Frontline Practitioners Well-Being

Summary

The study aims to improve the mental well-being conditions of people working on the frontline of ethnoculturally diverse serving organizations. Through having group discussions with a variety of people who have had experience working on the frontline in with ethnoculturally diverse communities, the study will work towards sharing what is effective and ineffective at promoting worker mental well-being. The study will also use an online survey, this is so participants can anonymously share their experiences and perspectives with the research team. The study will also involve with a member of leadership in a relevant organization.

Findings will be synthesized using thematic analysis (qualitative) and descriptive statistics (quantitative) and shared with stakeholders to inform policy and practice. We will follow the steps below:


Step 1: will involve an in-depth document review of CIWA's (Calgary Immigrant Women's Association) organization policies, staff exit interview data and tools used to promote frontline staff mental wellness.

Step 2: CIWA’s staff with voluntarily complete an anonymous surveys that examine the participants views on existing organizational front-line mental health policies and their perceptions on staff wellbeing within the organization. Participants will be informed that the completion of the survey is voluntary and will not impact their employment. Consent will be implied once they begin the survey. An overview of the survey will be included in the survey informing them that their participation is voluntary and they can choose to skip questions in the survey. They will be informed that once they press submit following the completion of the survey the information shared will not be able to be withdrawn as there will be no way of knowing which survey they completed.

Step 3: will be an interview with a member of leadership within CIWA. The interviewee will be informed of the purpose of the study and their participation is voluntary.

Step 4: will involve interviews with CIWA staff consisting of approximately 10 frontline staff. The interview will be facilitated by a member of the research team with questions inquiring about what CIWA does well to promote frontline mental wellbeing, burnout prevention and what tools are effective at promoting positive mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Step 5: will be an in-person world cafe event. Staff from organizations across Calgary and area who work with immigrants will be invited to participate. The participants of the world cafe will be notified of the date and time via email. At the beginning of the world cafe, the participants will be asked to provide verbal consent to sharing their experiences during the world cafe. There will be roundtable, audio recorded discussions that explore areas of strength and improvement in their organizations mental wellbeing policies. Food and drinks will be provided to participants.

Populations & Inclusion Criteria

CIWA Anonymous Survey: CIWA employees aged 18+, in any role (front-line, administrative, leadership).
CIWA Leadership Interview: 1–2 senior leaders with direct knowledge of organizational policies/decisions.
CIWA Interviews: CIWA front-line staff (e.g., caseworkers, outreach, program delivery) aged 18+.
World Café: Staff aged 18+ from immigrant-serving organizations in Calgary and areas.