Corporate

Conclusion CONCLUSION WSPS.CA | 2021 HEALTH & SAFETY LEADERSHIP SURVEY WHITE PAPER 29 " As a leadership team we are much more in tune with how each person on our team is doing from a wellness perspective and workload." — Leading respondent In many respects this year's survey results reveal that health and safety is finally getting its due. We did see an increase in many areas of the research, and overall, it appears that respondents with less mature health and safety cultures are moving in the right direction. Anecdotally, we're also hearing that health and safety managers and experts are participating in strategic planning and decision making to a greater extent. However, the results also raise some important questions. Given the year we've had, would we expect anything different? And why aren't some of the key numbers higher? The pandemic shone a light on mental health, and with the volume of information and support across all media, awareness and discourse seems to have reached an all-time high. However, the number of respondents indicating this is a significant emerging issue in their workplace has barely budged. Every workplace has had to scrutinize processes and procedures to keep people physically safe, and most have had to address psychological safety in a more fulsome way. Yet, only 51% of respondents indicate that leaders drive health and safety in their workplace. Where are leaders in the remaining 49% of organizations who participated? How can it be that they are not driving the conversation now? Last year, we noted that the number of respondents with formal plans in place to address emerging issues was low. Little has changed over the past year. Granted, many have been caught off guard, and requirements are constantly changing, so it is understandable that many workplaces are reeling and maybe applying a piecemeal approach to survive. However, this is not sustainable. Almost universally, respondents indicated that health and safety has become more important in their organizations and will continue to be important as we move out of the crisis. With nearly 96% of all respondents indicating they see a direct link between health and safety and organizational performance, there is hope that we're on the cusp of change. Leaders who take the opportunity to formalize health and safety plans will put themselves in a much stronger position than they were prior to the pandemic. On top of enhancing resilience and sustainability, they will see the impact a formal plan can have on key metrics, such as engagement, injury and cost reduction, and attraction and retention. They will also begin to alleviate the tremendous pressure they have faced over the past year. In The Heart of Resilient Leadership, Deloitte points out the significant role that leaders play in navigating crisis situations. "We believe that a typical crisis plays out over three time frames: respond, in which a company deals with the present situation and manages continuity; recover, during which a company learns and emerges stronger; and thrive, where the company prepares for and shapes the "next normal." CEOs have the substantial and added responsibility to nimbly consider all three time frames concurrently and allocate resources accordingly."

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