This document discusses creating psychologically healthy workplaces. It outlines several key factors for healthy workplaces including employee involvement, work-life balance, employee growth and development, health and safety, and employee recognition. It provides metrics showing healthier workplaces have lower turnover and better employee support. It also discusses countering unhealthy workplace practices like bullying, poor leadership, and lack of accountability. The document advocates for open communication, diversity and inclusion, and addressing job strains to promote psychological well-being in the workplace.

1. Creating A
Psychologically Healthy Workplace
Countering Unhealthy Workplace Practices
Presented by: Cie ArmsteadManagers’ Focus Session

2. APA CREATING A PSYCHOLOGICALLY
HEALTHY WORKPLACE
 Employee Involvement
 Work-life balance
 Employee Growth
& Development
 Health & Safety
 Employee Recognition
APA PHWP Metrics
PHWP
Winners
U.S.
Companies
Employee Turnover 7% 38%
Org Supports Employees’
Healthy Lifestyles
66% 40%
Mental Health Resources 71% 45%
Stress Management
Resources
69% 36%
Org Practices Support
Workplace Diversity
68% 46%
Employees Recommend
Org to Job-seekers
74% 57%

3. Employee Involvement
When employees are involved in
building the business,
the company benefits:
 Higher employee job satisfaction
and morale
 Improved productivity
 Lower turnover and reduced
absenteeism
 Better quality products and services
Psychologically Healthy Workplaces Promote
Activates:
Demand/Control Theory

4. Work & Life: Seeking Balance & Integration
Balance or Integration?

5. Psychologically healthy workplaces invest in
EMPLOYEE GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
 Reimbursement for tuition or
professional courses
 Continuing education courses
 Services that provide career
development or counseling
 Skills training offered internally or
through external trainers
 Promotion opportunities and internal
career advancement
 Coaching, mentoring, and leadership
development programs

6.  **Measures to improve
workplace safety and
security issues
 ** Stress management,
weight loss and smoking
cessation programs
 ** Employer-supported
health insurance, including
mental health coverage
 ** Employer-supported
access to health/
fitness/recreation facilities
Health & Safety
Initiatives

7. Employee
Recognition
 Equitable salaries and fair
compensation
 Competitive benefits packages
 Employee contributions and
milestones publicly acknowledged
 Bonuses and salary increases
based on performance
 Recognition ceremonies, e.g.,
work anniversary celebrations

8. Diverse, Inclusive Environments
Support Psychologically Healthy Workplaces
Create an atmosphere of trust and respect
Strive to establish a critical mass of different
demographic groups
Provide a credible narrative that allows all employees
to see themselves as successful in the company
Educate supervisors about their own biases
Train all employees on how to embrace differences.
Foster intergroup interactions

9.  Work-related & employee-relations
topics considered off-limits
 Developing skills for participating
in difficult conversations
 Safe place to report mistreatment
or unethical behavior
 Fair & honest handling of reports
of mistreatment
 People in power being held
accountable for misconduct
Countering an Unhealthy
Workplace Culture
with courage to address:
and employees & management are
the ones who feed it

10. Psychological Reactions
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Job Dissatisfaction
Physical Reactions
• Headaches
• Stomach Distress
• Physical Sickness, e.g., cancer, heart disease
Behavioral Reactions
• Workplace Accidents
• Smoking; Substance Abuse
• Employee Turnover
3 Types of JOB STRAINS & Sample OUTCOMES

11. Humiliation, ridicule or
excessively teasing or other
person-related actions
Withholding important
information, excessive
monitoring of one’s work, or
other work-related actions
Shouting, threats of
violence, or other
physical intimidation
Workplace Bullying

12. Leadership Style
Leaders’ stress & poor well-being =
employees stress & poor well-being
Leaders’ positive behavior towards
employees = employees improved well-being
Transformational leadership style =
positive employee outcomes
Burnout
 Being emotionally exhausted with low
emotional energy
 cynicism or mental withdrawal from work
Impact on
Psychologically Healthy
Workplaces

13. What Will You Do
to Create
your
Psychologically
Healthy
Department?

14. References
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