Better Workplace Conference 2022

Strong mental health is key for employee engagement, wellbeing, and productivity. Organizations, and the programs they provide, play a pivotal role in supporting employees’ wellness.

This session will highlight preliminary findings from a recent Conference Board of Canada study with companies across Canada to identify key areas of where mental health programming can yield the greatest returns and most benefit to employees into the future.

Change is almost always met with resistance, fear, and the attempt to avoid the unknown. Change in a workplace starts from the top down. With a lack of leadership buy-in, communication, and modelling, many change programs are destined for disaster. As a senior leader or middle management, how do you effectively lead through change and uncertainty?

Dr. Lisa Bélanger shares key techniques leaders can use to inspire and facilitate corporate change and provides case studies on how leaders who model behaviours at work (virtual, hybrid, or in person) have a direct, positive impact on an organization’s bottom line.

Beyond personal influence, this talk explores how to set up a physical and social environment and culture to support the desired change. Lisa will lead you through what questions to ask, how to develop a clear strategy, and how to understand your role in implementing sustainable, meaningful change for teams and organizations.

Dr. Lisa Bélanger

Behavioural Change Expert, Researcher

B1: Effective Mental Wellbeing Strategies: Examples From the Field

Session description coming soon

Panelists

Carrie Bjola

Executive Director, Saskatchewan Public Service Commission, Government of Saskatchewan

Jenny Winter

Vice President, Global HR Center of Expertise, Talent, Culture, and Learning, CGI 

Janet Young

Director, People & Culture, Well-being & Health Services, TELUS

B3: Enhancing Accommodation Policies to Facilitate a Better Workplace

Cultural safety is a person’s sense that they are free to express their authentic cultural self, and it’s an important part of psychological safety. Creating organizational cultures that promote cultural safety goes beyond implementing diversity and inclusion policies, though this is an important start. Trust is paramount. Creating climates of trust and fostering spaces that embrace cultural safety will ultimately result in better workplaces for all.

The effects of COVID-19 have left many people feeling lonely and isolated. Burnout rates have reached an all-time high. People are overwhelmed. Now more than ever, we need to talk about mental health. In this interactive and upbeat presentation, Anthony offers effective self-care strategies, practical coping skills for stress, and proven resources to avoid burnout. Above all, Anthony reminds us that mental health is a journey we take as a community. When we support each other, we break the stigma around mental health and empower those who need it the most. Learning outcomes:

• Understand the difference between everyday ups and downs, temporary mental health problems, and mental illnesses
• Learn healthy coping skills to deal with stress and anxiety
• See the role exercise, sleep, hydration, and nutrition play in mental health
• Empowers participants to reach out for help when they need it

Anthony McLean

Leadership, Mental Health, Inclusivity

Session description coming soon.

Tina Varughese

Cross-Cultural Communication and Diversity Expert