Guarding Minds at Work (2009-2020) (Guarding Minds) is a free and comprehensive set of resources. Employers can use them to assess risks. The results help to address and manage psychological health and safety at work.
Guarding Minds helps employers identify and measure employee experience with psychosocial factors and hazards at work. These factors and hazards have a powerful impact on:
- Organizational success
- The well-being of individual employees
- The organization’s financial bottom line
History
Guarding Minds responds to a growing demand for organizations to protect employees' psychological safety. This demand came from:
- Legal duty – The law requires employers to protect the health and safety of employees.
- Bottom line – Psychologically unsafe work activities and workplaces can have negative impacts on:
- Recruitment
- Retention
- Reputation
- Performance – Employee psychological well-being has a direct impact on:
- Recruitment
- Retention
- Reputation
- Well-being – World Health Organization (WHO) (2006) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”
The Canada Life Assurance Company commissioned Guarding Minds in 2007. Workplace Strategies for Mental Health (Workplace Strategies) continues to support this innovative resource. Guarding Minds is foundational to the evolution of psychological health and safety in Canada.
Since 2007 Guarding Minds has undergone a process of continual improvement. It's hosted by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). The organization preserves the confidentiality of all data collected.
Guarding Minds was developed at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by experienced research-practitioners from the Faculty of Health Sciences. Dr. Heather Stuart from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada significantly updated the resource in 2022-2023.
Timeline
2007
Dr. Martin Shain developed a concept of assessing and addressing risks to mental health. This model would be embedded in the organization and design of work. Dr. Shain suggested the term “Guarding Minds." The name emphasizes the importance of protecting employees' mental health at work. This fits within the legal framework of occupational health and safety.
2008
Workplace Strategies commissioned the creation of a practical, web-based employer resource. Canada Life provided funding support. The original developers were Dr. Joti Samra, Dr. Merv Gilbert, Dr. Martin Shain, and Dr. Dan Bilsker.
2009
Guarding Minds launched as a free publicly available resource for all organizations.
2012
Guarding Minds was updated by Dr. Gilbert, Dr. Bilsker, Dr. Samra, and Dr. Shain. This update ensured the resource remained current with:
- Emerging research
- Practice
- Regulatory developments
- Canadian Standards Association (CSA) z1003 (2013) release of The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard)
2013
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) became a collaborative partner. They provide:
- User support
- Website design
- Hosting
- Confidential data collection and storage
- Technical services
2018
Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Bilsker enhanced Guarding Minds. They used more recent comparison statistics. CCOHS provided a new look and improved functionality.
2020
Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Bilsker updated Guarding Minds. They made changes to both the survey and resources. They ensured the resource remained current with:
- Emerging employer and organizational needs
- Research
- Practice
- Regulatory developments.
2022/2023
Queen’s University and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services collected new benchmark data.
Dr. Heather Stuart from Queen’s University updated and validated Guarding Minds. This update is part of over a decade of continual improvement. improvement. Survey items were aligned with the International Standards Organization (ISO) (45003:2021), Countries around the world collaborated to develop the ISO guideline for psychological health and safety. The update maintained original psychosocial factors as identified in the Canadian Standard The report added indicators related to inclusion, stress or trauma. Even with these additions, the entire survey takes no more time to complete. For more information see Dr. Stuart's report.
Contributing researchers
A wide range of participants gave input to create and support Guarding Minds. Occupational health researchers and practitioners shared insights. And these groups gave their perspectives:
- Small and large businesses
- Organized labour
- Public sector and not-for-profit organizations
The main contributing researchers include:
Dr. Joti Samra, R. Psych.
Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych., is a national thought leader on psychological health, wellness and resilience.
She's the CEO and Founder of:
- MyWorkplaceHealth,a full-suite national workplace consulting firm
- Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Clinic, a virtual counselling and resilience/leadership coaching practice
Dr. Samra is a highly regarded expert in psychological health and safety (PHS). For over 20 years, she's participated in many national initiatives that contributed to policy change in Canada. She's a founding and ongoing member of the CSA Technical Committee. The group developed the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ9700-803/2013). This Standard is the first of its kind in the world. It's shaped policy development for workplace PHS at the international ISO level.
Dr. Samra is the lead Research Scientist who created Guarding Minds at Work: A Workplace Guide to Psychological Health & Safety. The Standard adopted the psychosocial factor frame developed for the Guide. She's also the developer of the Psychologically Safe Leader. This is an assessment and action planning resource. It aligns leaders’ skills with the requirements of the Standard. Dr. Samra and her team share their extensive expertise to help organizations implement workplace PHS initiatives. They include:
- Implementing the CSA Standard
- Providing leadership development, training and coaching services across a broad range of areas, including:
- Emotional intelligence
- Psychologically safe leadership and mental health awareness
- Providing a breadth of services to enhance employee psychological health, wellness and resilience
Dr. Samra has received many awards and accolades for her clinical and research leadership:
- Canadian Psychological Association’s New Researcher Award
- British Columbia Psychological Association’s Advancement of the Profession of Psychology Award
- Former President of the BC Psychological Association
- Past Chair of the BC Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Committee
Dr. Merv Gilbert, Ph.D.
