Bill Howatt | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Current position (1)

President and Founder of Howatt HR

Howatt HR Consulting

Degrees (6)

Behavioural Science

University of California, Los Angeles, Semel Institue for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour

2010 to 2012

Organizational Psychology

Walden University

2006 to 2010

MBA (c) Human Resources

Heriot-Watt University

2003 to 2008

Post MSc, Clinical Psychology Addictions

Walden University

2002 to 2004

ME.d Counselling Psychology

University of New Brunswick

1991 to 1993

BSc & BA, Education and Social Science

Acadia University

1982 to 1987

Bio

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Bio #1

Dr. Bill Howatt, founder and CEO of Howatt HR, refers to himself as a behavioural scientist with a keen curiosity for how employees and employers can work together to reduce mental harm and promote mental health in the workplace. He is known internationally and is one of Canada’s top experts in workplace psychological health and safety. Dr. Bill is on the CSA OHS Standards Steering Committee and Chair of the CSA Standard Z1008: Management of Substance Related Impairment in the Workplace. He is the co-creator of the Psychologically Safe Workplace Awards. Dr. Bill regularly contributes to workplace mental health research such as Canada Pandemic Pulse Check: COVID-19’s Impact on Canadians’ Mental Health with the Mental Health Commission of Canada; Moving to Action: Implementing the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services’ Mental Harm Prevention Roadmap; and Canada Standards Association Investigating employers’ practices in response to COVID-19 for safeguarding employees’ psychological health and safety in the workplace. He has 30 years’ clinical experience in mental health and addictive disorders.

Dr. Bill is the former Chief of Research, Workforce Productivity, at The Conference Board of Canada, and the former Chief of Research and Development, Workforce Productivity, at Lifeworks. Dr. Bill has created the senate-approved Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership and Certificate in Management Essentials, Pathway to Coping and Mental Fitness through the University of New Brunswick. He is the co-creator of the Psychological Health and Safety Facilitator Certificate.

Dr. Bill is a regular contributor and co-authors a blog with the CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada for WSPS Ontario CEO Health and Safety Leadership Network. Dr. Bill has published over 50 books, such as The Globe and Mail bestseller, The Cure for Loneliness, and Stop Hiding and Start Living. He is a regular contributor to Talent Canada, OHS Magazine, and The Chronicle Herald and has published over 350 articles with The Globe and Mail.

Dr. Bill Bio 2023

Dr. Bill Howatt is the Founder and President of Howatt Human Resources Consulting. He refers to himself as a behavioural scientist passionate about guiding employees and employers in creating psychologically safe, inclusive, and thriving cultures. Dr. Bill has over 30 years of clinical experience in mental health and addictive disorders. He is known internationally and is one of Canada’s top workplace mental health experts.

He regularly contributes to workplace mental health research such as: Moving to Action: Implementing the Workplace Safety& Prevention Services’ Mental Harm Prevention Roadmap and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Part 1: Investigating employers’ practices in response to COVID-19 for safeguarding employees’ psychological health and safety in the workplace and Part 2: Employees’ perceived psychological health and safety experience during COVID-19 through an inclusion lens. Dr. Bill is the Chair of the CSA Technical Committee on the Management of Impairment and is a member of the CSA Strategic Steering Committee on Occupational Health and Safety.

Dr. Bill is the former Chief of Research, Workforce Productivity, at The Conference Board of Canada and the former Chief of Research and Development, Workforce Productivity, at Lifeworks (formerly Morneau Shepell). Dr. Bill has created the senate-approved Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership & Certificate in Management Essentials, Pathway to Coping and Mental Fitness Practice through the University of New Brunswick. He is a co-founder of the B-to-B mental health app, MFIQ, designed to facilitate two-way accountability between employers and employees for protecting and promoting employees’ mental health.

He regularly contributes to the WSPS Trusted Leadership blog, OHS Magazine, Talent Canada, and The Globe and Mail, where he has over 300 articles. Dr. Bill has published over 60 books, including, The Globe Mail bestseller The Cure for Loneliness, Stop Hiding and Start Living, and most recently, No Regrets. He publishes a weekly newsletter, Exploring Workplace Mental Health. He is the co-developer of the Workplace Psychological Safety Assessment (WPSA), used to facilitate a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach to workplace mental health, and is the creator of the Master Class for How to Become an Impactful, Psychologically Safe Facilitator (PSF).

Education:

B.Sc. Physical Education, B.A., M.Ed. Counseling Psychology, M.Sc. Clinical Psychology, Ph.D.s in Counselling Psychology and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Ed.D., Post Doctorate Behavioral Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Presentations

Presentations (8)

No More Languishing

Workers’ and leaders’ emotional well-being is determined by the amount of time they spend in pleasant emotions (e.g., flourishing) and unpleasant emotions (e.g., languishing). Languishing is not a mental illness. It is a negative mental state that drains emotional well-being. When stress, uncertainty, or fear occupy the mind, this increases the risk of living in a constant state of languishing (i.e., feeling ‘blah’). An estimated 60% of the workforce is stuck in a chronic state of languishing that negatively impacts their employee experience, productivity, and mental health. The longer a person is stuck in languishing, the greater their risk of sick time, disability, and resignation.

