Workplaces as Transformers of Psychological Health and Well-Being

As the role of work in our lives continues to evolve, workplaces are becoming increasingly important in meeting employees’ mental health needs and expectations.

In October 2022, officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the first-ever Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being Framework. This publication provides a conceptual framework for workplace mental health and well-being, developed in light of psychological science. The guide identifies five core elements essential to workplace mental health and well-being:

• Protection from harm (including safety and security)

• Connection and community (including social support and belonging)

• Work–life harmony (including autonomy and flexibility)

• Mattering at work (including dignity and meaning)

• Opportunity for growth (including learning and achievement)

The Growing Importance of Psychological Well-Being at Work

Similarly, the results of the APA’s “Work in America Survey 2023” confirm the importance of psychological well-being for employees:

• 92% of employees state that working for an organization that values their emotional and psychological well-being is

  • very important (57%) or

  • somewhat important (35%).

• 95% of employees say that feeling respected at work is

  • very important (66%) or

  • somewhat important (29%) to them.

While some survey results in the U.S. indicate positive developments, the data also reveal a continued need for improvement. 55% of employees believe that their employers are mistaken in thinking their workplace environments are much healthier than they actually are:

• strongly agree (21%) or

• somewhat agree (34%).

Summary of Research Findings Based on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework

1. Protection from Harm

This element has been evaluated primarily through the lenses of two commonly used terms in recent years: toxicity and mobbing.

The prevalence of toxic workplaces varies by sector. Employees in Customer/Consumer/Healthcare Services are more likely to describe their workplaces as toxic compared to office workers—26% versus 14%.

Additionally, on-site office workers are more likely to report a toxic workplace than remote workers—22% versus 13%.

According to APA research, nearly one in five employees (19%) report working in a toxic workplace.

A majority of those who are not at all satisfied or not very satisfied with their jobs (59%) describe their workplace as toxic. Moreover, 58% of those reporting a toxic workplace say they plan to look for a new job at a different company or organization within the next year, compared to only 27% of those who do not report a toxic workplace.

A significant proportion of service sector employees experience some form of verbal harassment at work:

• Nearly one-quarter of respondents (24%) said that someone inside or outside their organization shouted at them or verbally harassed them at work in the past 12 months.

• More than one-quarter of in-person workers reported verbal harassment (26%), compared to 18% of remote workers.

• Nearly 31% of Customer/Consumer/Healthcare Services employees reported some form of verbal harassment, compared to 23% of manual labor workers and 22% of office workers.

2. Connection and Sense of Community

The Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being Framework published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes that organizations creating opportunities for social connection and a sense of community can support improvements in employee mental health and well-being. This support, recommended for all workplaces, is grounded in two fundamental human needs: social support and belonging.

Nevertheless, loneliness at work remains a common experience for a significant portion of employees:

Although most employees report general satisfaction with workplace relationships, more than one-quarter (26%) say they experience feelings of loneliness or isolation at work.

Notably, the prevalence of these feelings is highest among:

• Customer/Consumer/Healthcare Services employees (35%),

• Office workers (23%), and

• Manual labor workers (22%).

3. Work–Life Harmony

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ framework concludes that work–life harmony is closely linked to psychological well-being.

Work–life harmony is defined as the integration of work and non-work demands with human needs such as autonomy and flexibility. It includes the degree of control a person has over how, when, and where they work.

Having sufficient flexibility to reduce conflicts between work and personal life is a core component of work–life harmony. Employees who report not having enough flexibility to balance their work and personal lives (67%) are far more likely to say that their work environment negatively affects their mental health, compared to those who do have such flexibility (23%).

Many employees believe their time off is not respected:

• More than one-quarter of respondents (26%) either strongly or somewhat agree with the statement, “My employer does not respect my personal boundaries.”

• Fewer than half of respondents (40%) report that their employer offers a culture in which employees’ time off is respected.

• Office workers (48%) are nearly twice as likely as manual labor workers (25%) to report that their time off is respected.

4. Mattering at Work

The framework also finds that feeling valued and doing meaningful work are strongly associated with psychological well-being.

According to the report, people want to know that they matter to those around them—this includes a sense of dignity and meaning. 95% of respondents say that being treated with respect at work is important or very important to them.

Employees who report not having meaningful work are far more likely to say they typically feel tense or stressed (71%), compared to those who report having meaningful work (45%).

Micromanagement

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ framework concludes that micromanagement creates tension and stress.

Four out of ten employees (42%) report feeling micromanaged at work. Those who feel micromanaged are significantly more likely to feel tense or stressed compared to those who do not (64% versus 36%, respectively).

5. Opportunities for Growth

The framework finds that employees want—and in fact need—opportunities for growth.

The desire for continuous learning and achievement is a well-established psychological need. An overwhelming majority of employees (91%) say that having a job with ongoing learning opportunities is very or somewhat important to them, and 94% say that having a job that provides a sense of accomplishment is very or somewhat important.

Opportunities for growth are directly related to psychological well-being. Employees who lack growth and development opportunities are more likely to feel tense and stressed compared to those who have such opportunities (66% versus 42%).