If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know that nurturing a healthy workplace at the Toronto Police Service is of key importance to the Toronto Police Services Board. We are working hard to ensure that the Toronto Police Service is the employer of choice for new recruits and people coming from other services. As you will see from my quote in the Toronto Sun today, the health and welfare of our officers is a paramount concern to the Board. That is why we are so thrilled that the Toronto Police Service is the inaugural winner of the Ontario Psychological Healthy Workplace Award . Here are my remarks from yesterday’s award ceremony.
Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award Presentation
May 1, 2008
Speaking Notes for Chair Alok Mukherjee
On behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, I am delighted to join our colleagues in accepting the Ontario Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award conferred on the Toronto Police Service. I am so pleased to be joined by my colleague, Ms. Judi Cohen.
I would like to express our sincere thanks to the Ontario Psychological Association for this important recognition. This award means a great deal to us because, for both the Board and the Service, the health and wellness of our members is a matter of paramount concern.
Let me take this opportunity to note that, last year, the Board approved a progressive new policy on Occupational Health and Wellness. This policy is a concrete demonstration of our commitment to the goal of enhancing employee wellness and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces.
We believe that psychological wellness is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to building a truly healthy workplace. This is especially true for people who work in the complex and challenging profession of policing.
On a daily basis, members of our police service deal with a variety of situations and events, many of which can be extremely taxing from a psychological perspective. They respond routinely to tragic events. Hardly a day goes by when they are not called upon to intervene in heartbreaking family situations. They experience sadness, horror, shock and awe. Helping people suffering from mental illness is a regular part of their job. They also work long hours, often with erratic schedules. And, they do their work under the constant glare of intense public scrutiny, with little margin for error.
As the employer of people engaged in doing this onerous work at significant personal cost, we have a responsibility to pay great attention to the psychological wellness of our employees.
I should add, as well, that we have this responsibility from a public interest point of view. Our employees interact with members of the public in many sensitive and delicate situations. We believe that psychological wellness is critical for ensuring that those interactions are always positive and professional. In other words, psychological wellness of police officers is a major contributor to the quality of service to the public.
This award is, for me, a wonderful recognition of the value and the effectiveness of our efforts.
There is one person whom I would like at this time to acknowledge, in particular. I am referring to Dr. Carol Vipari, our Corporate Psychologist. Dr. Vipari has been a tremendous champion of a psychologically healthy workplace, and has worked tirelessly to advance this important cause in our organization. Thank you, Dr. Vipari.
Thank you.
