Workplace Mental Health + Well-Being Action Plan

A holistic, action-centric initiative to improve the mental well-being of employees.

Goal

Providing comprehensive programs, initiatives and services that promote mental well-being and work/life harmony for faculty and staff.

Co-workers sitting at desk together

For faculty and staff to deliver outstanding research and education, they must have an environment that promotes well-being in every dimension: mental, physical, social, emotional, spiritual and financial health.

The university is committed to supporting the mental well-being of our whole community. This means removing the stigma around openly addressing mental health issues and building a culture that is rooted in understanding, value and respect.

As a deliverable of the Culture of Care, the Workplace Mental Health and Well-being Action Plan adopts comprehensive programs, initiatives and measures to improve the mental well-being of our employees.

How We Got Here

Building a positive and supportive environment that fosters growth, innovation and success.

Woman smiling at man

More and more people are realizing just how crucial it is to have support and resources for mental health at work. More than half of the Canadian workforce say their work is the most stressful part of their day, but very few feel comfortable talking to their workplace about a mental health concern.

In 2022, HRHSE launched its comprehensive three-year safety action plan called the Culture of Care. While this plan focuses on physical safety and the role we all can play to ensure we return home safely, creating a psychologically and culturally safe workplace is also our responsibility.

A true workplace culture of care encompasses three components: physical safety, psychological safety and cultural safety.

Pillars of the action plan

Taking proactive steps to improve and maintain mental health and well-being in the workplace.

The Workplace Mental Health and Well-being Action Plan includes an action-centric range of initiatives and measures aimed at both improving the mental well-being of our workplace and targeting the stigma around openly addressing mental health issues.

We have identified the following pillars to anchor and enhance our workplace employee mental health and well-being.

Leadership Commitment
Cultivate and communicate leadership commitment to improve mental health and well-being through workplace interventions and creating a culture of care.
Access
Create evidence based programming to expand access to mental health programs and services (who, where, how, when, what) with a focus on enhancing support and a sense of belonging.
Prevention + Education
To increase prevention and education through opportunities that enhance mental health and well-being and encourage the development of life and work harmony.
Empowerment
To enhance support systems to build personal resilience and prevent/protect against harm.
Recovery + Reintegration
To ensure understanding and communication of support during recovery.
Community + Inclusion
Cultivate a culture that fosters a sense of community and inclusion by working to address systemic barriers in the workplace.
Sustainability + Success Measures
To ensure available metrics and measurements inform and guide resources and supports.

Stories

UNIVERSITY NEWS
Fall on North Campus

Maintaining a healthy and safe campus community

Green trees

My mental health journey from first to final year

UNIVERSITY NEWS
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The ASIST program: Suicide Prevention at the U of A