Five Good ideas on creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace

Five Good Ideas Podcast

In this session, originally recorded on June 1, 2022, we asked Katharine Coons, National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association, to share her five good ideas on how create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.

Read the full transcript. Download the session handout.

Five Good Ideas

1. Reduce stigma

• Normalize the conversation
• Use appropriate language
• Hold space to check in

2. Prioritize flexibility

• Involve your employees in decision-making
• Remain agile and flexible
• Get comfortable with the accommodation process

3. Lean on the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

• Tools not rules
• Explore how it can work for your organization
• Bring in an expert

4. Review policies and procedures

• Psychological health and safety policy
• Periodically review
• Share, update, and reshare

5. Provide training, programs, and benefits

• Leadership training
• Evaluate EAP programs and benefits
• Consider additional programs (e.g., Not Myself Today)

Resources

• Reducing stigma and building empathy
• Flexibility and accommodation: Ontario Human Rights Commission policy and procedure
• National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
• Example of a psychical and psychological health, safety, and wellness policy statement by the mental health commission of Canada
• CMHA’s workplace mental health training and programs

About the presenter

Katharine Coons, M.Sc
National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association

Katharine is the National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association. She has over ten years experience working in mental health and holds a M.Sc. in Occupational Psychology focusing her thesis on Workplace Well-being. She has worked in a variety of industries across Canada and the U.K. and brings a diverse understanding of employee and organizational needs. Katharine is an expert columnist at Benefits Canada, has written for The Toronto Star and has been interviewed by the CBC, CPA Canada and Retail Insider. Katharine was also an expert judge of the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards. She currently serves as the in-house expert and trainer for Not Myself Today and the workplace mental health program at CMHA National.