Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 17, 2017 FEATURES 29 their communications with the technicians to avoid unintended pressure that could lead to ignor- ing SOPs and negatively impact safety. "For a safety-first attitude to permeate throughout the orga- nization, it has to start with the senior leadership," says Brian Ketcheson, vice-president of hu- man resources at SaskPower in Regina. "In fact, we've created a motto that everyone throughout the or- ganization knows: 'We may work in a dangerous industry, but we don't do dangerous work.'" Safety metrics critical Does management know who the best employees are when it comes to safety? Do they promote and celebrate their safety successes internally? Metrics and rewards systems that answer these questions are critical to creating a safety culture at any organization. SaskPower's executive team are firm believers in measurement. e organization has systems in place to measure productivity, customer service and response time. Now, they have a measure for safety that identifies the saf- est employees so they can be cel- ebrated as examples throughout the organization. Across industries that require a focus on safety, the only sure way to mitigate risk is to eliminate unsafe acts by employees. Behav- ioural analytics tools are a proven way to identify engaged, detail- oriented and attentive employees. And employees can reduce acci- dents significantly. e example set by these em- ployees also improves the safety of other employees throughout the organization. Eric Irwin is a managing principal at Predictive Success, which optimizes organizational development that promotes safety throughout the work- place. He can be reached at (855) 430-9788 ext. 109, eirwin@predictive success.com or for more information, visit www.predictivesuccess.com. Measure safety ANALYTICS < pg. 25 from 10 years ago when employ- ers had access to information about physical safety, but little help with psychological safety. Where to start? If your organi- zational objective is to increase sales, start by improving the emotional intelligence of the sales force, including management, because higher rates of emotional intelligence correlate to improved sales, and will also improve psy- chological health and safety in the workplace. If your main goal is to improve employee engagement, begin implementing evidence- informed team activities. Psychological health and safety does not have to be a huge ad- ditional initiative or program to implement. In fact, it really comes down to the way people at an organization interact on a day- to-day basis. ere is no cookie- cutter approach that will work for everyone, but by linking HR's ef- forts to the overall organizational objectives, it will be supporting both organizational success and employee well-being. This is a much easier sell in the C-suite and will likely reflect well on HR. "HR professionals are poised to be true leaders in ensuring good mental well-being in the workforce. In fact, 81 per cent of respondents in the national sur- vey indicated that the attitudes of human resources profession- als toward workplace mental health issues have somewhat or significantly improved since 2007 — that's higher than reported at- titudinal improvements among executives and leaders, union representatives, managers and supervisors, and general employ- ees," says Samra. And employees whose work- places are implementing the Na- tional Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace are much more likely to describe their workplace as psychologically healthy and safe; are more compassionate in their attitudes towards mental health conditions; and are more likely to know their own role in the workplace regarding identi- fying and supporting those with mental health conditions. Actively promoting and adopt- ing initiatives related to enhanc- ing psychological health and safety provides immense benefits for organizations and employees alike, including enhanced worker satisfaction and productivity, economic benefits related to an engaged and healthy workforce, and general improved quality of life outcomes. "An increasing number of or- ganizations are supporting initia- tives for the betterment of work- place mental health, thereby shap- ing an encouraging outlook on the future landscape of psychological health and safety in the workplace, and — most importantly — the psychological well-being of work- ers across Canada," says Samra. Despite the marked progress, there is a continuing need for im- provement in protecting and pro- moting psychologically healthy and safe work environments. And this is not just something that is an ideal — we now have evidence it is good business strategy. Mary Ann Baynton is program direc- tor at the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace. For more information, visit www.work- placestrategiesformentalhealth.com. Active promotion, adoption provides benefits MENTAL HEALTH < pg. 26

• Cover