ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Journey
Where we are going: Workplace Mental Health Action Plan 2018–2021
Employees work in diverse and continually evolving environments, and to create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace requires ongoing attention. Over the next three years, we will focus on continuing to build healthy work environments that support employees' autonomy and allow them to connect with the meaningfulness of their work.
This starts with an important attitude shift, where we will always consider the psychological health and safety implications of our business processes and environments. Actions will be conducted on several fronts: at the individual, leadership and management, and organizational levels. We will conduct ongoing stakeholder consultations as we progress, listen to employees' input in the 2019 ESDC Workplace Mental Health Survey alongside other surveys, and keep sharing our story as the journey continues and evolves.
Want to know more about our current Action Plan?
Action Plan 2018-2021 - Long description
- Embedding Wellness Within the Workplace
- Action 1: Integrate workplace mental health (WMH) considerations into the way we work, to improve workplace practices that reduce job stress, and support work-life balance.
- Identify what things in the workplace could be changed to help lower job stress and manage workload.
- Ensure the department's policy instruments, practices and procedures are looked at through a workplace mental health lens.
- Identify the competencies managers need in order to create a work environment where employees feel safe, competent, connected and recognized.
- Identify and address workplace psychological hazards through the Hazard Prevention Program.
- Leveraging Knowledge and Best Practices
- Action 2: Leverage connections between the WMH Champions Network and other communities/networks to create a more integrated approach to WMH, and positive change throughout the department.
- Work with the WMH Champions Network to increase learning between branches and regions.
- Maintain diversity of perspectives by continuing to work with other Networks and communities.
- Action 3: Collaborate with other WMH experts for input and influence while implementing the Federal Mental Health Strategy, with leading edge practices that respond to departmental WMH needs.
- Align and update the ESDC Framework and Progress Evaluation Strategy to the 2018-21 Action Plan.
- Conduct Best Practices Review of Workplace-based interventions.
- Be a key partner in an interdepartmental pilot for the creation of a Canadian Innovation Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace.
- Communications and Employee Mobilization
- Action 4: Design accessible and meaningful opportunities for employees to be involved as co-creators of a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.
- Find innovative ways to keep all employees discussing the challenges of WMH issues and their potential solutions.
- Developing and Supporting Managers
- Action 5: Equip managers with the competencies required to be effective and confident in supporting a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.
- Continue the implementation of the Manager to Manager (M2M) Ambassador Program, where trained and experienced managers can guide other managers dealing with WMH issues within their teams.
- Integrate mental health clinical services into complex case consultations involving potential WMH issues.
- Implement Leadership Development Training for non-EX management that will build their capacity for support employees' workplace psychological needs.
- Action 6: Continuous updating of HR programs and services, while equipping HR practitioners to provide sound advice related to WMH.
- Continue the implementation of the 2017-20 HR Action Plan.
- Learning and Development
- Action 7: Continue to strengthen the collection of WMH learning opportunities to facilitate employee participation.
- Assess current learning opportunities to find gaps and address any additional needs or objectives.
- Develop WMH learning opportunities tailored to the needs of employees at different levels and roles.
- Developing Services, Resources and Tools
- Action 8: Continue to develop, implement and monitor WMH services, resources and tools that help employees at all levels thrive in the workplace.
- Continue the implementation of the Peer Support Program (PSP), where trained, experienced peer supporters (all levels) guide and inspire peers.
ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Journey Continues 2018-2021
Want to know more about where our Workplace Mental Health journey started?
- ESDC Deck for Employees Mental Health 2015 (PPTX, 7 MB) gives an overview of the key drivers that helped shape ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Framework and Action Plan 2015-2018.
- At a glance (PDF, 265 KB) and the full version of the Framework
- Status update of the Framework Implementation (2018) (PDF, 192 KB)
- ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Journey 2015 - 2018 (PDF, 163 KB)
ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Journey 2015 - 2018 - Long description.
The title "ESDC's Workplace Mental Health Journey" appears at the top-right corner of the image. The subtitle below reads "A workplace that promotes psychological health and safety and encourages employees and managers to address mental health concerns openly".
The image shows a winding road that spans the width of the page from left to right. The road does not end, but has an arrow that points off of the page.
Signs are placed at different spots over the road. From first to last, they read: "National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety (CSA)", "ESDC Framework and Workplace Mental Health (WMH) Action Plan 2015-2018", "Branch/Regional Action Plans", "Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy June 2016", "Progress Evaluation Strategy June 2016", "Progress Evaluation Report 2015-2018", and "Workplace Mental Health Action Plan 2018-2021".
Lining the road are several location markers. In order from left to right, they read: "Mental Health iService Site May 2015", "Learning suite College@ESDC May 2015", "Mental Health Passport December 2015", "Testimonial", "Kiosk", "Intersection article", "Testimonial "Mental Health Continuum for employees/managers", "Workplace Mental Health Champions Network February 2017", "Kiosk", "Intersection article", "ESDC Workplace Mental Health Survey February 2017", "Testimonial", "WMH Manager to Manager Network May 2018" and "WMH Peer Support Program May 2018".
On the far right of the page, three signs are secured one above the other on a vertical post. Each sign is shaped as an arrow, which points to the right. From top to bottom, the signs read: "Creating Sustainable Growth and Success - Organization this way", "Strengthening the Way We Work Together -Managers this way" and "Growing Awareness, Engagement, Responsibility - Employees this way".
Positioned on the road are vehicles. From left to right, there is a truck with the text "Implementation Committee", a bus with the text "Employees", a car with the text "Managers", a car with the text "Unions", and a leading car with the text "Senior Leaders".
The word "learning" replaces several of the dashed, white lines that separate the road into two lanes.
The centre of the image has a compass with the text "Promote" in the north-west direction, "Prevent" in the north-east direction, and "Resolve" in the south-facing direction. The centre of the compass has ESDC's mental health logo (a tree with brains as its leaves).
Four of ESDC's mental health logo trees line the road. Each has one year written on the trunk. From left to right, they read "2015", "2016", "2017", and "2018". As the year on the trunk increases, so do the number of brains or "leaves" on its branches.
The bottom-right corner of the image has the mental health logo motto: "Mental health - A healthy and respectful workplace. It's everyone's responsibility."