Phwa Five Core Characteristics

Florida Psychological Association PHWA FIVE CORE CHARACTERISTICS

The American Psychological Association has identified five (5) core criteria that are essential for creating a “psychologically healthy” environment and culture, and are part of the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award (PHWA) program. The following describes these psychologically healthy workplace practices and identifies the type of programs and policies that can be established within an organization to help bring about such positive and health culture.

1. Employee Involvement

Efforts to increase employee involvement have a very positive effect on the employee’s job satisfaction as well as the organization’s success. By increasing employee involvement, organizations empower workers by involving them in decision making and giving them increased job responsibility and autonomy. Employee involvement programs do increase job satisfaction, employee morale and commitment to the organization, as well as increase productivity, reduce turnover and absenteeism and enhance the quality of the organization’s products and services.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: Organizations reflect that they have an interest in developing Employee Involvement when the following types of policies, programs and activities are present in their workplace:  Active participation in problem solving, decision making and goal setting  Actual problem-solving teams, task forces or working groups  Self-managed work teams  Employee committees or task forces  Continuous improvement teams; Total Quality Management teams  Profit sharing or Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)  Open door policy  Multi-rater performance evaluations (360 feedback, peer-to-peer performance reviews, etc.)  Regular and ongoing all-hands meetings  Employee suggestion programs like suggestion boxes and forums

2. Employee Growth & Development

1 Florida Psychological Association Growth and development opportunities help employees expand their knowledge, skills and abilities, and apply the competencies they have gained to new situations. The opportunity to gain new skills and experiences can increase employee motivation and job satisfaction as well as help employees to more effectively manage job stress. This can translate into positive gains for the organization by enhancing organizational effectiveness and improving work quality, as well as by helping the organization attract and retain top-quality employees. By providing opportunities for growth and development, organizations can improve the quality of their employees’ work experiences and realize the benefits of developing workers to their fullest potential.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: The following reflect the types of policies, programs and activities that organizations put in place that focus on Employee Growth and Development:  Continuing education courses  Tuition reimbursement  Sabbaticals  Career counseling and coaching services  In-house training  Skills training provided through outside training centers  Opportunities for internal career advancement and promotion  Coaching and mentoring programs as well as leadership development programs  Specialized training for supervisors or managers (managing diversity, performance management, employee development, etc.)  Brown bag seminars  Employee or management retreats  Job enlargement/job enrichment activities  Succession planning  Diversity training

3. Employee Recognition

Employee recognition efforts reward employees both individually and collectively for their contributions to the organization. Recognition can take various forms, be formal and informal, and have monetary and non-monetary components. By acknowledging employee 2 Florida Psychological Association efforts and making them feel valued and appreciated, organizations increase employee job satisfaction, morale and self-esteem. Additionally, the organization itself benefits from developing employee recognition programs because it brings about greater employee engagement and productivity, lower turnover, and enhances their ability to attract and retain top quality employees.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: The policies, programs and activities that organizations use to emphasize employee recognition include the following:  Clear and ongoing acknowledgement of contributions and milestones  Bonuses based on performance  Fair monetary compensation and pay increases  Competitive benefits packages  Bonuses based on performance  Non-monetary rewards for exceptional performance  Employee awards  Service pins for years of employment  Recognition ceremonies and events attended by all associates  Print and electronic documents detailing employees' contributions or accomplishments  Merit raises  Employee referral program (bonuses for referring applicants who are hired)  Public displays of exceptional employee and team accomplishments; for example, names inscribed on plaques that hang permanently on the wall, team/employee progress charts, etc.  Formalized peer-to-peer recognition (peer nomination for awards, "thank-you" cards for co-workers, peer selection for awards, etc.)