Protecting Mental Health through Coping Skills

Are we in a mental health or coping crisis? Why are some people happier than others? Life is filled with challenges. How we cope with the stress of those challenges directly and profoundly affects our happiness and mental health, particularly in the workplace. Half a million Canadians miss work daily due to mental health issues. The effects of stress on workers’ and leaders’ mental health can negatively impact their overall quality of life and potential at home and work. Gaining insight into how daily micro-decisions impact resiliency and developing coping skills benefit employees’ and leaders’ experience and organizations’ capacity to achieve their full potential.

Unlocking the Habit of Mental Fitness: How behavioral health shapes emotional well-being

Mental fitness assists employees in maturing their resiliency, which provides additional personal psychological protection (PPP) that is the last line of defence for employees from workplace mental harm. Every employee owns their mental health. However, employers must acknowledge that it is important for them to engage in behaviors like creating a psychologically safe workplace that contribute to employees’ mental health.

This short program will provide employees and employers insight into behaviors that promote emotional well-being.

A hack for becoming a psychological safe leader

The goal of this talk is to provide leaders with a short cut for HOW to become a psychological safe leader. This presentation will provide leaders with four core competencies must be in place to be successful as a psychological safe leader, and with coaching tool for the kind of key performance behaviours that when mastered will create the habits required to facilitate a psychological safe and inclusive workplace.

Becoming a Positive, Psychologically Safe Leader

This program focuses on opportunities. Leaders who are aware that every interaction with their workers matter, are more likely to create positive emotions. The by-product is leaders are perceived as approachable, trustworthy, and caring. This only happens when leaders can build TRUST and increase workers’ confidence that their workplace is psychologically safe, free of fear and silence, and where they feel welcomed, valued, and included.

This presentation introduces leaders’ key performance behaviors (KPBs) and habits for becoming trusted and psychologically safe leaders. Dr. Howatt is a leading international expert in workplace mental health with an extensive background in leadership development and executive and team coaching for leaders to create psychologically safe workplaces.

Self-care: The Number One Protective Factor

The most important thing a leader can do for themselves, their organization, and reports is to regulate their emotions and maintain their emotional well-being. Stigma can be a barrier to asking for help. It also can be a barrier to engaging in self-care. Forbes reported that nearly 60% of leaders feel used up at the end of the workday. Eighty-four percent of workers say poorly trained leaders create unnecessary work and stress. Leaders experiencing unpleasant emotions and stress are more prone to be reactive, short, and irritable. Leaders who are stressed and feel overwhelmed often are not in tune with how their emotional wake can impact others. Mental health (i.e., behavioral health) is a pillar of self-care. It is not intuitive; it is a trainable skill. Self-care is leaders’ ability to mitigate their risk of mental harm and promote mental health. The environment can contribute to or take away from a leader’s overall well-being.

Banishing Burnout: Guidance for Leaders’ Self-Care & Employee Mental Health

Workplace stress and burnout since the pandemic globally have become a big challenge for workers, leaders, and employers. Some consequences are an increase in employee turn, a decline in worker and leader abilities and productivity (i.e., a decrease in discretionary effort and an increase in presenteeism), an increase in attendance, and STD and LTD disability claims due to mental health. How work is organized matters because workplace stress kills. In fact, 2.8 million workers die each year according to the UN because of how work is facilitated and organized. Dr. Bill Howatt an international expert in workplace mental health will provide leaders with awareness on the link between stress and burnout, and what leaders can do to support themselves and workers mitigate the risk for mental harm and burnout.

Mitigating Workers’ Job Demand Frustrations: Practical Psychologically Safe Leadership Tips

Many leaders are feeling constant pressure from employer expectations and employees’ concerns about how work is being organized. This can leave some leaders asking themselves “What can I do the work must get done.” When there is lots of work demand pressure a leader may not be able to control all the WHAT MUST GET DONE but they surely can play a role HOW WORK WILL GET DONE. Dr. Bill Howatt will provide leaders with some practical tips he has implemented when supporting and leading in the competitive and demanding financial world on Wall Street. Leaders’ self–care and commitment to being psychologically safe leaders provide the learner with the foundation to take the learning from this short course and to begin to apply them.

Workshops (1)

How to become an impactful Psychologically Safe Facilitator

Full day

A comprehensive, four-day program that includes preparation and post-work assignments that PSFs can use as their workplace mental health plans for the next 12 months. This program provides a learning experience for PSFs and facilitates a rapid mental health strategy for HOW employers can facilitate an evidence-based action plan. We call this a master course because learners can have their post-course assignments reviewed. The total commitment to complete this program is estimated at 35 hours. Upon completion, learners will receive a certificate of completion and be eligible for OHS and HR CEUs.

Past talks (2)

Panel

IPAC 2023 Conference

Ottawa

September 13, 2023

A Hack for Becoming a Psychologically Safe Leader

Fitness for Duty Summit

Virutal

October 18, 2023