Program & Keynotes

Dave Carroll’s “United Breaks Guitars” story has been called a “one in a billion experience” with implications in the worlds of Customer Service, Social Media, Branding and Self-Empowerment.

Dave Carroll is an award winning singer-songwriter and social media innovator from Halifax Canada. When faced with a difficult customer service issue while flying with United Airlines in 2009 (they broke his guitar in transit), Dave used his ability as a master storyteller to share the experience with the world. The resulting YouTube music video called “United Breaks Guitars” became an instant viral hit, the #1 music video in the world and today, over 150 million people have been introduced to his story.An overarching theme of Dave’s presentation is that we are all fundamentally connected to one another, and the implications of this are huge. It means that the only way to operate effectively in business is to engrain a culture of caring in your organization. Caring includes deliberate care into developing your products and services, care in customer service, but most of all care for the people in your organization who are your brand. Caring has no bounds, is usually free and when it does cost money, it is an investment that pays dividends later. Unlike inauthentic policies designed to imitate genuine caring, Dave will share how true caring-based decisions in one area spill over into all aspects of your organization.During his presentation Dave will share his airline experience, starting with the navigation of a frustrating customer service maze to the launch of his first of three United Breaks Guitars videos, and then through the media frenzy that followed. He will show how there is profit to be made by improving customer service, and how embracing social media is a benefit to your brand. Even more so, Dave will encourage companies to embrace social media as an opportunity to co-create their brand for the benefit of all.

Dave’s relaxed, authentic and often funny delivery of the events makes for a compelling and entertaining lesson. The audience will leave with a better understanding that we are all inherently connected, that social media allows us to experience those connections and that if you can energize a network with genuine caring that everyone, from shareholders to employees to consumers, will benefit and that one person can accomplish amazing things in the age of social media.

Canada – Europe Exchange on Workplace Mental Health
Presented by: Sari Sairanen, National Health and Safety Director at the CAW and Thomas Schneberger, Head of Workplace Health Management for RWE AG in Germany

Join experts, Sari Sairanen and Thomas Schneberger for an exchange of ideas on workplace mental health strategies between Canada and Europe.  Thomas is the Head of Workplace Health Management for RWE AG in Germany and will speak on RWE’s long-standing workplace mental health strategy as well as provide a bigger picture on the European governmental program on mental health and well-being at work being rolled out throughout Europe. Sari sat on the technical committee for the development of the new national Standard of Canada on Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace and will share with us her experiences there, as well as some specific ways that the CAW is promoting workplace mental health in Canada.  Join us for this lively exchange of ideas, and come away with new strategies and inspiration for implementing workplace mental health strategies in your own organization!

Sponsored by

Put on Your Oxygen Mask First:  Sustainable leadership for a better workplace
Presented by Amy Jen Su, BA, MBA, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Isis Associates

In our final keynote program, executive coach, speaker, and author, Amy Jen Su, will share how building an authentic and connected leadership presence can help us to navigate and sustain ourselves amidst growing organizational complexity and adversity found in many workplaces today. Drawing on a decade of experience coaching and training thousands of leaders across a variety of industries to success, Amy will share the secrets to honing a “Signature Voice” — an effective presence whereby we lead with greater consciousness in bringing our value and distinction for the greatest benefit and impact of our organizations and communities.

Amy will share stories from her own journey from being a driven management consultant, to her life changing decision to leave the organization after suffering from chronic back pain and RSI, to finally co-founding an executive coaching and leadership development firm with the mission to help leaders who want to make a sustainable impact on their teams, their organizations and the world.

In addition, Amy will share highlights from HBR Press book, “Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Leadership Presence” she co-authored with Muriel Maignan Wilkins, and her Huffington Post blog on how to “Put on Your Oxygen Mask First” as we meet the call as leaders to transform our workplaces today.

Leading for Success: A whole person approach to building leadership presence
Presented by Amy Jen Su, BA, MBA, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Isis Associates

In this practical follow-up workshop led by our final keynote speaker, Amy Jen Su will lead an interactive and experiential session on how to build an authentic leadership presence that is also adaptable and scalable to navigating the complexity and challenges of today’s organizational life. In an increasingly global and matrixed world, leaders must be able to effectively influence and lead across multiple constituencies and platforms. Technical or functional brilliance alone is no longer enough to fulfilling the goals and missions of our organizations.

