Numerous organizations are channeling efforts into equipping their employees with mental health and well-being training. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives may be limited unless accompanied by substantial structural changes in organizational practices and policies that might be at the root of compromising employees’ health and well-being.
It’s crucial to recognize that external factors beyond employees’ control exert a significant influence on their overall health and well-being. Addressing solely internal psychological concerns without tackling external structural issues could lead to inefficacy or even counterproductivity.
A pertinent example is the current vogue of mindfulness training. Surprisingly, mindfulness remains unfamiliar to a substantial portion of individuals, as evidenced by my recent talk to a group of young business students. While mindfulness boasts organizational benefits, including a potential positive impact on mental health, reducing stress, anxiety, and anger, and enhancing job satisfaction, physical health, and subjective well-being, it also has an unexpected flipside. Mindfulness could heighten awareness of negative aspects in the workplace, such as inequitable compensation practices, unsupportive work culture, or toxic leadership.
Remarkably, a study found that mindfulness exacerbated the adverse correlation between abusive supervision and employee well-being. In other words, mindful employees under detrimental leadership experienced lower well-being compared to their less mindful peers. This case exemplifies the underlying principle that training initiatives to foster health and well-being might falter or even backfire when an organizational foundation is unhealthy.
This principle transcends workplace dynamics and extends to personal realms. Attempting to reduce alcohol consumption might prove challenging in a home with a fully stocked bar. Analogously, success in promoting well-being within the workplace thrives when healthy training initiatives are coupled with an environment conducive to well-being. For optimal results in promoting employee health, training should be harmonized with organizational development endeavors aimed at constructing a wholesome organizational framework. The pinnacle of success is attained when both internal and external factors align.
While endeavors to enhance workplace health and well-being can be directed toward various levels—individual, group, and organizational—it is the latter that is particularly impactful, serving as the catalyst that empowers the others to take root. A holistic approach, addressing all levels, indeed bears value. Yet, it is the transformative power of organizational-level changes that lays the foundation upon which comprehensive well-being initiatives flourish.
