Tools and Resources for Leaders

Leaders play a significant role in the psychological health and safety of their organizations. Improving psychologically safe leadership skills can enhance workplace well-being, reduce workplace absences, and improve workforce retention. Workplaces with psychologically safe leadership often report greater job satisfaction, engagement, better workplace relationships, and improved psychological well-being. Investing in psychologically safe leadership skills is a meaningful investment in building and maintaining a psychologically safe workplace.

The following tools are publicly available to help leaders begin their journey toward leading their teams in a psychologically safe manner.

• Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment

  The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace requires leaders to be competent to manage workers in a psychologically safe way. The Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment (PSLA), developed by Dr. Samra, is an online leadership skills assessment that provides leaders insight into their unique areas of strength and areas for improvement as they pertain to the five key domains of leadership that align with the National Standard. In addition to the leader self-assessment, there is an employee feedback version of the PSLA that gathers aggregate, anonymous feedback from direct reports, as well as a host of action planning resources.

• Building Stronger Teams

  This is a free, downloadable workbook that provides activities to strengthen resilience skills for leaders and their teams. Self-awareness and good communication skills are the hallmarks of effective leaders. The first section of this book, Supporting Effective Team Leaders, can help you develop these skills. The second section, Building Stronger Teams, provides practical activities for developing your team’s ability to problem-solve, be objective and work well together. All of these skills are related to emotional intelligence and resilience and were built on the foundational content from Dr. Samra’s Managing Emotions resources.

• Supporting Employee Success

  This is a tool that helps inform the development of an effective workplace plan between the employer and worker and can be used on its own or as part of an existing approach to support a worker’s accommodation need. The guide presents a step-by-step process to assess stressors related to psychological, emotional, cognitive and physical issues at work, develop strategies that may best support worker success and help maintain a safe and productive workplace.

• Plan for Resilience: Workplace Edition for Leaders, Employees and Self-Employed

  We all juggle personal, family, social, financial and work demands. Most of us do pretty well, but any of us could be blindsided by an unexpected crisis or overwhelmed when too many incidents that can cause distress coincide. This resource can help improve your ability to bounce back after a potential health, personal or work crisis. It will help you identify effective strategies and resources to draw on when needed.

• Workplace Strategies for Mental Health

  Workplace Strategies for Mental Health is an initiative of Canada Life, and provides free information, tools and resources to employers and organizations who recognize the importance of a psychologically healthy workplace and/or are looking to make improvements.

• WCB Nova Scotia

  WCB Nova Scotia (WCB) is the province’s provider of workplace injury insurance. We inform and inspire Nova Scotians in the prevention of workplace injury, but when it occurs, we support those whose lives it touches, fostering a timely and safe return to work. We also provide caring, compassionate support in the wake of workplace tragedy.

• Worksafeforlife.ca

  WCB Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Labour, Skills and Immigration’s worksafeforlife.ca website contains information and resources to help create safer workplaces and prevent workplace injuries in Nova Scotia.

• NovaSAFE

  Nova SAFE is a mobile friendly online resource developed by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration that offers a modern and convenient way for Nova Scotian employers, supervisors, and workers to access important safety information.

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

  The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is the primary national agency for the advancement of safe and healthy workplaces in Canada. They provide a range of information, resources, tools, and courses for workplaces on psychological health and safety.

Workplace Mental Health: Mental Health Commission of Canada

Construction: Mental Health in the Construction Sector

Long Term/Home Care and Disability Support: Leader Safety Playbook

Featured Resources