Drawing on 10 years of training thousands of leaders on the topic of leadership presence and based on the HBR Press book, “Own the Room”, co-authored with Muriel Maignan Wilkins, Amy will share the winning formula for success on how to stay present, listen, and share one’s views, even in the face of disagreement, where respect for self and others have been preserved. The group will together raise each other’s self and situational awareness as well as gain new ways of strengthening our mindsets as leaders, increase our communications skills, and more effectively manage our energy. The intent is to bring a whole-person approach to strategies and practices for building leadership presence we can immediately put into place following the Conference.

How Mental Illness and Addiction Works – in the Brain, and at Work!©
Presented by Harry Vedelago, MSc., MD, FCFP, ABAM, Director of of the Addiction Division at Homewood Health Centre and Karen Vonkeman, BSc. Kin, CEC, Director Organizational Wellness at Homewood Human Solutions

Part one of our workshop, The Addicted Brain Unplugged, focuses on addiction and its effect on the brain. Using plain language and simple analogies, this workshop incorporates the latest scientific research to explain the science of addiction – the neural physiological changes in the brain of an addicted person – so the audience gains a first-hand experience and understanding of addiction from an addict’s point of view. This discussion will also review how mental illness is often concurrent with addiction.

In part two of our workshop, Mental Illness SOS, you will learn the facts about mental illness and addiction as it relates to the workplace, and build skills to recognize the signs and symptoms of the more common illnesses—substance abuse, depression, mood disorders/bipolar, and anxiety. You will join a group discussion on how to be responsive to the needs of employees, and on the essentials that should be in place to support employees with mental illness.  Next, you will build confidence and practice ways to respectfully approach employees that may be at risk. The knowledge gained will be applied to create strategies to support a psychologically healthy workplace, and to develop an action plan outline that pertains to your own workplace.

Sponsored by:

Stream: Leadership

Managing Teams – Leadership to Build Engaged and Resilient Teams

Presented by Mary Ann Baynton, MSW, RSW, Member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Workforce Advisory Committee, co-chair on the Technical Committee for a National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety and Program Director for the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace

Wouldn’t it make all our working lives easier to have motivated and engaged teams? This session will explore team building activities for a psychologically healthy workplace and go beyond resolving conflict to activities that can help you create high functioning teams, providing practical strategies to build resilience in your team, thereby improving your own mental health at work. Whether your work environment needs improvement or your team dynamic is fairly healthy to begin with, you will benefit from these time and cost-effective team-building strategies. As many sectors continue to face changes, uncertainty and increased job demands, we recognize that many of these challenges are outside our own influence or control. However, leaders play an integral role in maintaining strong organizational health, by shifting the focus instead to establishing a productive environment where employees are engaged – which often begins with a leader who sets the tone for team dynamics, creating a positive work environment for yourself and those you lead.

Sponsored by:

Stream: Workplace Culture

Taking Care of Our People; Taking Care of Our Business: Transforming Culture
Presented by Lynn Bailey BSc., MA, Ret’d ADM of British Columbia’s Environmental Protection Division, Vice-chair of the Capital Regional District’s Round Table on the Environment and Marie MacDonald BSc., MSW, Executive Consultant and Coach in Organizational Performance

How do you go about shifting the culture of an organization? Among the critical components are shared values and decision-making, leaders who model the culture and continuous learning across the organization. Follow the journey taken by British Columbia’s Environmental Protection Division who consciously set out to build and sustain a healthy learning culture over 10 years of continuous effort, applying principles of organizational culture, change leadership, systems thinking, building a learning culture, organizational health, emotional intelligence and capacity building. In employee engagement surveys the staff have consistently rated the following key elements of a learning culture as organizational strengths: empowerment, teamwork, a respectful environment and supportive supervisors. This insightful and energetic session uses a playful combination of theoretical and interactive learning using an array of individual, small and large group activities as well as video resources, so that participants learn the core elements of building and sustaining a learning culture.

Stream: Return on Investment

Making the Business Case for Investments in Workplace Health and Wellness
Presented by Louise Chénier, Network Manager, Conference Board of Canada Council on Workplace Health and Wellness

Explore the return on investment on organizational health and wellness programs and how to calculate your own wellness returns. During this session, Louise Chénier, will provide the story behind the numbers and share the results of a recent Conference Board research study on building the business case for investments in workplace health and wellness, including which tools are the most effective when measuring the impact of wellness programs. In addition, participants will hear details of in-depth case studies on how employers of all sizes, representing a number of different industries, have implemented their wellness strategy, how they measure the impact of their programs, and the outcomes of their initiatives. Topics to be covered include the importance of investing in workplace wellness programs; how to implement a comprehensive workplace wellness program; the benefits of and barriers to measuring ROI; how to evaluate workplace wellness programs and tools for evaluating workplace wellness programs; a measurement framework for workplace wellness programs; a metrics checklist for employers; and actual return-on-investment calculations.

