Carleton is the first post-secondary school in Canada to receive three Excellence Canada awards for having a healthy workplace environment.
This year, Carleton received a platinum-level certification in the Healthy Workplace category and a silver-level certification in the Mental Health at Work category. The finance and administration department also received a gold-level award in the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness category.
According to its website, Excellence Canada is a “not-for-profit corporation that is dedicated to advancing organizational performance across Canada.”
The website stated that the Healthy Workplace category analyzes “the operational elements that affect psychological and physical health and safety,” while the Mental Health at Work category assesses whether an organization is meeting the requirements of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The Excellence, Innovation and Wellness category “ensures organizations achieve the best possible outcomes across all business drivers, including leadership, planning, customers, people and processes,” the website described.
Karen Jackson, senior advisor at Excellence Canada, said organizations aim to progress through Excellence Canada’s silver, gold, and platinum certification levels.
“The first level is really establishing your commitment and foundation, then you’re implementing, you’re refining and really re-assessing and improving and making sure everything’s effective,” Jackson explained. “The final level, platinum, where Carleton is now for Healthy Workplace, is showing that ‘yes, this is part of our culture, it’s embedded in what we do.’”
Organizations apply to Excellence Canada in order to receive certification, Jackson said.
To verify that a group’s submission is accurate, Excellence Canada organizes an on-site visit to run focus groups with staff from various levels and departments.
In order to maintain or improve their Excellence Canada certification, groups must apply for certification every two years.
When assessing a workplace, Jackson said Excellence Canada evaluates aspects such as the commitment of leadership to maintaining a healthy workplace environment, the inclusion of a healthy workplace plan in the organization’s strategic plan, and the ability of employees to participate in wellness activities such as stress management workshops.
Cindy Taylor, director of Carleton’s Office of Quality Initiatives, said Carleton’s Healthy Workplace Plan 2014-2016 focused on health and lifestyle improvements, the importance of a work-life balance, and mental health.
Taylor added that Carleton offers a number of programs to employees, such as yoga classes, healthy eating workshops, and a knitting club that aim to create a healthy workplace environment.
“We ask staff and faculty what support they want from a healthy workplace perspective. We listen to their needs, and by doing so we can offer them programs and initiatives and information sessions that really align to their needs,” Taylor said.
Ed Kane, assistant vice-president (university services) and chair of Carleton’s healthy workplace committee, acknowledged that a ‘healthy workplace’ means different things to different people.
“We believe that a healthy workplace leads to more engagement at all levels of the university, and this in turn translates into a great experience for our students and visitors,” Kane said in an email.
Carleton’s platinum-level achievement makes it a healthy workplace role model, according to Jackson.
“It’s never perfect, but the general trend I heard from most of the focus groups was a very positive culture, a positive feeling about Carleton,” she said.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
