Most people are familiar with the terms burnout and stress, and have an understanding of what poor workplace mental health looks like. But what is it that we are aiming for? What does a psychologically ‘well’ workplace look like?
Mental Health: What Does Good Look Like?
The World Health Organisation defines mental health as ‘a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.’
Notice that ‘good’ mental health isn’t defined as the absence of poor mental health, but rather a positive state in which people are able to thrive - to cope with stress, achieve goals, learn new things and contribute to the world around them.
What does this look like at work?
Psychologically Healthy Workplaces
The mental health spectrum is more like a spectrum than a see-saw. We can exist anywhere along a continuum from severe mental illness to flourishing, and we can thrive in some areas while we are doing less well in others.
“Flourishing” is multi-dimensional, and includes emotional, mental, social and spiritual health (or ‘psychosocial health.’) A Psychologically healthy workplace is one where most people tend to be further along the flourishing side of the continuum, more of the time than not.
Our psychological well-being has multiple components and we can be anywhere on a range from severely ill to managing to thriving.
Credit: Original artist unknown.
Imagine a healthy ecosystem: say a walk through a wilderness park, with a pond, trees, ferns and leaves underfoot; filled with fish, birds and insects all behaving as we would expect in their natural habitat. That’s what a healthy workplace looks like. One area of thriving tends to help other areas thrive, and conversely, one important component out of whack can impact other areas.
The challenge of measuring Psychosocial well-being
One of the challenges inherent in managing Psychosocial wellbeing at work and in creating psychologically healthy workplaces is the complexity of identifying, planning, and measuring complex human behaviours.
Workplaces, in theory, are structured and built around quantifiable things such as profit and loss, whereas human motivation, relationships, and responses to stressors can be much slipperier. This is where Psychology comes in - the science of human behaviour. Just as we would have a biologist measure and predict the health of an ecosystem, Psychologists are experts at monitoring human behaviour.
The Surgeon General’s Framework for Health and Wellbeing
Policy makers have recognised that workplace wellbeing has an enormous impact on population wellbeing and consequently, psychosocial health at work is becoming increasingly measured, monitored and legislated, with governments working in partnership with experts to propose models of workplace psychological health.
One example of this is the approach of the US Surgeon General, who has identified workplace wellbeing as a key priority, and states that workplaces can be ‘engines of wellbeing.’
This is a bold aim, when you think about it - a workplace as an engine of wellbeing means not only that our workplace impacts our wellbeing but that our workplace can be the driver of population thriving. And yet, when you consider that the average worker spends ten years of their life at work, this makes sense.
The U.S Surgeon General has worked in partnership with the APA (American Psychologists Association) to produce a framework for Mental Health and Wellbeing that workplaces can build from. This framework builds on five key components of psychosocial health at work.
The Five Key Components to Workplace Wellbeing (as per the US Surgeon General)
Credit: US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being see here
Let’s break these five components down.
Protection from harm
At its most basic, this means that work shouldn’t make us sick or harm us. We should feel that we are secure at work - this means feeling that we are both physically and mentally safe, and feeling that our job is secure.
- Adequate rest - do we earn enough at work to require only one job, working normal hours? Are our rest breaks and non-working time respected?
- Psychological Safety - can we own up to mistakes and suggest new ideas? Can we talk openly about mental health challenges?
- DE&I - Have we built an inclusive culture, where minority groups are safe to be themselves and diversity of ideas is celebrated rather than tolerated?
For more about Psychological Safety, which is one component of protection from harm - see our blog here.
Connection and Community
Experiencing connection and community at work means that we feel like we belong at work, and we have adequate social support systems where we can bounce ideas, collaborate effectively and simply enjoy the company of others. It means an absence of bullying and an environment where different people are respected and experience civility and dignity in their interactions with others.
- As our teams move toward an array of working patterns, organisations need to be intentional about how they actively promote collaboration between part-time and full-time workers, hybrid workers, home workers and in-office workers.
- Is time provided for collaboration and networking across teams in a way that allows for real connection, not simply ‘getting it done’ as quickly as possible?
- Do we trust our leaders? Are our leaders open about their own mistakes, ideas and challenges in a way that feels human and connect-able?
Work-life harmony
It’s interesting to see that the US Surgeon General highlights autonomy, flexibility and boundaries - each of these being predictors of, or safeguards against, burnout according to the work of Maslach and Leiter (see our recent blogs on burnout here and here).
- Autonomy - do we have the tools to do our job? How much control do we have over how we achieve our job objectives?
- Flexibility - Is our job role and leadership team accommodating towards our life needs? Are our hours adjustable? Is our schedule predictable?
- Boundaries - Quite simply, workplaces should not be contacting workers outside of agreed working hours. Workers should be able to trust that their non-working time will be respected as such.
Mattering at Work
We cannot all be engaged in world-altering work, and those who are (such as physicians and first-responders) can be at greater risk of burnout due to the stressors inherent in those types of occupations. So what does it mean to feel like our work matters, and why does it matter?
- A culture of recognition - do we feel adequately rewarded for what we do? Do we receive a fair and living wage?
- Do we feel appreciated at work?
- Organisations can help workers to feel a sense of purpose through clear communication. Can individual workers see how their contribution relates to the collective organisational purpose? Can people see that their work has a point?
Opportunity for Growth
No matter how much we enjoy our jobs, everyone needs the opportunity to grow and change.
- Are opportunities for advancement clear and equitable? Do people know what path they’re on?
- Does the organisation provide training and learning?
- Do people know how they’re doing? Do they receive clear and fair feedback?
How can Glia help?
We work with organisations to:
Measure how things currently are (using robust surveys, created by Psychologists, 1:1 and group feedback sessions, and observational data)
Create a picture of what good looks like for your people
Help your organisation get there, with a clear strategy and measurable outcomes.
Workplaces can be the engines for our wellbeing. Imagine the knock-on effect to our communities and our families if our workplaces made us thrive.
Psychological health is a key driver of happiness and we, as organisations, can create it in our people.
Contact us here to learn more about how we can help your people to thrive at work.
Credit / References:
Thank you to Dr. Mark Chan and Dr. Dennis P Stolle for their article ‘Because Psychologically Healthy Workplaces contribute to a Psychologically Healthy Population’ published in Why Social Science Magazine. Read the article in full here.
Explore the US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing here.