Workplaces as Engines of Mental Health and Well-Being - 4. Mattering At Work

Essential 4: Mattering at Work

This is the fourth newsletter in which I explore Essentials in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being.[1]

The Framework can be viewed as a starting point for organisations in updating and institutionalising policies, processes, and practices to best support the mental health and well-being of employees.

Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being

Source: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/workplace-mental-health-well-being.pdf

Last week we explored Work-Life Harmony and this week we will look at Essential 4: Mattering at Work.

Essential 4: Mattering at Work

Employees want to know that they matter. They want to know that they are valued, heard, and respected. They want to know that what they do makes a difference in the lives of others.

Knowing that you matter can lower stress while feeling that you do not can raise the risk of depression.[2] [3]

This Essential rests on the human need for dignity and meaning.

Dignity is the sense of being respected and valued. When the dignity of employees is affirmed and supported in the workplace, it enhances well-being. Conversely, being made to feel disrespected or not valued may lead to an increase in stress and feelings of anger, cynicism, hostility, and withdrawal.

Meaning in the workplace can refer to the sense of broader purpose and significance of one’s work. Having meaning and purpose reduces the risk of health complications such as heart attacks and stroke, and when connected to work, can lead to improved productivity and innovation.

The Mattering at Work components in the framework are:

·       Provide a living wage

·       Engage workers in workplace decisions

·       Build a culture of gratitude and recognition

·       Connect individual work with organisational mission

Provide a living wage

Every worker around the globe deserves a living wage. The Surgeon General’s report has specific facts and figures regarding the earnings of U.S. workers where nearly one-third earn less than $15 an hour which is insufficient to meet the cost of living in most parts of the country.

According to ELMO Software, almost half of Australian employees are struggling to meet basic living costs.

In the U.K., 78% of workers are paid below the real living wage according to the Living Wage Foundation.

Work and a reasonable income are critical determinants of health and well-being. Employees experiencing anxiety, concern, and stress related to their financial situation will suffer an impact on their mental health.

Financial worries increase an employee's concerns about job security increasing their stress levels. Financial worries can lead workers to work additional hours or work two jobs to make ends meet, and their mental health suffers due to their exhaustion.

Organisations must review all work resources to ensure that employees can meet work demands without them hurting their mental well-being. They must review all aspects of compensation to ensure that workers receive a living wage as well as access to benefits that help promote their health and well-being. These benefits can include mental health support, retirement plans, workers’ compensation, financial and legal services, and caregiving support.

Engage workers in workplace decisions

Workplace decisions should not be driven from the top down. Employers must ensure that they are equitably engaging and empowering employees to improve workplaces. The best people placed to improve their part of the workplace are those that use it on a day-to-day basis.

When employees are not involved in decision-making such as forming mission statements, values, goals, and objectives, it impacts engagement which impacts commitment, and productivity.

The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2022 report states that of the 68,000 employees surveyed across 140 countries, only 21% were engaged at work. Employee engagement on a global stage was rising but progress has stalled. Engagement rose by 1 percentage point in 2021 but remained below its 2019 peak.

Employee engagement is directly linked to mental well-being and vice versa. Whilst stress, anxiety, and burnout can be a barrier to engagement, a lack of engagement can also drive these conditions.

Stress, depression, anxiety, and burnout are issues that can reduce productivity and cause employees to disengage from their work.

When employees are engaged, feel supported, valued, and motivated, they are more inclined to do their best work and seek growth opportunities. This can be a positive boost to their mental health and confidence when they feel as though they’re being acknowledged for their contributions and that they’re part of a team.

Build a culture of gratitude and recognition

A culture of gratitude and recognition is one in which employees feel seen, respected, needed, and valued. When people feel appreciated and recognised for their contribution, their sense of value and meaning increases along with their capacity to manage stress.

Earlier this year Gallup released a report entitled Transforming Workplaces Through Recognition.

The report contains the results of a 2022 survey of over 13,000 adults employed full-time or part-time aged 18 years or older in the US, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.  The study recognised that employers cannot just offer people jobs anymore. They must create an environment where employees want to work and can be their best. This starts with showing employees that they are valued. This is achieved through recognition or what I call positive reinforcement.

The report states that when recognition hits the mark, employees are:

73% less likely to “always” or “very often” feel burned out

44% more likely to be “thriving” in their life overall

The data reveals that leaving recognition needs unmet nearly quadruples burnout rates. Conversely, providing consistent, high-quality recognition can cut the rates of burnout in half or better.

You can read my newsletter exploring the Gallup report and the newsletter describing the five steps to a better recognition strategy.

Connect individual work with organisational mission

Shared purpose, or a collective sense of working toward a common goal, assigns further meaning to work, generates pride, and fuels motivation, all while reducing stress.

Organisations can help employees see the connection between their day-to-day work and the organisational purpose and mission. Leaders can reinforce these connections by acknowledging the different roles of individuals and teams, in achieving organisational goals.

When there is a shared sense of purpose, work becomes more than just a job. Employees are motivated and engaged and will go the extra mile to fulfil the purpose. They have an increased state of mental well-being.

There is a multitude of analogies related to geese, teams, and shared purpose and most of the sources are unknown. But the fact exists that as each goose flaps its wings, it creates an ‘uplift’ for the birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Teams that share a common sense or purpose can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

McKinsey research found that employees who indicated that they had a sense of purpose at work were much more likely than those who did not, to sustain or improve their levels of work effectiveness, and have four times higher engagement and five times higher well-being. 

Wrap

Next week I will explore the last of the Essentials and components of the framework.

 

[1] https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/10/20/us-surgeon-general-releases-new-framework-mental-health-well-being-workplace.html

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11668776/

[3] https://doi. org/10.1080/13576500444000119