Dr. Merv Gilbert has over 30 years of experience providing psychological services. He's served in direct clinical and leadership roles at regional, provincial and international levels. He's an advocate for workplace psychological health and safety for individuals and organizations. He's published and presented on this topic at a diverse array of forums.
Dr. Gilbert's roles and expertise include:
- Serving on professional and non-profit organizational bodies
- Serving on the Steering Committee of the American Psychological Association’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Network
- Holding academic appointments at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia
- Collaborating on research and development projects with colleagues in Canada, the United States, Portugal, Denmark and Australia
- Director of Vancouver Psych Safety, a consulting partnership http://www.psychhealthandsafety.org, that enables organizations to foster psychologically healthy employees and workplace climates. The organization provides:
- Planning
- Training
- Implementation and evaluation services
- Primary participant in developing, evaluating and disseminating resources for workplace psychological health and safety, including:
- Mental Health Commission of Canada
- WorkSafeBC
- Manufacturing and Safety Alliance of British Columbia
Dr. Martin Shain, S.J.D.
This is a selected list of Dr. Shain's contributions to workplace psychological health and safety:
- Principal and founder of the Neighbour@Work Centre, a consulting agency in workplace psychological safety and health
- Adjunct lecturer at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Academic lawyer who wrote 2 policy papers that laid the legal foundations and general specifications for the Canadian National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
- Published his fifth book, “The Careful Workplace”, with Thomson Reuters in 2016
- Partnering with Workplace Safety and Prevention
Dr. Dan Bilsker, PhD.
Dr. Dan Bilsker has worked for several decades in the public mental health system as an emergency psychologist. In a research unit, his work focused on innovative ways to enhance the psychological health of the Canadian population.
In recent years, Dr. Bilsker's primary work and roles include:
- Consulting organizations seeking to improve psychological safety of their workforce
- Clinical practice of cognitive-behavioural therapy
- Clinical assistant professor at the University of B.C.
- Adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University
Dr. Heather Stuart, PhD
Dr. Heather Stuart is a full professor in the Departments of Public Health Sciences, Psychiatry and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University. This is a selective list of her contributions and roles:Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti-stigma Research Chair at Queen’sSenior Consultant to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Opening Minds, Anti-stigma initiativeFellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti-stigma Research Chair at Queen’s
- Senior Consultant to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Opening Minds, Anti-stigma initiative
- Past Chair of the World Psychiatric Association’s Stigma and Mental Health Scientific Section
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Recipient of the Order of Canada
Collaborators
Workplace Strategies and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) collaborated to increase the use of Guarding Minds. They raise awareness of this leading organizational resource that supports PHS in the workplace.
Workplace Strategies for Mental Health (Workplace Strategies)
Canada Life established Workplace Strategies in 2007. The program is a public initiative to increase knowledge and awareness of PHS. Workplace Strategies also aims to improve the ability to respond to mental health issues at work. It provides free, practical strategies and tools for all employers and employees. Canada Life commissioned and funded Guarding Minds.
Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Experienced research-practitioners from these organizations developed Guarding Minds:
- Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA)
- Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU, founded in 1965 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada:
- Canada's leading comprehensive university
- Vibrant campuses in British Columbia's largest municipalities — Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey
- SFU has deep roots in communities throughout the province and around the world
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
CCOHS is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. The centre creates positive change in the lives of working people in Canada by providing:
- Credible information
- Education
- Innovative solutions
- Hosting, maintenance and operation of the Guarding Minds website
- English and French technical support for users
Queen’s University at Kingston
In 2022-2023 Dr. Heather Stuart from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada made significant revisions to Guarding Minds. Dr. Stuart and her team leveraged the research data collected by Mental Health Research Canada. Established in 1841, Queen’s University is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities. It continually ranks among the best universities nationwide.
Evidence for Guarding Minds
Guarding Minds has undergone revisions in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2022. These updates ensure it remains relevant and useful for all employers and employees. The revisions reflect updates in:
- Policy
- Regulation
- Legislation
- Improving the user experience and value to employers
- Scientific literature on workplace psychological health and safety, including:
- Guidelines for survey development (Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, 2014
- American Educational Research Association
- American Psychological Association
- National Council on Measurement in Education
For more information, see:
- Development and utility of the Guarding Minds at Work Employee Survey | PDF
- Guarding Minds at Work Redevelopment and Validation Project | PDF
- Guarding Minds at Work Validation Study 2022 | PDF
- Psychological health and safety statistics
- Evidence for psychological health and safety
- Psychological health and safety cost benefits
Guarding Minds at Work was commissioned by Canada Life and additional resources are supported by Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.
Explore more information or begin using the survey tools.