Corporate

WSPS.CA | 2021 HEALTH & SAFETY LEADERSHIP SURVEY WHITE PAPER 3 Mental health is an issue of critical importance to our customers too. In both surveys, it was the top emerging concern for 70% of respondents. This year, stress was second on the list for 68% of respondents, marking an increase of 10%. Within a month of the pandemic being announced, we launched the Psychological Safety Blog to help leaders address this issue. The Pandemic Response Team also ensured that staff members had the information, resources, and support they needed to contribute and feel engaged. And there was plenty of work to do. WSPS was not only supporting the more than 171,000 businesses and 4.2 million employees who rely on us to help keep their employees, customers, and communities safe but also our health and safety partners. We worked in lockstep with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development and the Premier's office to meet employers' needs. In the early days of the crisis, we received a call on a Friday evening, and by early the next day, we had our first set of 10 guideline documents ready to go. Since then, we have produced over 180 checklists and guideline documents and new products and articles to help workplaces across all sectors adhere to new mandates. Not surprisingly, the impact of ever-changing requirements has taken a heavy toll on survey respondents. Over the past year, 82% of them say they have been focused on implementing health and safety protocols. As I reflect on the past twelve months, I realize that at many points in time, I have had to rely on my intuition because there was no guidebook to work from. However, I have been supported by a team with boundless commitment, competency and technical expertise. Our leadership team worked hard to support staff, and I am enormously proud when people tell me they feel safe and secure. Every decision has been made with a people-first mindset to protect our own team and our customers' employees. Right away, we segmented our customers based on how they were affected by the pandemic and how it would impact their employees. We support businesses that have transitioned to remote work, others that shut down temporarily, and many that are deemed essential. The pandemic has forever transformed the way all businesses operate, and WSPS is no exception. We improved some of the safety measures we had in place, and introduced new ones where needed. The pandemic also accelerated our digital transformation and move to virtual delivery. I am proud of the work that organizations across the province have done and continue to do to take care of their employees, customers, and communities. I hope that findings, such as nearly 90% of respondents indicating that people at all levels of their organizations are actively involved and engaged in health and safety, are a harbinger of things to come. I also hope that this survey moves more organizations along the continuum toward creating a culture of health and safety so that the hard lessons learned from the pandemic have not been in vain.

• Cover