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Psychologically Safe Workplace Awards provides employers tools, data on mental health

Talent Canada, a national media brand focused on driving business through investment in people, is thrilled to announce the launch of the Psychologically Safe Workplace Awards in partnership with Howatt HR Consulting.

Mental health is one of the most important, and difficult, issues facing employers across Canada. There is a tremendous appetite among business leaders to address it in a real, meaningful way — something this new program is designed exactly to do, according to Todd Humber, group publisher at Annex Business Media.

“It is so much more than an awards competition.”

“It’s an opportunity to engage your employees and get real, actionable, evidence-based data to spot problem areas and help focus resources,” said Humber, the publisher of Talent Canada.

Dr. Bill Howatt, founder of Howatt HR Consulting and one of the leading experts on workplace mental health, said the evidence-based aspect of the program gives it tremendous credibility and value.

“It can help employers understand what they can do to help employees reduce their risks for mental harm and promote mental health,” he said. “While at the same time it promotes a two-way accountability model where employees are provided their results in real time so they can make better micro decisions that can improve their mental fitness.”

How it works

This video provides on overview of the program:

Engage your employees

The program, which is also being supported by OHS Canada, a sister media brand to Talent Canada, goes far beyond superficial vanity awards and gives employers the chance to engage and measure their workforce using Howatt HR’s Mental Fitness Index (MFI).

“Not only does the employer get a meaningful dashboard of data, but individual employees get personalized detailed reports on their own mental health — including advice and tips on what they can do to help themselves,” said Humber. “It’s a very powerful program.”

It is also an opportunity for employers to show they care about their teams and to benchmark their organization’s performance.

And it promotes a joint responsibility model where employers and employees are equally accountable for creating a psychologically healthy and safe work environment.

The awards program

This is not a top 50 or top 100 list of employers — that’s just not how mental health works, said Humber.

Instead, organizations who score above the minimum cut off will qualify for the annual award. There are Gold, Silver and Bronze levels available depending on the results of the MFI.

“We know that employees now expect their companies, and leaders, to take mental health seriously. As the stigma fades, that expectation is only going to increase,” said Humber.

“Being named to this list will be a beacon to attracting and retaining top talent.”

Winning organizations will have the option to use the official seal — a sign of their commitment to mental health that can be displayed on the office wall, company vehicles and in recruitment campaigns among other uses.

For more information visit https://www.psychologicallysafeworkplace.com. The application period opens on May 3, 2021. The deadline to complete the process for the 2022 awards period is Sept. 30, 2021.

Winners will be announced at a special event and conference on Oct. 28, 2021.

A special thanks goes out to our sponsors — including AbilitiCBT by Morneau Shepell and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). For more information about sponsorship, contact Talent Canada’s Wendy Serrao at wserrao@annexbusinessmedia.com.