Stream: New Initiatives (two exciting, new initiatives highlighted)

Building a Better Workplace, One Conversation at a Time
Presented by Janice MacInnis, BComm, MAdED, Coordinator of Organizational Health at Dalhousie University

More often than not, solving problems and driving change requires having honest, and often challenging, conversations. These conversations can be opportunities to gain input, overcome barriers, or change behaviour yet we almost all struggle having them. We avoid, wait too long, or send a message rather than initiate a discussion. These tactics all serve to contribute to the problem we are trying to solve and enable issues to continue unaddressed, resulting in a workplace culture that avoids rather than tackles its problems. This session will provide insight into the initiative undertaken at Dalhousie University in Halifax to address the need for increased capacity for having effective dialogue. Participants will leave understanding the impact of the quality of dialogue in organizations and empowered to assess their workplaces’ dialogue quality and access useful resources.

Stream: New Initiatives (two exciting, new initiatives highlighted)

Gratitude and its Role in Organizational Well-Being
Presented by Jim Moss, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer (and patient zero) of The Smile Epidemic

Coaching for organizations to develop happier, healthier employees through daily interventions of gratitude in the workplace. The Smile Epidemic is a scientifically-supported and evidence-based social sharing program that is geared to developing a happier and healthier mental state in both individuals and organizations. The Smile Epidemic is in 125 Countries and 450 cities globally, with a Facebook page growing at 250 % a week and on some days, reaches over 500 million impressions. This year, the program launched campus-wide at Wilfrid Laurier University, as part of the school’s mandate to improve mental health on campus. Research suggests that when our brains start to scan our environment for positive and present moments; we spend more time looking for ways to be grateful and that we eventually become more grateful for our environment. Organizational happiness and the impact of happier employees from an economic and overall well-being standpoint is a topic that is discussed more frequently than in years past, which will be explored in this highly engaging session.

Stream: Workplace Culture

Peer Support – an Emerging Approach for Workplace Wellness
Presented by Lt. Col (Ret’d) Stephane Grenier and Dr. Ian Arnold, MSc., CSPQ, DOHS, FCBOM, FRCPC, CEA, CRSP Mental Health Innovations Consulting

The World Health Organization predicts that depression alone will become the second leading cause of disability by 2020, surpassing heart disease, and conservative estimates have established that approximately 10% of the working population have a mental health problem. These realities and its impact on work on individual companies and the Canadian economy as a whole make it a prime concern for all businesses. Research has shown that ‘peer support programs’ can play an integral role in workplace wellness. It works because it is natural, organic and authentic, and at its heart, relies on the intrinsic value of two people interacting with one another as equals to alleviate stigma and foster healthier coping strategies. Those who have benefitted from peer support cited: better coping skills, better understanding of mental health issues and services, less isolation and more community engagement, greater ability to reach life goals and experience a sense of accomplishment, increased quality of life, fewer crises and hospitalizations, better treatment compliance and more treatment-seeking.

This workshop, facilitated by two exceptionally experienced Canadian pioneers of mental health awareness, will discuss how peer support programs can assist in the creation of mentally healthy workplaces, enhance employee satisfaction and retention, decrease absenteeism and reduced disability benefits costs, improve effectiveness of return-to-work programs and a decrease in relapses, improve sustainability and competitiveness of Canadian businesses, combat the stigma surrounding mental illness, thereby encouraging people to seek early treatment and creating a more caring, compassionate and inclusive workplace, and strengthen Canada’s formal mental health care system. The value of Peer Support will also be the subject of an interactive approach to further engage conference participants and early results of work done in workplaces will also be presented as part of the overall session.

Stream: Leadership

Managing Teams (also offered earlier Oct. 17)
Presented by Mary Ann Baynton, MSW, RSW, Member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Workforce Advisory Committee, co-chair on the Technical Committee for a National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety and Program Director for the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace

We want to have motivated and engaged teams – wouldn’t it really make all our working lives easier!? This session will explore team building activities for a psychologically healthy workplace and go beyond resolving conflict to activities that can help you create high functioning teams, providing practical strategies to build resilience in your team, thereby improving your own mental health at work. Whether your work environment needs improvement or your team dynamic is fairly healthy to begin with, you will benefit from these time and cost-effective team-building activities. As many sectors continue to face changes, uncertainty and increased job demands, we recognize that many of these challenges are outside your influence or control. However, leaders play an integral role in maintaining strong organizational health, by shifting the focus instead to establishing a productive environment where employees are engaged – which often begins with a leader who sets the tone for team dynamics, creating a positive work environment for yourself and those you lead.

