Excellence Canada Journey

Wellness@Work is using Excellence Canada's Healthy Workplace Standard to guide the strategy.  This Standard, developed by Excellence Canada in association with health, mental health, and work safety professionals from across Canada, is based on research and the outcomes of successful organizations. However, the goal of the initiative is not to achieve Excellence Canada's benchmarks but to use the benchmarks as guidance for our own initiatives.

Certification

In August 2017, the University of Guelph applied for, and was awarded, Bronze Level Healthy Workplace® Certification.  In November 2018, the U of G delegation accepted this award at the Canada Awards for Excellence Summit. 

In March 2019, U of G applied for, and was awarded Silver Level Healthy Workplace® Certification.  In November 2019, the U of G delegation accepted this award at the Canada Awards for Excellence Summit. 

Updated Standard

In February 2022, Excellence Canada updated its Healthy Workplace Standard. In the updated standard drivers and elements have changed.

The Healthy Workplace standard organizes desired outcomes by four drivers: 

1. Leadership and Commitment
2. Planning and Risk Management
3. Implementation and Evaluation
4. People and Well-being. 

The Four Elements of the Healthy Workplace Standard include: 

1. Physical Well-being 
   • Occupational health and safety
   • Control of physical risks and hazards
   •  Secure environment/personal safety
   • Built Environment
   • Accessibility
   • Workspace
   • Healthy lifestyles
   • Infectious disease control
2. Psychological Well-being
   •  Psychological protection
   • Involvement and influence
   • Work life balance
   • Civility and respect
   • Resilience
   • Job demands and workload
   • Support systems
   • Equity, diversity, and inclusion
   • Care and compassion
   • Spirituality
   • Financial wellness
   • Recognition and rewards
3. Social Well-being
   • Sense of Belonging and connectedness
   • Engagement
   • Collaboration and knowledge sharing
   • Growth and development
   • Communication
4. Community Well-being
   • Environmental stewardship
   • Social Justice
   • Volunteering
   • Community involvement
   • Community partnerships