Our Approach
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We know that creating a mentally healthy workplace takes time. We help you gain clarity on the long-term objectives, and then focus on building momentum with small, incremental changes that build on one another.
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We make the complex stuff simple by working with you to identify the highest impact, most straightforward actions that can move the needle right now. We help you keep it simple, so you can keep things moving forward sustainably over time.
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We spend time getting to know you and make sure that everything we do fits your culture, meets your needs, and targets your pain points. Every organization is unique, and yours is no exception.
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We get it: things change. We pride ourselves on the ability to roll with the punches while still helping you keep the end goal in sight and navigate through new situations using the values that guide our work together.
Case Studies
Explore a few examples of the work we've done.
Creating Vision
Industry
Publishing
Size
300+ Employees
Location
Toronto, ON
Investment
$25,000
The Challenge:
Our client's CEO valued mental health, but their HR team faced obstacles despite executing annual well-being plans. They lacked a long-term vision, leading to low employee engagement, unclear manager roles in mental health, and superficial support from senior leaders.
The Solution:
We guided the client to reevaluate their stance on mental health's impact on business. By interviewing senior leaders, we identified drivers linking mental health and business goals. After a light-weight audit of existing programs, we crafted a strategy focusing on fostering a mental health-friendly culture, improving support accessibility, preparing employees for change, and involving them through regular feedback. Upon unveiling the strategy, we aided leaders in messaging, briefed managers, and outlined a 6-month action plan with HR and the employee resource group.
The Outcome:
Leaders now feel more confident discussing mental health, understanding its business importance. The HR team gains broader support, armed with a framework guiding their efforts in the years ahead.
Amplifying Impact
Industry
Government
Size
5,000+ Employees
Location
Ottawa, ON
Investment
$50,000
The Challenge:
Though an early government leader in mental health strategy since 2015, this organization's proactive vision remained unfulfilled. The centralized HR branch, with limited capacity, mainly focused on information-sharing and awareness, hindering the desired proactive change.
The Solution:
We intervened to reinvigorate the mental health focus across 14 business units. By reviewing key performance indicators and unit-initiated actions over the past five years, we tailored two-year action plans for each unit. Meetings with senior leadership helped understand unit-specific needs, with detailed recommendations for training, education, or policy changes.
The Outcome:
Business units approved and published visible mental health action plans, fostering accountability. Identifying shared concerns streamlined solutions, leveraging vendor resources efficiently. The centralized HR team transitioned from implementation to strategic consultants, offering additional support for business units to implement the mental health strategy effectively.
Equipping Leaders
Industry
Banking
Size
10,000+ Employees
Location
Canada
Investment
$150,000
The Challenge:
During the COVID-19 pandemic and a shift to remote work, this company faced a surge in mental health issues, evident from HR data. Senior leaders struggled to support their teams despite recognizing the challenges. Despite a longstanding commitment to mental health, managerial and mid-level leadership lacked the necessary skills and competence.
The Solution:
In collaboration with the internal L&D team, we developed a tailored virtual workshop for managers and leaders. Focused on practical strategies, the workshop utilized case studies and group exercises, allowing new managers to learn from experienced leaders. We incorporated education on available support programs, enabling leaders to make effective referrals. After piloting with an internal group, we extended the workshop to over 2000 people leaders across the organization.
The Outcome:
Participants now express increased confidence in addressing struggling employees and setting reasonable performance expectations. The workshop has proven instrumental in enhancing leadership skills and supporting employees facing mental health challenges.
Setting the Tone
Industry
Professional Services
Size
5,000+ Employees
Location
Canada
Investment
$50,000
The Challenge:
A major professional services firm, committed to mental health and well-being, aimed to integrate well-being reinforcement throughout the employee journey and highlight leaders as advocates for a mentally healthy workplace culture, especially for new hires.
The Solution:
We collaborated with internal HR, DEI, and well-being teams to craft a tailored onboarding experience for all new hires. The program featured educational content on mental health literacy, self-care, and stigma reduction. We coached senior leaders to authentically share their mental health journeys and partnered with the top mental health advocate to conduct specialized workshops for new partners, promoting help-seeking behaviors and reducing stigma.
The Outcome:
Over 2000 new hires engaged in ongoing quarterly onboarding sessions, highlighting the firm's mental health focus as a competitive edge. New partners expressed heightened awareness of available supports and increased willingness to access them, fostering a culture of support-seeking and well-being.
Spotting Hazards
Industry
Manufacturing
Size
300+ Employees
Location
Manitoba
Investment
$30,000
The Challenge:
A small manufacturing company aimed to enhance its understanding of employee experiences, beyond its existing health and safety program. The leadership sought insights into psychological health and safety to pinpoint workplace stressors.
The Solution:
We crafted a tailored employee survey to uncover psychosocial hazards and gather diversity-related data. Leveraging the company's community-focused mission, we launched an awareness campaign highlighting the link between work and mental health, advocating for a healthy workplace. Analysis of survey data yielded key insights shared with senior leadership, driving recommendations for work condition improvements. We assisted leaders in disseminating results and facilitating discussions with teams to identify areas for enhancement.
The Outcome:
With an impressive 80% employee participation rate, the feedback process garnered positive responses. Senior leadership implemented several recommendations, enhancing the employee experience and addressing psychosocial hazards effectively.
Developing Teams
Industry
Professional Services
Size
2,000+ Employees
Location
Toronto, ON
Investment
$20,000
The Challenge:
A technology business group within a large company aimed to boost innovation but faced challenges in fostering open communication and feedback, with concerns about psychological safety among teams.
The Solution:
We engaged with senior leaders to grasp their work dynamics and potential barriers to psychological safety. Simultaneously, we conducted educational sessions for all employees and teams, followed by deploying a standardized psychological safety assessment for each team. Data analysis and benchmarking led to debrief sessions with teams, focusing on interpreting the data and modeling safe feedback exchanges. For senior leadership, ongoing team coaching was provided, along with documented recommendations for continuous improvement.
The Outcome:
Executives felt more equipped to navigate tough conversations and gained insights into fostering psychological safety within their teams. During budget cuts, the executive successfully engaged all team members in brainstorming creative cost-saving solutions, avoiding job losses.