Stream: Workplace Culture

Strategies for a Respectful, Resilient Worklife (also offered Oct. 18)
Presented by Michael P. Leiter, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Occupational Health and Well-being at the Department of Psychology, Acadia University

Relationships among colleagues and of supervisors with members of their workgroups are pivotal points in an organization. The quality of those relationships defines a workgroup’s potential to thrive in a changing world of shifting priorities. The quality of working relationships is a major determinant of employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing. Co-worker and supervisory relationships make distinct contributions to employees’ experience of work-life. This session leads participants through reflection on civility within their work settings. It provides strategies for individuals and organizations to foster greater civility, respect and engagement at work.

Sponsored by

Breakout Sessions – Set 3

Stream: Workplace Culture

Divided We Fall: An Exploration of Gossip, Factions and Other Divisive Influences in the Workplace (also offered Oct. 18)
Presented by Alan Caplan MA, CCC and Sharon G. Bronstein MSW, RSW Partners, Co-founders and Facilitators with Open Hand Teambuilding

This session explores some of the situations at work that undermine group cohesion and trust: bullying, gossip, cliques and undermining. Interactive games, dialogue, small group work and case studies will simulate the dynamics of gossip and factioning to develop a deeper understanding of what influences people to act this way and how to alter these dynamics. We will explore why people love to gossip, what it is that they find so satisfying, as well as the short and long-term effects on the work place. Strategies that create cohesion, clarity and understanding will be demonstrated.

Stream: Return on Investment

Sun Life-Ivey Canadian Wellness ROI Study (also offered Oct. 18)
Presented by Dr. Michael Rouse BA, DMS, MA, PhD, Strategy Professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business and Assistant Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine, Western University

Where is the evidence that wellness strategies provide a return on investment for employers? Sun Life Financial engaged the Richard Ivey School of Business to explore this question rigorously. Michael Rouse shares Phase 1 findings of the Sun Life-Ivey Canadian ROI Study, a meta-analysis of global wellness program research. Given the absence of Canadian research, a Phase 2 treatment and control group study of a comprehensive wellness program has been launched. Two years of wide-ranging data will be analyzed including employee health, productivity, claims and more, to calculate ROI. While early in the data collection stage, findings to-date are shared.

Sponsored by

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 17th year of the conference than featuring an Atlantic Canadian Kitchen Party, an exceptional social event, sponsored by Solareh. This traditional East Coast style ‘kitchen party’ is social and festive, featuring an iconic and lively instrumental jam session, irresistible sing-alongs, and if we’re really lucky – dance reels and jigs.The Atlantic Canadian Kitchen Party is an evening of story-telling through music, featuring an internationally renowned Halifax-based band; the Sons of Maxwell, a versatile full band with 4 CDs of their own and who bring a broad repertoire, widely recognizable traditional East Coast/Irish music and popular music (think of Great Big Sea and The Barra MacNeils). Performances are designed to be entertaining, get people involved and feel energized.You may be familiar with the saying, “all good parties end-up in the kitchen,” and while there is no one universal definition for an Atlantic Canada kitchen party, what makes this unique is the amount of traditional music. Unlike a songwriters circle, where the audience sit quietly listening to people tell the back story to original songs, people leave a kitchen party having really experienced the party or if they feel the desire – participate through music and dance.

Sponsored by

Stream: Leadership

Making a Difference in Tough Times: Transformational Leadership Rooted in Vision and Values
Presented by Georgina MacDonald, BA, MA Vice President of Planning and Improvement at VIHA and Marie MacDonald BSc. MSW, Executive Consultant and Coach in Organizational Performance

When times are tough, why do some organizations fail and others thrive? In one word: Leadership! This is the inspirational story of the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s (VIHA) engagement with 20,000 staff to create a new vision and values that are meaningful and of strategic and lasting value to the organization. Like all health care organizations in Canada, VIHA is facing many strategic challenges: changing demographics that are transforming health care needs; funding constraints; increasing public expectations; an aging workforce; a new generation of staff and physicians who have different personal values and expectations; and a need to fundamentally transform how services are organized and delivered. The “new normal” for organizations has become a state of uncertainty and constant change. While many organizations are trying to manage in traditional ways, others like VIHA, focus on leadership and engagement as the best way forward. The session will provide an overview of how VIHA worked its way through a challenging climate, shifting from being effective only in certain and steady times, to having flexible, adaptive systems structured for today’s complex and chaotic world.

