Psychological Safety Blog

Are you familiar with normalcy bias? If the terminology doesn't ring a bell, the behaviours associated with this bias might. In "Overcoming Psychological Obstacles to Beating Coronavirus" author Eric Haseltine, Ph.D. defines it this way, "The normalcy bias, simply put, is people's tendency to discount the risks of a pending…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Dirigeants: Accordez-vous assez d’attention aux employés à risque qui ont besoin d’aide? Before COVID, one in five employees had a mental health issue of some kind, including substance use disorders. Now, one year into the pandemic, a Leger poll conducted on behalf…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Le ton de votre leadership favorise-t-il la santé mentale? Every leader sets a unique tone in their organization. Shaped by personal beliefs, communication, and small daily actions, that tone can have a powerful effect on employees’ perception of their workplace and the…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Over the past few decades, gender equity in the workplace has come a long way. The pay gap has narrowed (albeit not closed all the way), there are more women in leadership roles, and there is broader female representation in male-dominated industries. However,…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Comment les dirigeants peuvent atténuer les risques associés à la fatigue de la COVID- 19 COVID Fatigue is not a clinical diagnosis. It’s an insidious state of mind usually stemming from an extended period of missing social connections and pre-COVID routines and…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Andrew Harkness Many leaders underestimate reports of increased sick time and disability due to mental illness. They behave much like an NFL coach when a star player goes down in a close game. The coach may acknowledge the hurt player, but their focus quickly shifts…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Il n’est jamais trop tard pour acquérir des compétences en leadership authentique COVID-19 has forever altered how work gets done and how leaders lead — but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As a leader, the pandemic has granted an opportunity to…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Leaders have been under enormous pressure over the past nine months. Employees are counting on you in ways they never have before. The reality or threat of layoffs, and possibly closures, is always looming large. And, every day, you face the challenge of…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Créer une culture du bien-être mental cet hiver In today’s economy, employees may be doubling their outputs out of fear of being made redundant. From the employer perspective, this could easily be perceived as a benefit that results from employees working…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Andrew Harkness Self-awareness is a powerful tool. For example, if we step on a scale and discover that we are 10 pounds overweight, we have a choice. We can do nothing, or we can adjust our lifestyle by eating less and exercising more. The same…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Feedback is important in the workplace at any time, especially now, as many leaders at all levels within organizations are struggling to keep employees who are working remotely connected to their work and colleagues in a meaningful way. For employees to feel valued,…

How can a small employer ensure that every employee has one safe social connection in the workplace? A participant asked this question at Social Connection and Psychological Safety, part one of a two-part webinar series led by Dr. Bill Howatt on behalf of Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). Webinar…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley COVID-19 has disrupted our economy and placed an enormous financial strain on organizations of all sizes. Most are working hard to stay afloat and many others have already made the heartwrenching decision to shut their doors. In a study done by the Mental…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Conseils pour favoriser la connexion dans un monde virtuel The pandemic has forced rapid and massive changes in the way we work. Overnight, new processes, procedures, and technology were introduced to keep organizations open and viable. As a leader, you probably feel…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley It’s been over seven months since the onset of the pandemic. As a leader, how concerned are you about supporting your employees through the next seven? How are you going to support yourself in the process? COVID-19 has had a negative impact on…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Comment les dirigeants peuvent préparer leur équipe à se lancer dans la course de fond qui commence For most of us, COVID-19 is moving at the speed of a glacier. We want it gone, but it’s not moving away fast enough. And…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: L’importance de l’autoprise en charge de la santé par les dirigeants The Importance of Leader Self-Care To say that COVID has put enormous pressure on leaders would be an understatement. On top of accelerating and amplifying all of the usual business imperatives,…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Andrew Harkness “At least one third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, who innovate and create but dislike self promotion, who favour working on their own over working in teams.”- Susan Cain, Quiet Did you…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Andrew Harkness Only 23% of Canadian workers would feel comfortable talking to their employer about a psychological health issue. [1] The average employee spends about seven working days per year stressed out about a work-related problem instead of coming forward with their concern. Often, it…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Ces chefs de file qui ont le pouvoir de faire naître l’espoir durant la crise de la COVID-19 The lens through which we see the world influences what we believe is possible. When we’re caught in a pattern of thinking that magnifies…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Many engagement surveys ask employees to rank the degree to which they trust their leaders and organization, but most fail to ask whether they feel trusted by their manager and organization. Trust is an important metric for organizations, but it is equally important…

