We can help
you put it
all together.
Creating and maintaining a psychologically
healthy and safe workplace can seem like
a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.
Practical tools and resources can help you
get started, assess your current situation,
or take the next step.
We can help you put it all together and
work towards a psychologically healthy
and safe workplace.
www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/phsms
ALL TOOLS AND RESOURCES ARE FREE.
Use them to help make a difference
in your workplace.
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace and design
are trademarks of The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
HRP: What do you love about your job?
SS: I love the ability to impact peoples’ environments. It’s really
about the connection with people, and creating policies and practices
that make this a better place to work, to practice, to volunteer.
That’s really my passion.
HRP: What are the challenges of your job?
SS: One of the biggest challenges in health care is the lack of funding.
You have to be really creative as an HR leader to design and
implement programs and approaches that are fiscally responsible.
We don’t have access to large budgets. We have to work together
and collaborate with our partners in health care to ensure better
outcomes. Separately, I think a general challenge for all of us is to
continue to build HR as a strategic business partner. How do we
contribute to our organization’s success while demonstrating HR’s
value proposition?
HRP: What’s the key to leading HR during a
difficult time for a client organization?
SS: Remember to look at things with different lenses. One is
at the individual level, such as the people who work there, and
also the team level and the organizational level. In challenging
times, we need to step back and think from a systems perspective,
but also be able to bring it right down to the individual
level. As well, it’s important to ensure the majority of your
work is transformational. Use the same principles and apply
them consistently for better effectiveness across the organization.
In my past, I’ve been very transparent about sharing the
principles we use, and that helps people understand how we influence
and impact change.
HRP: What skills are important for success in HR?
SS: The three specific leadership competencies I would highlight
are developing coaching skills, understanding systems thinking
and business acumen – all are critical for any HR professional in
today’s world.
Continued on page 68
hr influencer
IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE
CONNECTION WITH
PEOPLE, AND CREATING
POLICIES AND PRACTICES
THAT MAKE THIS A BETTER
PLACE TO WORK, TO
PRACTICE, TO VOLUNTEER.
66 ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL