do not have explicit legislation dealing with psychological health in
the workplace, the general duty clause would apply.
What employers can do to support
mental health
Just as every workplace is different – from the size, to the peo-ple
doing the work, to the work itself, to the leaders running the
organization – there is no one “right way” to create a mental-ly
healthy workplace. However, to effectively incorporate mental
health at your workplace, commitment must start at the top with
the involvement of all levels of leadership including the board
of directors, management and finance and human resources
departments.
One way to achieve a psychologically safe workplace is to imple-ment
a comprehensive workplace health and safety program. The
program consists of a series of strategies and related activities, ini-tiatives
and policies developed by the employer, with input from
employees, to continually improve or maintain the quality of work-ing
life, health and the well-being of the workforce.
The importance of a health and safety program
• Assess psychological safety in your workplace
and develop a plan to address it
• Develop a policy statement reflecting your organization’s
commitment to making workplace mental health a priority
• Specifically include mental health and psychological safety in
your occupational health and safety committee mandate
FEATURE
VIACHESLAV NIKOLAENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
40 Think BIG | Quarter 2 2016 | saskheavy.ca
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