Written by Fresh Communications in collaboration with WSPS The world has seemed a lot darker since COVID-19 took us all in its grip, but if there is a silver lining to be found in this crisis, it could be argued that the pandemic has helped to shine a spotlight on…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Les dirigeants peuvent apaiser les craintes liées à la santé mentale et encourager de saines stratégies d’adaptation Do your employees have more mental health concerns now than they did pre-COVID? And, how are they coping? The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Inquiétudes liées au retour en milieu de travail As employees return to the workplace after being laid off or forced to work at home because of COVID-19 restrictions, many are worried about protecting themselves and their families. In fact, research conducted by…

By Dr. Bill Howatt Help employees stay socially connected in the workplace Before COVID, we were already starting to experience a global loneliness epidemic. Over the last few months, COVID-19 has shone an even brighter light on this important issue and the impact that isolation and loneliness can have on…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Épuisement professionnel: Ce que les dirigeants doivent savoir et ce qu’ils peuvent faire pour aider leurs employés Most leaders have heard of the term burnout, but not all understand its legitimacy. Unfortunately, burnout is often dismissed as regular workplace stress, or worse…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Les dirigeants peuvent aider leurs employés à réduire le risque de fatigue mentale For the past few months, many employees have been running on adrenaline. With all the change and disruption, it’s been a challenging time. Now, the movement towards slow re-opening…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley French version: Comment les employeurs peuvent soutenir les employés qui vivent des sentiments de deuil, de perte ou de regret Many leaders have created, or are in the process of building, mental health programs in their workplaces. Most are founded on accessibility, transparency and…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Governments are beginning to loosen restrictions and some businesses are firing up their engines again. If you are leading one of these operations, you will be required to implement many new protocols to protect the physical and psychological safety of staff, both as…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley The Conference Board of Canada, Mental Health Commission of Canada and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services have partnered to share mental health resources to support employees and leaders coping with the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. French version: Comment les employeurs peuvent soutenir…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley The Conference Board of Canada, Mental Health Commission of Canada and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services have partnered to share mental health resources to support employees and leaders coping with the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. To help us determine what kinds…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley The Conference Board of Canada, Mental Health Commission of Canada and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services have partnered to share mental health resources to support employees and leaders coping with the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. French version: Comment les employeurs peuvent soutenir…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley The Conference Board of Canada, Mental Health Commission of Canada and Workplace Safety & Prevention Services have partnered to share mental health resources to support employees and leaders coping with the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. French version: Impacts de la COVID-19…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Canada’s health care system is facing unprecedented pressures. That means that the people operating within in it are at higher risk for operational stress injuries typically associated with repeated exposure to trauma. French version: L’usure de compassion If those of us watching the graphic…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley As leaders, most of the advice we seek today will be yesterday’s news by tomorrow. But we believe there are two pieces of advice on which you’ll be able to hang your hat throughout the entirety of COVID-19 - and beyond. Being kind…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Nowhere is this business as usual. In this pandemic there is and will be a lot of uncertainty and fear. Employers and managers need to be empathetic, educated on COVID-19 and aware of the impact this pandemic may be having on employees who…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley Blog Question: How will I mentally prepare for self-isolation? Many may skip this question because when we think of self-isolating our minds automatically go to physical preparation. Survival basics of food, water and shelter have naturally been the focus as we’ve responded to…

By Dr. Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley What is perceived isolation and how could this impact employees’ psychological safety? To answer this question, it is prudent to begin by exploring the factors that can predict an employee’s mental health. Physical health - exercise/movement, sleep, diet and lifestyle choices. Mental fitness…