Who is the David Suzuki Foundation? Founded in 1990, the David Suzuki Foundation is a national, bilingual non-profit organization headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Toronto and Montreal. Its mandate : to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis.
“Employers want all employees to come in and do their jobs, without being impacted by what could be going on at home or in their minds and bodies. But home life comes to work with us! That just isn’t a choice. So employers need flexible options for the individuals that make up their workforce; flexible policies are key to making that happen,” says Catherine Gordon, HR Director at the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF).
Putting humans at the heart of HR is not just good for people; it is also good for business. And DSF understands that employees want more than just money; they want flexibility. That’s why they offer a four-day work week to all employees, as well as the possibility of working from home. They attract motivated, talented people who love their jobs, but the very nature of the Foundation’s work of advocacy brings its own set of challenges for employees.
“In our work in the environmental sector, we face an almost constant external negative news stream related to our work while actively trying to save the planet and continuing to maintain a positive outlook. Add in the numerous personal obligations that we all struggle to juggle and it can be difficult to look after your own mental health as self-care is pushed so far down the priority list,” Gordon wrote recently in a blog post on Risepeople.com.
Caring and supporting employees in that perspective makes sense to the people at DSF. And it should simply make sense to all employers, big and small. From a practical corporate perspective, keeping people in the workplace and keeping them engaged and performing at their jobs is a win-win proposition. Happy and healthy employees are motivated and loyal and take pride in their work. And they stay in the workplace.
“Flexible policies allow us to retain employees that may have otherwise have had to go on leave, says Gordon. Recently, an employee came forward, expressed that she was struggling with a mental health challenge and asked : ‘What are my options? I don’t want to go on sick leave and I don’t want to use up my vacation time’. So we agreed to temporarily reduce her hours to a part-time position. This gave her the flexibility to deal with her issue while still allowing interaction with her colleagues. During the 2 months that she worked part-time, her performance was high level. She then came back to a full-time position, feeling even more loyal to her employer. Had she not come forward when she did, she may have been put on disability.”
Breaking up stigma and being proactive about mental health issues makes all the difference, as that story illustrates. “Of course, no one wants to admit that they have a mental health issue! For DSF, fostering a culture that encourages people to talk about what they’re thinking and feeling has been a gradual process.” Some steps have included setting up posters speaking to the importance of mental health, encouraging employees to make use of the Employee Assistance program and being proactive in their wellness and hosting weekly meditation drop-in sessions in the office, for example. Rolling out the Mindful Employer program was also key in opening up communication between managers and employees, and between colleagues.
The program includes quarterly interactive training sessions dealing with issues like conflict resolution, accommodation and problem-solving. If it might have felt like another burden on already busy employees’ time in the beginning, the sessions quickly became a point of interest for everyone at the organization. “People say they are really fun!, says Gordon. And we see managers and colleagues taking interest in one another as individuals, not just employees. It fosters caring for one another and bulding trusting relationships, meaning employees coming to see managers at an earlier stage of situations and therefore, dealing with problems before they become overwhelming.”
“This kind of caring culture also means colleagues assume positive intent rather than immediately assuming the worst, adds Gordon. If a colleague is being difficult, rather than assume that they are being unpleasant, think rather ‘maybe there is something wrong’. Not only does this make for a more pleasant work environment, it also saves organizations money. People can simply focus more on their work and less on the drama. It’s a win-win.”
And are the programs really successful? “The results are amazing!, says Gordon. For all employers, turnover is a major concern. Not a single employee left because they didn’t like their managers since rolling out the training sessions! Through employee engagement surveys, we found that employees saw a real difference in management skills. There is a real focus on building trust and fostering healthy communications. At a cost of 500$ per employee per year, we have seen tremendous return on investment. We didn’t spend a penny on dealing with employee issues last year.”