The 5 My Healthy Workplace Learning Communities kicked off with gusto on May 7th at the Faculty Club – a first opportunity for some 60 participants to meet their Sponsor V.P. Yves Beauchamp. Excited to connect with the dynamic MHW Sponsor who will be vetting their projects, few expected to be presenting their ideas to a “Dragon’s Den” as well. Our playful and wise Dragons (members of the MHW Working Group) – Susan Murley, Senior Director, Strategic Communications and Planning; Francois Miller, Sustainability Director, McGill Office of Sustainability; and Anna Vrontakis, Associate Director, Internal Audit provided challenging, positive reinforcement and just the right dose of sound McGill advice to maximize project success.
Members of the 5 Learning Communities (LCs) have been mandated to tackle a known challenge/opportunity that aligns with the mandate of the My Healthy Workplace initiative and its efforts to meet Excellence Canada Standards as a “Healthy Workplace”. The LCs will be presenting their final recommendations to VP Beauchamp and other senior officials at the end of the Fall semester.
Consistent with Principal Fortier’s top priority of McGill University becoming a “LEARNING ORGANIZATION”, MHW is inspired by a learning organization model where learning community members are invited to:
- Provide creative and effective input to improve the workplace
- Develop resources and special events that engage the community and heighten awareness of key healthy workplace themes
- Meet with key university leaders to propose concrete actions that will make McGill an even healthier learning and work environment for al
In Principal Suzanne Fortier’s words, we aim…
- “…to create a workplace culture where staff are empowered to use their knowledge and expertise to make McGill a more agile and effective organization, a learning organization. …It is about building communities of engagement, where every person at every level takes advantage of opportunities to learn, where people feel connected to their jobs and their colleagues, and where people feel a sense of purpose and ownership.”
There are now over 100 people actively giving of their time and energy to make McGill the kind of workplace we all desire – engaging, inclusive, learning-centric and innovative. Participants include: leaders, diverse learning community representatives, My Healthy Workplace Working Group members and some 60 MHW Ambassadors committed to promoting health & learning in the workplace.
While our 5 Learning Communities tackle different angles of a Healthy Workplace – Quality, Service-Orientation, Wellness, Engagement, and Sustainability – members align on some important opportunities… Emergent themes include flex work, learning and development for all, the 13 Psychosocial Factors of a Healthy Workplace, Service Standards, recognition and more. Stay tuned as projects evolve!