“It has been a very rewarding experience to work with EdCan and Well at Work over the past year. We have completed the Guarding Minds survey with our entire district and have worked with our advisor, Charlie Naylor, to understand the results and build an action plan. With the busy work schedule we have, Charlie continues to keep us on track and the work moving forward. We are making progress! One step at a time and with the help of one another. We know that our students will do better if our adults are doing better. We could not have done this work without his support.”

- Marcy VanKoughnett, Assistant Superintendent – Human Resources, School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia)

Black Gold School Division valued staff wellbeing, but before working with our Well at Work Advisor we were just spinning our wheels. Our Advisor reviewed our districts workplace wellbeing data, gathered perspectives from employees, and synthesized it into an easy-to-use report. The report made it easy to select our next steps and justify the investment into staff wellbeing.

Importantly, we were able to create a new Division Wellness Lead position, and the Well at Work Advisor’s Report was instrumental in onboarding the new hire. In the year since receiving our report, the Division has moved forward in several ways: restructuring how we deliver professional development to better accommodate schedules and reduce perceived workloads, funding for our in-school wellness champions for an additional year, fostering stronger relationships between school-based staff and senior leaders through regular school visits, and embedding wellbeing conversations into monthly board conversations. As we continue our work, we are focusing more attention to equity, diversity and inclusion to ensure wellbeing for all, and to ensure this work continues and grows through anticipated leadership changes.

Listen and watch their Division Lead Wellness Teacher share Black Gold School Division’s journey.

Le Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial (CSAP), le seul système d'éducation de langue française en Nouvelle-Écosse, a eu une expérience merveilleuse en travaillant avec notre conseillère Bien dans mon travail, Manon Séguin d'Ottawa. En tant que conseil scolaire francophone, nous avons été très heureux d'avoir l'opportunité de travailler en français avec notre conseillère. Avant de travailler avec Manon, le CSAP avait établi le bienêtre au travail comme une priorité. Le rapport de notre conseillère nous a apporté de la clarté sur notre situation actuelle et les prochaines étapes pour élaborer et mettre en œuvre notre stratégie de bienêtre au travail.

Notre conseillère nous a aidé à partager les résultats avec nos employés, en préparant une présentation pour notre équipe de direction que nous avons pu partager avec le personnel de nos différentes écoles et bureaux. Ces présentations ont donné à notre équipe l'occasion de réfléchir aux résultats et d'identifier les priorités. Nous sommes heureux de dire qu'il n'y avait pas de surprises dans le rapport et que nous avons accepté toutes les recommandations.

Depuis la réception du rapport, notre conseil scolaire a progressé de plusieurs manières. Nous avons revitalisé notre comité de bienêtre en y incluant une représentation de tous les groupes d'employés pour assurer qu'il soit représentatif de notre personnel. Le comité affine actuellement une stratégie de bienêtre pour notre conseil scolaire. Notre département des ressources humaines a créé des comités employés-employeurs pour chaque groupe d'employés afin de s'assurer que les employés aient une voix dans les décisions qui affectent leur travail. Et notre équipe de gestion explore comment nous pouvons améliorer la communication avec notre personnel.

Écoutez François Rouleau, Direction régionale - regroupement Nord, qui explique comment le CSAP a intégré le bien-être du personnel dans son plan stratégique.

Our Well at Work Advisor’s report provided us with a solid foundation for advancing workplace wellbeing at Rocky View School Division. One of the first strategies Rocky View implemented was to create a new position dedicated to staff wellbeing. With our Wellbeing Coordinator hired, the Division has been able to move forward in other ways – collecting additional staff wellbeing data and convening a representative staff wellbeing committee.

In February 2023, the Division conducted the Guarding Minds at Work survey to gather additional staff wellbeing data. By segmenting the survey by role, we can see how different employee groups experience wellbeing.

February 2023 also saw the launch of a district-wide wellness committee. The representative committee consists of teachers, support staff, administrators, transportation staff, central office staff, the Director of HR and a representative from Alberta Health. The committee has met twice so far, and is currently exploring solutions to address burnout and to enhance appreciation and recognition.

Our Division's collaboration with EdCan's Well at Work team has been transformative in advancing our approach to workplace wellness. Through the K-12 Leadership Course, our leaders gained a shared language to engage in deeper discussions about wellness. EdCan's Well at Work advisors brought exceptional expertise, working closely with us to understand our Division's history, assess our current realities, and design a personalized framework that aligns with our vision for a healthier workplace. Their guidance has been instrumental in setting both short-term and long-term directions for our wellness initiatives.

Dr. Meg Miskolzie - Parkland School Division