What Is A “Healthy” Workplace?

Let’s take an x-ray

Baird Brightman
2 min readJan 18, 2022
Workscan (c) Baird Brightman PhD

Extensive research shows that people will perform better, commit more fully to their work, and be healthier (both emotionally and physically) if they work in a “healthy” workplace. But what does that mean exactly? What does a healthy workplace look like? How can you measure it, let alone work towards it?

Extensive study reveals the key features of a healthy work environment as

  • SAFETY (vs. Threat)
  • STRUCTURE (vs. Strain)
  • SUPPORT (vs. Deprivation)
  • GROWTH (vs. Stagnation)

SAFETY = the absence of physical danger and verbal harassment, and the presence of adequate job security and salary

STRUCTURE = a combination of role clarity, manageable workload and autonomy/control over one’s work

SUPPORT = friendly/cooperative work relationships, a boss who understands and cares about their employees’ concerns, and adequate resources to do the job

GROWTH = opportunities for learning and more interesting work over time, and adequate career guidance/mentoring

Organizations that invest in building a safe, structured, supportive and growth-promoting work environment can derive a ROI in the range of 500–800% ($5–8 profit per dollar invested) due to improved performance and reduced talent replacement costs.

Oh and BTW, it’s also the “right” thing to do!

References

Karasek & Theorell, Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity and the Reconstruction of Working Life

Brightman, Building Professional Satisfaction and Effectiveness: A Case Study, Health Forum Journal

Gallup Inc., Employee surveys and performance/engagement research

Phillips, Stone & Phillips, The Human Resources Scorecard: Measuring the Return on Investment

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