How can organisational psychology benefit HR?

There are various psychological tools teams can implement to improve employee experience and drive business success. A key component of effective people management is understanding how and why employees think and behave the way they do. Therefore, having knowledge of organisational psychology can help those working in HR improve the processes and results across entire organisations.

Employee wellbeing

Employee wellbeing is a fundamental component of a healthy working environment. Wellbeing used to be synonymous with physical safety, however the idea has evolved. Employers are placing greater focus on the emotional and mental wellbeing of their employees.

Employee wellbeing can be defined as the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of employees. Various factors such as relationships with co-workers, corporate decisions made and the access employees have to tools and resources to influence wellbeing. Hours, pay, and workplace safety also have a significant impact on the wellbeing of employees.

Why is employee wellbeing so important?

It's clear that people who are stressed or burned out don’t perform as well at work. Workplace psychological research has helped to understand the detrimental effects of work related stress on employee health and happiness. Workplace stress is strongly associated with high rates of sick leave, accidents at work, and GP visits; the health and safety executive (HSE) reported 12.8 million working days were lost due to work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2019. This presents a threat to workplace morale as well as efficiency and productivity.

When employees feel well, they tend to perform better. Studies show that high levels of workplace wellbeing directly correlate with higher levels of productivity and happiness amongst employees, workers are 13% more productive when they are happy. As a result, employees are able to develop better habits, and work more productively. In turn, this improves the profitability and efficiency of an organisation. Additional benefits of high levels of employee wellbeing include: minimising costs, retaining staff, and helping to attract the best talent. This demonstrates the importance of creating working environments and systems that support employee wellbeing.

Psychological methods to foster a positive workplace environment that prioritises mental health

Get a realistic picture of company culture

• There is no one size fits all approach, your strategy should be based on the unique needs and characteristics of the organisation.
• It's best to go directly to your employees to find out how secure and supported they feel in their role. Anonymous questionnaires are a great way to find out how happy and satisfied they feel within their role and to identify any areas of conflict.
• If low productivity is caused by poor workload management, yoga and beanbags won't make any difference.

Create safe spaces for employees to talk about their mental health challenges

• Using positive or neutral language around mental health. This reduces the stigma, making people feel more comfortable talking about the challenges they are facing.
• Bring in external such as third party counsellors.
• Increase internal support by appointing wellness officers.

Train senior management to recognise signs that their staff are struggling

Create pleasant working environments

• Bright, welcoming spaces
• Outdoor seating

Introduce wellbeing initiatives

• Mindfulness sessions
• Provide flexible working options

In conclusion

Employee wellbeing isn't just for big companies, any HR team committed to driving organisational productivity understanding and improving employee wellbeing ought to be at the heart of their strategy. Employees are assets. Companies that take the time and care to ensure they have a happy and productive workforce often find they have a better and more profitable business at the end of it.

Credit

Tuzel Kazim , Psychology Student at 英国诺丁汉特伦特大学

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