IIRSM Partner Case Study: Workplace Options

Since 2022, IIRSM and Workplace Options (WPO) have enjoyed a valued corporate partnership rooted in a shared mission – to build safer, more supportive and psychologically healthy workplaces.

WPO delivers high-quality care digitally and in-person to more than 88 million people representing 113,000 organisations in more than 200 countries and territories and has been a proactive partner in advancing IIRSM’s work to raise awareness of the human side of risk. Together, the two organisations have collaborated on thought leadership, research, professional development and events that place people at the heart of workplace safety and resilience.

A highlight of the partnership has been a joint research project exploring the impact of psychological safety on organisational performance and employee wellbeing. The resulting report, The Impact of Psychological Safety on Employee Engagement and Risk Management, offers insights into how organisations can foster environments where people feel confident to speak up, take risks and learn from mistakes – essential ingredients of both innovation and safety culture.

IIRSM has also approved a suite of WPO courses that address the workplace impact of emotional wellbeing and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These programmes provide IIRSM members and the wider professional community with trusted learning opportunities designed to build empathy, awareness and inclusive leadership – key competencies for managing risk in modern organisations.

The IIRSM-approved WPO Wellbeing Ambassador Programme is part of an organisation’s strategic direction to create a safe and psychologically healthy workplace. The programme is a multi-pronged approach that includes three elements: wellbeing assessment, training of Managers, and training and support of Ambassadors.

The Wellbeing Ambassador Programme was the first of its kind deployed by a wellbeing solutions provider to establish individuals who are part of an organisation’s workforce as mental health ambassadors.

WPO has also sponsored the IIRSM’s Risk Excellence Awards, demonstrating the partnership’s dedication to celebrating organisations that take a proactive and preventative approach to risk management.

The partnership continues to spark meaningful dialogue on the evolving nature of work. At WPO’s recent virtual summit, Leading with Purpose: Employee Engagement Strategies to Inspire and Win, IIRSM’s Director of Professional Services, Sabreena Roberts, shared insights on the critical link between employee engagement, psychological safety and sustainable performance.

The summit reflected the shared commitment of both organisations to support leaders in building cultures where people can thrive.

Mary Ellen Gornick, Founding Partner of the WPO Consulting Group, says: “In collaboration, we can develop original content and share knowledge with our clients and IIRSM members which highlights the work we do at WPO in psychosocial risk and helps break down silos within organisations which are striving to tackle issues in the workplace. There are complimentary synergies within our organisations which provide benefits to both.”

Mary Ellen is a regular contributor to IIRSM’s members’ magazine, The Sentinel. Her articles inspire readers to recognise the essential role of wellbeing and inclusion in effective risk management and organisational success.