MHI Leads Panel of top Canadian Leaders at the HR Mental Health 2021 Virtual Conference.

Recently, I had the honour to moderate a panel of top Canadian leaders at the HR Mental Health 2021 virtual conference.  The title of the panel was - The Tone From The Top: The Role Of Leaders In Fostering Mentally Healthy Workplaces.  What better topic for this time?  

I appreciated the panelists’ insights and hearing about the way they have taken on the challenges of creating mentally health workplaces.  What I was most impressed with was the recognition that we don’t have to keep studying this, or implement incredibly complicated or expensive solutions.  There are things we can be doing to make our workplaces safer now. 

Recognize that it starts with leaders; lead by example, create a safe space where people feel comfortable asking each other how they are doing and answering honestly, rather than with the typical – “fine”!  Be vulnerable as a leader, lead by sharing how you are doing, honestly! 

What often gets in the way, that we hear, is that leaders are unsure how to open that conversation in the workplace.  Employees are unsure if they are supposed to ask each other and then if they ask, they are unsure what to say.  It is much simpler than we think.  Listen with empathy, as we do not need to fix.  I look forward to a day when all organizations are harnessing the power of peer support, the recognition that lived experience is a powerful tool to support people throughout our workplaces, whether that be in cubicles side by side or in apartments on opposite coasts.  

Thank you to HRD Canada and the panelists for the opportunity to facilitate such vital conversations. 

Lauren Scott - Director of Peer Support Services, MHI