At McMaster, we recognize the importance of establishing and fostering a psychologically safe, inclusive, and accessible university which promotes and supports the mental health and well-being of every student, staff and faculty member in all of its activities and creates the conditions for all to flourish. McMaster University is committed to being a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. A psychologically safe workplace has been defined by Amy Edmondson as “a belief that no one will be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking”.

The material provided on this website will help employees and managers understand how to foster a psychologically safe environment, where employees can ask questions, voice concerns, acknowledge mistakes, and present ideas without fear of embarrassment, rejection or punishment. Numerous studies have shown that the presence of psychological safety amongst a team creates a stronger sense of belonging, boosts employee engagement, and drives creativity, innovation and team efficiency. This leads to improvements in communication and collaboration, the ability to recruit and retain talent, better processes, and a reduction in health & safety issues and absenteeism.

The Working Mind (TWM) was developed to initiate a shift in the way you think, act, and feel about mental health.

It was designed to provide practical knowledge and skills to address mental health and mental illness in the workplace. It is intended for employees as well as managers, supervisors and team leads who manage and support teams.

Three Core Modules offer the same foundational content to both employee and people leader participants. They focus on increasing self-awareness and taking care of your own mental health. The Module for people leaders offers leadership-specific content and focuses on helping leaders support their teams’ mental health.  People leaders will complete the three core modules and the leader-specific module.