Culture Of Care

• The safety, health, well-being and flourishing of faculty, staff and students underpin the implementation of this strategic plan — in every initiative of every size.
• We are committed to our people’s physical, psychological and cultural safety, and to providing a safe and healthy work and study environment that enables high-quality education and research.
• We will take a leading role in confronting issues of importance to communities across Alberta — such as energizing and diversifying economic development, improving health-care delivery, reducing poverty, addressing community safety and enhancing sustainability.
• We will continue to play a vital role in the social and cultural lives of our communities, convening diverse individuals and communities to pursue shared, positive outcomes and improve the lives of all Albertans.
• Cultural diversity informs every aspect of our teaching and learning.

• Utilize university infrastructure (physical, web and communications) to acknowledge the foundational nature of Canada’s relationships with diverse Indigenous nations, the First Peoples of the places that the University of Alberta currently manages, and to create safe and welcoming spaces for all.
• Create safe and welcoming physical and virtual spaces for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students, faculty, staff and community members.
• Build Indigenous virtual and in-person networks as a community-building exercise and in acknowledgment of the fact that, due to colonial trauma, universities are often the first safe place in which some Indigenous individuals are able to explore identity and reconnect with community.
• Create and offer anti-racism and cultural sensitivity training in partnership with relevant units for all U of A faculty, staff and students.

• The People Strategy is about cultivating a vibrant and inclusive community where people at all levels thrive professionally and personally, including through a safe and healthy environment and culture.
• Prioritizing health and well-being is a key theme, including the safety gained through acknowledging and addressing the physical, psychological and cultural aspects of well-being.
• This focus will allow members of the university community to feel empowered, energized and supported, making the U of A an employer of choice that provides people a setting in which to create long and rewarding careers.

• Support Researchers with Tools and Infrastructure: Strengthen guidelines and develop knowledge bases for research-related administrative, financial and infrastructure operations and protocols, as well as occupational health and safety compliance activities.
• The result will be a prevailing climate of support for researchers and research: one that fosters multidisciplinary engagement; provides safety in the pursuit of various lines of inquiry.
• We are committed to safe and responsible research, creative work, knowledge mobilization, social and technological innovation, and commercialization activities, regardless of disciplines and our partners’ geographic locations.
• Objective 2.2.: Strengthen guidelines and develop knowledge bases for research-related administrative, financial and infrastructure operations and protocols, as well as occupational health and safety compliance activities.
  • 1. Develop communication and training assets for researchers and trainees at all stages, focusing, especially on early-career researchers.
  • Action 2: Improve, coordinate and expand institutional researcher onboarding and support processes for administrative, operational, facilities, safety and financial matters.
• Develop and expand robust and secure safeguarding research systems, including data storage, data exchange and data management systems.

• “Without safety and security throughout the campus, at campus events, on the LRT/all areas to do with transportation, the [SEAP] vision is impossible. Safety and security are EVERYTHING.”
• Similarly, safety extends beyond physical security on campus to cultural and emotional safety in all U of A spaces.
• Being able to be one’s whole self on campus is essential to a positive experience and success. While physical safety is often top of mind, being able to practice culture on campus through prayer, food, celebration, dress and other forms of engagement is crucial to ensuring a positive experience.
• Safety concerns relating to transit use is of particular note, given the U of A’s high commuter student population.
• Students shared how their safety concerns are increasingly impacting their choices, specifically the times of day and night they feel unsafe coming and going from campus.
• Situate student voices and experiences in the application of all safety initiatives by implementing the key actions of the University of Alberta Safety and Security Committee’s 2023 Security Report that is guided by a holistic approach to security and public safety.
• Success outside of the classroom includes improving access to services that bolster mental and physical well-being and an abundance of easily navigable information so students can find the supports they need, no matter the circumstances.
• Participants in the talking circle for Indigenous and racialized students reflected on the importance of cultural and emotional safety on campus, which is individualized depending on a student’s identity.

Employees have every right to expect they will return to their families healthy and safe at the end of their day. The same holds true for members of the public who access university services. An embedded safety culture means elevating health and safety to a core value within the U of A – it means a university commitment to the physical, psychological and cultural safety and well-being of the university community.

Safety Definitions

• Psychological safety means “a workplace that promotes workers’ psychological well-being and actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health including in negligent, reckless, or intentional ways” (CSA National Standard, 2013). It is “the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” (Edmondson, 1999).
• Cultural safety means an environment where employees can be their authentic selves. Employees should feel safe no matter how they identify as a human. University employees (and students) are diverse in their identities, including, but not limited to: gender, faith, mobility, linguistically and culturally. No employee should have to mask their authentic selves. Every employee should feel accepted and respected for who they are, in all of their complex identities and for the gifts that they uniquely contribute to the workplace.
• Physical safety means an environment where physical hazards are identified, assessed and controlled through a combination of elimination/substitution, engineering, administrative and personal protective equipment measures to prevent bodily injury or illness to a person or damage to property or the environment.

• The University of Alberta recognizes that its faculty and staff are crucial to its success in delivering outstanding research and education. To achieve this, it is important to create an environment that promotes well-being in all its dimensions (mental, physical, social, emotional, spiritual and financial health).
• The University of Alberta is committed to providing comprehensive programs and services that promote mental well-being and work/life harmony for all employees.
• The university adopts a holistic approach to mental well-being, which involves taking proactive measures and addressing mental health challenges early or before they develop.
• Ultimately, the aim of the plan is to improve the mental well-being of our employees – and remove the stigma around openly addressing mental health issues.