Creating Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Abstract

The experience of work and working has been shown to have both positive and negative effects on individual and family well-being (Burke and Page, 2017; Kelloway and Day, 2005a). In addition, both individual and organizational setting factors influence the nature of these effects. A sample of positive effects includes emotions such as passion and flow, flourishing in work, family and careers, and work–family enrichment. A sample of negative outcomes would include burnout, work addiction, stress and strains, work–family conflict, workplace incivility, accidents, and sexual harassment (Burke and Cooper, 2013). The American Psychological Association 2015 Stress in America survey reported that three-quarters of American workers experienced levels of stress that increased chronic diseases such as heart disease, depression and diabetes (American Psychological Association, 2016). The experience of workplace stress has been found to be directly or indirectly related to seven of the ten leading causes of death in developed nations (Quick and Cooper, 2003). These seven – in order – are: (1) heart disease; (2) cancer; (3) stroke; (4) injuries; (6) suicide/homicide; (9) chronic liver disease; and (10) emphysema, chronic bronchitis. There is also longitudinal evidence that the nature of professional and managerial work has changed over the past two decades (Worrall et al., 2016). Work now moves at a faster pace, managers and professionals work more hours in more intense jobs, feel less control over their jobs, and are more closely monitored (Kubicek and Korunka, 2017; Hewlett and Luce, 2006). Research in the public sector has indicated that work has both intensified and “extensified”, with more levels of management control and surveillance, and a shift of control from professionals to more senior managers with lower levels of trust. Managers and professionals face increased economic pressures and demands to cut costs. Ford Motor Company announced a 10 percent cut in their global workforce on 16 May 2017 (Naughton and Behrmann, 2017), mostly in North America and