Registration and virtual orientation
Opening remarks
Opening keynote: Breaking down the barriers of mental health in the workplace
With employees working remotely, either full-time or in hybrid arrangements, it's important to have clear guidance on when work stops and personal life begins. Employers should be proactive in addressing wellbeing challenges within the organization to ensure your employees thrive. This session will explore how employers can address societal challenges that impact the workplace to ensure your company promotes a culture of wellness.
- The 'right to disconnect’: How do organizations ensure this is properly enacted?
- Aligning company mental health policies and KPIs with the workplace’s underlying mission and values
- How to connect and build trust with your employees
Jo Kinzett
HR Director Canada, Mars Wrigley
Panel: Burnout at work: Can this be prevented?
HR leaders understand the grave impact of employee burnout. In today’s climate, it’s become imperative to develop scalable, evidence-based mental health tools to support workers. This session will identify strategies for avoiding burnout triggers and provide insights into the solutions that are having an impact.
- How can you overcome the barriers to employee support?
- Identifying mobile-based resources that work for your business and support busy professionals
- How can HR leaders make changes to an organization’s culture and tackle issues such as staff shortages and excessive workloads
- How do you measure the success of a wellness program?
Moderator:
Dr. Ryan Todd
CEO, Headversity
Panelists:
Elizabeth Rhodenizer
Director General Email and Workplace Technology Services, Shared Services Canada
Avi Greenberg
Director, Wellness Programming, Netflix
Lianne Clarke
VP, Wellness and Disability Innovation & Growth, Cowan Insurance Group Ltd.
Yanique Smith
Director, Well-being & Accessibility, Rogers
First line of defence: The role of direct managers in supporting employee health
A supportive work culture and healthy relationships between staff and their line managers play a key role in maintaining the mental wellbeing of employees. It's critical that HR leaders provide management with the tools and skills to support employees. This session will demonstrate how to develop a wellness-focused people framework for management, to create a safer environment for employees.
- Teaching leaders how to develop healthy behaviours so they can lead by example
- Establishing a long-term plan for managers to ensure employees feel valued and trusted by their organization
- How can HR leaders equip teams to identify early signs of mental health struggles?
Leora Hornstein
Well-being Specialist, Cenovus
Interactive networking break
Case study: Leadership and longevity drive Adobe team’s wellbeing success
To succeed in helping employees thrive personally and professionally, investment must go further than money spent on apps and initiatives. Two factors have proven to be crucial: Leadership involvement and length of wellbeing efforts. The positive outcomes from Adobe’s Total Rewards implementation of the Whole Health Leadership™ program demonstrates this. The session will show how partnership and commitment led to stellar results and retention – with lots of learning along the way.
- How leadership accountability impacts employee wellbeing and company results
- Why lasting investment in wellbeing makes a difference
- How addressing the whole person builds connected workplaces
- Why showing care is critical to the success of employees and organizations
Jan Gelman
Wellbeing Consultant, Adobe
A return to wellness
Continuing the discussions about the importance of mental health in the workplace, as well as the broad impacts of mental illness on various areas of our lives, including self-perceptions, confidence levels, work performance, motivation, productivity, and relationships. All of which can aid in breaking stigmas and misconceptions about mental illness and have an impact on a personal, workplace. This session will provide a relatable perspective on mental health that aims to look at why it’s important to have adequate mental health policies & processes in the workplace that go beyond just the theoretics.
- Challenging perceptions of mental illness and shifting perspectives of mental illness
- How to foster a culture of wellbeing?
- Transferable skills and strategies that can be used to promote wellbeing and create an environment of support
Yalda Kazemi
Wellness, Policy & HR Consultant, Author, stylEsteem Inc
Interactive networking break
Panel: Curating a competitive employee benefits package
When organisations invest in employee benefits, this can help employees feel valued and increase overall satisfaction and morale in a climate that is ever-changing. But to remain competitive in the market, it's imperative that HR leaders update benefit schemes that no longer prove relevant to the modern worker. In this session, a panel of experts will address opportunities to adapt current benefits packages to meet employees’ changing needs and, ultimately, foster a trusting, sustainable relationship between employee and employer.
- Evaluating what benefits employees need and how to manage varied requirements
- What benefits can have a meaningful impact on employees’ childcare arrangements
- Updating your healthcare and risk benefits to ensure the welfare and productivity of employees
- Evaluating time-off policies to offer competitive, flexible arrangements
Moderator:
Michael Dimaano
Total Compensation and HR Policy, Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCH)
Panelists:
Sherry Shaw
Principal Consultant, Cowan Insurance Group
Keylan Wright
Senior Health and Wellness Coordinator, Johnson & Johnson
Michael Asaku-Yeboah
Senior Work Wellness Coach, Amazon
Stephanie Lawrance
Vice President, People, Maple
Panel: Prioritising psychological safety as employees return to the workplace
As many companies prepare for a return to the office, it's imperative that HR leaders create a clear wellness strategy to ensure a smooth transition. In this session, a panel of industry leaders will discuss best practices for promoting the psychological wellbeing of all employees who are returning to work – and a culture of safety over stress.
- How can leaders show empathy for employees and make room for accommodation?
- How to create an open environment that involves employee input in the decision-making process
- Determining when and how to implement a phased return to work: How will employees be notified, and how much leeway will be given?
- Addressing COVID vaccines and creating a communication plan for employees
Moderator:
Christina Fuda
Mental Health First Aid Lead, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Panelists:
Suzy Kwiecien
Head of Brand and Product Marketing, Unilever Water & Air Wellness
Elizenda Jean-Claude
PMO Lead, HR Strategic Initiatives & Business Transformation, Bell Canada
Aneta Grabiec
Occupation Psychologist - Wellness Consultant, published author of How To Be Good Enough
Erin Dick
Assistant Vice President, Wellbeing Services, Health Solutions, Aon
Kabir Bhagaria
Manager, Employee Health and Safety, First West Credit Union