4. Work-Life Balance

Programs and policies that facilitate work-life balance acknowledge that employees have responsibilities and lives outside of work. These programs and policies help individuals to better manage the multiple demands that employees have on their time and lives. Conflict between work and other life responsibilities can diminish the quality of both work and home life for employees, which in turn can affect organizational outcomes such as productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Efforts to help employees improve their work-life balance can 3 Florida Psychological Association improve morale, increase job satisfaction and strengthen employees’ commitment to the organization. Additionally, the organization may reap benefits in terms of increased productivity, reduction in absenteeism, and lower employee turnover.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: Organizations focus on the following policies, programs and activities in an effort to help employees have a good Work-Live Balance:  Flexible work arrangements such as flex-time and telecommuting. Providing flexibility in where employees work (telecommuting, remote working locations, etc.)  Flexible leave options beyond those required by the Family and Medical Leave Act  Eldercare benefits and eldercare support (for example: paid time off for eldercare issues, benefits to support eldercare costs, discounts and/or preferred enrollment in eldercare facilities, etc.)  Childcare support (for example: paid time off for childcare issues, pre- tax benefits to support childcare costs, onsite childcare services, discounts and/or preferred enrollment in childcare facilities, provider information, etc.)  Flexibility in how many hours employees work (e.g., job sharing, part- time options, term-time working, etc.)  Adequate time off (e.g., vacation days, sick days, personal days, etc.)  Paid leave options (e.g., maternity, paternity, adoption, etc.)  Flexibility in when employees work (e.g., flextime, flexible shifts, compressed hours, annualized hours, self-roster, etc.)  Phased transitions (e.g., leaves, returns, retirements, etc.)  Comp time (e.g., compensating salaried workers for overtime worked by giving them time off)  Compensation for unused time off  Life management services (e.g., discounts or onsite access to banking services, dry cleaning, concierge, relocation services, etc.)  Extension of life management services to family or friends

5. Health & Safety

4 Florida Psychological Association Health and safety initiatives maximize the physical and mental health of employees through the prevention, assessment, and treatment of potential health risks and problems and by encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyles and behavior choices. Health and safety efforts include a wide variety of workplace practices that can help employees improve their physical and mental health, reduce health risks, and manage stress effectively. By investing in the health and safety of their employees, organizations benefit from greater productivity and reductions in healthcare costs, absenteeism and accident/injury rates.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: Organizations that focus on Health and Safety matters for their employees are focused on policies, programs and activities like the following:  Address Health and Safety matters at new employee orientations and other training sessions to help associates understand their importance to themselves and the organization  Resources to help employees address life problems (for example, grief counseling, alcohol abuse programs, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), and referrals for mental health services)

 Training and safeguards that address workplace safety and security issues  Efforts to help employees develop a healthy lifestyle, such as stress management, weight loss and smoking cessation programs  Programs/policies to prevent sexual harassment  Programs/policies to prevent discrimination  Programs/policies to prevent workplace violence  Educational seminars targeting physical and/or psychological health issues  Smoke-free workplace  Healthy food options available in vending machines and/or cafeteria  Exercise breaks during the work day  Exercise programs  Nutrition education/guidance  Disease Management programs (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, depression, etc.)  Onsite safety or ergonomic assessments  Mental/behavioral health insurance coverage

5 Florida Psychological Association  Adequate health insurance  Health screenings  Health benefits extended to employees' families / domestic partners  Onsite health or wellness center  Fitness facilities (onsite or discounts to offsite facilities)

COMMUNICATION IS CENTRAL TO MAKING IT ALL HAPPEN

In addition to the above five core criteria that represent the psychologically healthy workplace practices, communication becomes the vehicle to make all of this happen. Organizations that have good communication practices are more effective in creating a healthy environment than those that do not have good communication habits.

Communication plays a key role in the success of any workplace program or policy. There are two key types of communication that are important to understand: Bottom-up Communication and Top-Down Communication. They each play a different and important role in the success of the organization.

Bottom-up communication (from employees to management) provides information about what are the employee needs, values, perceptions and opinions. This helps organizations to better select and tailor their programs and policies to meet the specific needs of their employees. It is very important that organizations clearly have the vehicles in place for employees to communicate to management. Top-down communication (from management to employees) can increase the utilization of specific workplace programs and practices by making sure that all employees are aware of their availability. Management needs to clearly explain what the policies and programs are, how to access and use the services, and demonstrate that management supports and values these programs.

Communication, therefore, is a two-way street; from employee to management, and from management to employee. When both of these are working well, trust and mutual respect can easily be developed.

Examples Of Policies, Programs, And Activities We Look For in Organizations: Examples of communication strategies that can help an organization make their workplace programs successful include:

 Providing regular, on-going opportunities for employees to provide feedback to management. Such communication vehicles may include employee surveys, 6 Florida Psychological Association suggestion boxes, town hall meetings, individual or small group meeting with managers, and an organizational culture that supports open, two-way communication.  Making the goals and actions of the organization and senior leadership clear to all employees. This is done by communicating key activities, issues and developments to employees and by developing policies that facilitate transparency and openness.  Assessing the needs of employees and involving them in the development and implementation of psychologically healthy workplace practices.  Using multiple channels to communicate the importance of a psychologically healthy workplace to employees (for example, using print and electronic communications, orientation and trainings, staff meetings and public addresses)  Leading by example, by encouraging key organizational leaders to regularly participate in psychologically healthy workplace activities in ways that are visible to employees.  Communicating information about the outcomes and success of specific psychologically healthy workplace practices to all members of the organization.