In today's 24/7 society, workplace pressures continue to mount. Productivity demands, information overload and increasing pressure to balance work and home lives can affect employees' health, wellbeing and job satisfaction.
According to a national public opinion poll conducted by the American Psychological Association, twothirds of both men and women say work significantly impacts their stress level, and one in four has called in sick or taken a "mental health day" due to work stress.
Also a significant concern for employers, job stress is estimated to cost U.S. industry $300 billion a year in absenteeism, diminished productivity, employee turnover and direct medical, legal and insurance fees.
Faced with skyrocketing healthcare costs, global competition and economic uncertainty, employers are concerned about attracting and retaining high-quality employees and maintaining morale. Minimizing workplace stress plays a significant role in employee retention.
Some companies have responded to these business challenges by thinking of new ways to support their employees. These employers create workplaces that do more than just improve productivity—they build a strong, vibrant organizational culture supporting the company. In short, they make a psychologically healthy workplace.
A psychologically healthy workplace fosters employee health and wellbeing while enhancing organizational performance and productivity. Psychologically healthy workplace practices can be grouped into five categories:
Employee involvement. Self-managed work teams, employee committees or task forces, continuous improvement teams, participatory decision-making, employee suggestion forums and monthly meetings.
Work-life balance. Flexible work, child care assistance, elder care benefits, personal financial resources, benefits for family members and domestic partners and flexible leave options.
Employee growth & development. Continuing education, tuition reimbursement, career development or counseling, skills training, opportunities for promotion and internal career advancement, coaching, mentoring, and leadership development.
Health & safety. Training and safeguards, health promotion programs, adequate health insurance, health screenings, access to health/fitness/recreation facilities and resources for life problems.
Employee recognition. Fair monetary compensation, competitive benefits packages, acknowledgment of contributions and milestones, performance-based bonuses and pay increases, employee awards and recognition ceremonies
It is important to note that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to creating a psychologically healthy workplace. Success is based, in part, on addressing the challenges unique to a particular organization and tailoring programs and policies to meet those needs. Communication also plays a crucial role in the success of any workplace program or policy and serves as the foundation for all five types of psychologically healthy workplace practices.
