MEDICAL FACTORS
ARTICLE #9: OCCUPATIONAL WELL BEING AND ITS EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE
At a glance:
The wellbeing of employees influences their organizations productivity and performance.
Improving wellbeing increases employee performance and decreases uncertified
sick leave, turnover and stress-related compensation claims.
Improving wellbeing doesn't just mean reducing workplace stressors and avoiding distressing situations. It is essential to foster positive experiences and overall positive emotions towards work as well. According to this study, a lack of positive experiences and morale is actually more likely to cause stress than specific negative experiences or 'stressors.'
The strongest influence on morale is the 'organizational climate': the overall conditions and culture of the workplace. Improving things like leadership, staff recognition processes and decision making procedures is likely to be the most effective way to increase morale and reduce distress. This approach can increase productivity and decrease compensation costs.
PERSPECTIVES:
Employee
Wellbeing at work means more than just avoiding stressful experiences. We need
to feel productive, supported and valued. Lacking confidence, interest or positive
relationships at work can cause stress too.
Not having positive feelings towards work may make it hard to deal with small problems when they arise. In this situation, addressing the small problems might not relieve the stress. The way we cope with demands depends on our overall beliefs and feelings. Our personalities also play a role in how we respond to stress.
If you are feeling stressed by a situation at work, consider your workplace environment and your personal beliefs. Are there any positive suggestions to could make to your employer about how procedures or communication could be improved? Could learning new skills help you deal with the demands at work? Considering the bigger picture can help you to feel better at work.
Employer
Employee wellbeing is associated with lower withdrawal and greater voluntary
performance. Withdrawal refers to uncertified sick leave, lateness, stress-related
compensation claims and turnover. Voluntary performance includes effort and
commitment, offering help and promoting the organization.
The overall climate of the workplace is a stronger influence on workers wellbeing than individual 'stressors' like traumatic events or arguments. Stressful situations can't be avoided altogether; improving overall morale and support in the workplace is more likely to reduce sick leave and compensation costs. Effective strategies include improving leadership skills, reviewing standard practices and procedures and offering counseling services. (When a person is in distress, however, specific psychological treatments are more effective than general counseling.)
Treater
Promoting positive attitudes and emotions towards work, rather than merely avoiding
demanding situations, appears to be the most effective strategy for combating
occupational stress. Obviously, by the time a patient presents with stress-related
symptoms it is too late to promote positive feelings. Nonetheless, a lack of
confidence, interest and positive experiences might be significant when considering
the underlying cause of stress.
This review found that individual psychological treatments are more effective for dealing with distress than generic counseling services or stress management training. There is still a place for these services in improving employee morale, however.
Insurer
Workplace health can sometimes focus on avoiding the bad rather than promoting
the good. Eliminating health hazards, however, is an incomplete strategy; a
lack of positive experiences or emotions towards work can also be damaging to
employee wellbeing.
Improving workplace morale reduces withdrawal behaviors such as stress-related compensation claims and uncertified sick leave. Apart from personality, the overall conditions and culture in the workplace are the most significant influence on wellbeing. Encourage employers to look at how they can improve leadership and training, and increase their employees' sense of confidence and support. This is likely to be the most effective strategy for reducing stress-related compensation costs.
Original Article,
Authors & Publication Details:
P. Cotton1 and P. M. Hart1 (2003).
Occupational wellbeing and performance: a review of organizational health research. Australian Psychologist, 38(2): 118 – 127
1Insight SRC Pty
Ltd and the University of Melbourne
Background, Study Objectives, How It Was Done:
The 'organizational health framework' is a theoretical model for thinking about
employee wellbeing and business performance. This study explores factors that
influence employee wellbeing, productivity, sick leave and performance. It also
examines the relationship between employee wellbeing and the success of the
organization they work for.
Study Findings:
Factors that influence employee well being
Employee well being involves both emotional factors and job satisfaction. An employee's job satisfaction is like a judgment the employee makes, by weighing up the positive and negative experiences they have had at work. Positive emotions towards work can be called 'morale', and include energy, enthusiasm and pride. Negative emotions include guilt, anxiety and anger and are collectively called 'distress".
An individual's emotions will be influenced by the overall mood within their workgroup, and vice-versa. Other factors that can influence wellbeing are coping strategies, personality traits and conditions and culture in the workplace.
Although it sounds illogical, negative emotions about work and positive emotions about work need to be considered separately. Take for example the issue of stress. Stress is often thought to be caused by negative situations or experiences at work and positive work experiences and emotions are often not considered.
However when a person feels stressed, this can be due to a lack of positive experiences at work rather than a series of specific negative problems. A worker, for example, might feel that their work is pointless, they might lack social support and recognition and therefore they do not feel enthusiastic or confident at work, leading to feelings of stress and difficulty coping with small problems. In this case, targeting specific negative experiences, or trying to solve the little problems, might not be any help. Instead, a broader approach would be needed to address the underlying issue of why the person is not happy at work and how the workplace could foster a more supportive environment.
Furthermore, when distressing problems do occur, the way employees cope will also depend on their previous positive experiences and their positive emotions. A person who feels that their heavy workload is causing stress might be influenced by an underlying negative sense of their work and workplace. On the other hand, a person who feels capable, valued and interested might see a heavy workload as a challenge or feel more confident that they can manage it.
According to this study, the most important factors that influence employee well-being are:
'Organizational climate' was the most important influence. This term refers to the employees overall impression of how the organization is run, the leadership practices, standard procedures, workplace culture etc. The organizational climate has been shown to be more important than individual difficulties or stressors in determining an employee's wellbeing. The study also found that improving management styles and overall workplace practices reduces stress more effectively than teaching employees individual coping skills.
Individual characteristics are also an important influence on wellbeing. This study found that an emotional personality is the strongest influence on how much distress a person will experience. In these cases, individual psychological treatments are believed to be more effective than generic stress-management or supportive counseling services. Counselors can vary in their level of training and experience, and the authors of this study suggested that clinical treatment should be available where necessary. However, employees who see workplace counselors tend to be highly satisfied with the service provided. These services may be good for improving the support and increasing morale, but may be inadequate for dealing with severe distress.
The effect of wellbeing on organizational performance
Increasing employee wellbeing reduces their rate of withdrawal. 'Withdrawal' refers to missed work, turnover, uncertified sick leave and stress-related compensation claims, all of which are costly for organizations. The researchers found that the strongest influences on withdrawal were personality, organizational climate, work experiences and emotions.
Wellbeing also
influences employees voluntary performance – that is, the work they do
that supports the organization, but isn't part of their main responsibilities.
Some examples are: dedication and making an effort, volunteering to do tasks,
helping others in the workplace and promoting the organization to other people.
Voluntary performance is increased by improving wellbeing.
Conclusions:
Improved wellbeing means higher morale (more positive emotions), less distress
and higher job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a judgment the employee makes
about their work by weighing up their positive and negative experiences. Improved
employee wellbeing improves the productivity of the organization they work for
by increasing performance and reducing withdrawal behaviors such as unexplained
absence, stress leave and turnover.
There are several ways to improve employee wellbeing in the workplace. The authors of this paper summarized their suggestions as follows: