.
WHO WE ARE – A joint collaboration between Treasury Board Secretariat and Bargaining Agents, we are a government-wide policy centre enabling federal organizations to create psychologically healthier and safer workplaces for improved employee well-being.
WHAT WE DO – Support federal organizations in implementing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and in supporting their employees through the provision of expert advice, resources and tools.
WHO WE SERVE – Employees, People Managers, Organizations and Networks in Canada’s Federal Public Service.

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

11. 100+ Deputy Ministers Mental Health Pledge 2,500+ 70+
Our Reach in Numbers
100+ Deputy Ministers Mental Health Pledge
2,500+
Twitter followers
70+
Mental Health and Wellness Champions
2,000+
GCconnex
members
More than 20,000
public servants reached through Federal Speakers Bureau Testimonials
128,155+
web page
views
Canada.ca: Total Page Views: 103,039
Intranet: Total Page Views: 25,116
=128,155
Attracted 128,155 page views to the CoE’s web presence on Canada.ca/Gcintranet. Page views of the resources, tools, services and supports available.
GC vs Public access to site: 69% of visits to the site came from GC network computers
93% of federal organizations reported having a champion for mental health and/or wellness, thus providing the leadership called for in the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy;
96% of federal organizations report offering awareness sessions that have reached employees and managers alike;
85% of federal organizations had offered mental health in the workplace training, with managers and supervisors being the most likely recipients of training;
Supported the Federal Speakers’ Bureau in delivering over 400 lived experience testimonials across 60+ federal organizations, directly reaching an estimated 20,000 public servants. The most visited page in the section is Federal Speakers’ Bureau: Speakers’ profile which got 22% of all the page views in the section.
“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 #MentalHealthMatters #GetLoud”
@_RonParker - President, Shared Services Canada

12. 56% 48% 67% 32% 29% 34% Impact across Government
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%
29%
34%
Results taken from the 2017 PSES and the cycle of the MAF
of employees feel a high level of stress related to pay or other compensation-related issues
of employees feel emotionally drained at the end of their day
of employees feel a high level of stress related to not having enough employees to do the work

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 our Community
Join the Conversation
Raise Awareness, Reduce Stigma
Offer EAS Training
Host a Joint Learning Program Workshop
Learn about The National Standard
Use On The Agenda for Your Team Action Plan
Add Being a Mindful Employee to Learning Plans
* 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. Questions or comments to mhstrategy@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Connect with us
Visit Canada.ca/workplace-wellness to find resources, tools and services for organizations, managers and employees on any device.
Visit GCintranet Mental Health in the Workplace for additional resources, tools and services, only available to public servants.
Join the CoE Mental Health on GCconnex to participate in discussions, share information, and leverage the power of networking.
Visit the GCpedia page to find multimedia tools and resources that can be tailored to your own organization’s realities, challenges and environment.
@CEMHW_CESMMT
Follow for the latest news, events, developments, and activities relating to mental health and psychological health and safety in the workplace.
Questions or comments to

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 supports
Jointly identify and evaluate programs, policies and workplace practices that may affect psychological health and safety +
Train staff
Train staff to undertake the psychological workplace hazard analysis
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

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 a change management plan
Establish a resourcing plan
Create a training plan
Build an evaluation plan
Develop a communication plan
Prepare for critical events
Develop work plans

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