leadership matters
WE SHOULD BE VERY ENCOURAGED BY THE WORK THAT’S
BEING DONE, AND THE GRAVITY AND DEDICATION WITH
WHICH HR HAS ACCEPTED THESE NEW RESPONSIBILITIES
TOWARD PROMOTING PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY. BUT AT THE
SAME TIME, WE CANNOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT
THIS IS A CULTURE SHIFT THAT IS FAR FROM COMPLETE.
Our cover story in this issue traces
much of the research and work that has
been done over the past decade toward
promoting psychological safety in the
workplace. And what’s perhaps most en-couraging
about that research as a whole is
the massive shift in awareness among HR
professionals as to their duty to protect
and care for the psychological wellbeing of
their workforce.
A full 81.1 per cent of respondents in
the Evolution of Workplace Mental Health
national survey (completed in partner-ship
with HRPA and the Great-West
Life Centre for Mental Health in the
Workplace) indicated that “the attitudes
of human resources professionals to-ward
workplace mental health issues have
somewhat or significantly improved since
2007,” writes Dr. Joti Samra. That is a very
heartening statistic when we look back on
where the awareness of mental health is-sues
stood just a decade ago.
We should be very encouraged by the
work that’s being done, and the gravi-ty
and dedication with which HR has
accepted these new responsibilities to-ward
promoting psychological safety. But
at the same time, we cannot lose sight of
the fact that this is a culture shift that is
far from complete. We must continue to
create awareness, to educate ourselves, to
learn and cultivate our own profession-al
development and to be aware of our
duty not just to be responsive to existing
mental health or harassment issues, but
to also be proactive. We have a duty to
inquire if an employee is demonstrating
clear signs of a potential mental health
issue. We have a duty to investigate, to
follow up if we see or hear something
that doesn’t seem right. We have a duty
to help create an environment that will
allow a positive, psychologically safe cul-ture
to flourish.
Essentially, what we have is a duty of
care – legally, yes, but also on a human
level. We have the responsibility and the
opportunity to ensure that the people we
work with every day are safe, protected
and supported. And to me, that is one of
the most rewarding aspects of our job. n
Brenda Clark, CHRE, is chair of the
Human Resources Professionals Association.
6 ❚ APRIL 2017 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