Stream: Workplace Culture

Strategies for a Respectful, Resilient Worklife (also offered Oct. 17)
Presented by Michael P. Leiter, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Occupational Health and Well-being at the Department of Psychology, Acadia University

Relationships among colleagues and of supervisors with members of their workgroups are pivotal points in an organization. The quality of those relationships defines a workgroup’s potential to thrive in a changing world of shifting priorities. The quality of working relationships is a major determinant of employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing. Co-worker and supervisory relationships make distinct contributions to employees’ experience of work-life. This session leads participants through reflection on civility within their work settings. It provides strategies for individuals and organizations to foster greater civility, respect and engagement at work.

Stream: Workplace Culture

Divided We Fall: An Exploration of Gossip, Factions and Other Divisive Influences in the Workplace (also offered Oct. 17)
Presented by Alan Caplan MA, CCC and Sharon G. Bronstein MSW, RSW, Partners, Co-founders and Facilitators with Open Hand Teambuilding

This session explores some of the situations at work that undermine group cohesion and trust: bullying, gossip, cliques and undermining. Interactive games, dialogue, small group work and case studies will simulate the dynamics of gossip and factioning to develop a deeper understanding of what influences people to act this way and how to alter these dynamics. We will explore why people love to gossip, what it is that they find so satisfying, as well as the short and long-term effects on the work place. Strategies that create cohesion, clarity and understanding will be demonstrated.

Stream: Return on Investment

Sun Life-Ivey Canadian Wellness ROI Study (also offered Oct. 17)
Presented by Dr. Michael Rouse BA, DMS, MA, PhD, Strategy Professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business and Assistant Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine, Western University

Where is the evidence that wellness strategies provide a return on investment for employers? Sun Life Financial engaged the Richard Ivey School of Business to explore this question rigorously. Michael Rouse shares Phase 1 findings of the Sun Life-Ivey Canadian ROI Study, a meta-analysis of global wellness program research. Given the absence of Canadian research, a Phase 2 treatment and control group study of a comprehensive wellness program has been launched. Two years of wide-ranging data will be analyzed including employee health, productivity, claims and more, to calculate ROI. While early in the data collection stage, findings to-date are shared.

Sponsored by

Spotlight Session sponsored by

Planning for Prevention: Your Role in the Absence Equation
Presented By:  Sean Slater, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Business Development, Solareh

Failing to plan, or planning to fail?  Preventing absence doesn’t just happen.  Prevention requires the active participation of a multitude of stakeholders including group benefits insurers, advisors, human resource professionals, managers, and employees.  Each of these key stakeholders plays an important role in readying an organization for the important business of identifying and managing mental health related absences.

The impact of mental illness on the Canadian economy is estimated to be $50 billion dollars a year.  Best intentions aren’t enough to have a meaningful and lasting impact, and neither are complex tools and programs.  Successful organizations know that there’s a recipe to follow, and getting it right has never been so important.

In this session, we’ll discuss steps that organizations can take to help get headed down the right path, and to help them stay on it.

Spotlight Session sponsored by

Leveraging the Power of Programs, Partnerships and People for Better Health Outcomes
Presented By Chris Camp – Chair, Halifax Professional Firefighters Benefits Trust
Leanne MacFarlane – Senior Director Business Development, MHCSI- Managed Health Care Services Inc.
Paul MacKenzie, Fire Fighter & Family Assistance Coordinator, HRM

Hear firsthand how the Halifax Professional Firefighters Benefits Trust took the health and wellness of their members “to heart” and continue to develop new programs.  Learn how their commitment to funding health and wellness plans enabled them to tackle cardiovascular health- their number one health issue by introducing a Healthy Heart Program focused on screening and intervention with impressive results.  Participants will also learn how thinking outside the box, seeking partnerships, engaging plan members and providing innovative programs like peer assistance, hands-on nutrition education, and depression case management have lead to better health outcomes and continued support for future programming.

Spotlight Session sponsored by

Building a Culture of Sustainability Through Creativity and Communication
Presented By: Jennifer Walinga, PhD, Associate Professor School of Communication and Culture, Royal Roads University

A critical mass of business leaders increasingly views sustainability as one of the competitive lynchpins within their sector. The ‘greening’ of external organizational practices and goals has brought into focus the importance of internal organizational health. This session explores how to facilitate a shift in organizational culture using the principles of Integrated Focus – the harmonization of core human values with financial and environmental goals. The fundamental principles discussed in this session derive from extensive applied and theoretical research in the areas of human and organizational behaviour, communication, creative problem solving, decision making, change and leadership.