The Missing Link: The Role of the Workplace in Mental Health

Hammer, Leslie B.; Allen, Shalene J.; Dimoff, Jennifer K.

doi:10.1177/21650799221105176

Cited by 5 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Recent calls by organizational scholars have identified the role of the workplace in affecting, and being affected by, worker mental health (e.g., Gilmer et al, 2023 ; Hammer et al, 2022 ; Kelloway et al, 2023 ; Rosado-Solomon et al, 2023 )—both positively and negatively. Work can serve as a source of physical and psychological risk through unsafe working conditions, interpersonal conflicts, and excessive work hours (e.g., Nied hammer et al, 2021 ; Sawhney et al, 2023 ; Schnall et al, 1994 ).…”

Section: Mental Health and The Role Of Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Protecting and Promoting Employee Mental Health through Supervisor Supportive Behaviors

Hammer,

Dimoff,

Mohr

et al. 2024

Occup Health Sci

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The attention to workplace mental health is timely given extreme levels of burnout, anxiety, depression and trauma experienced by workers due to serious extraorganizational stressors – the COVID-19 pandemic, threats to climate change, and extreme social and political unrest. Workplace-based risk factors, such as high stress and low support, are contributing factors to poor mental health and suicidality (Choi, 2018; Milner et al., 2013, 2018), just as low levels of social connectedness and belonging are established risk factors for poor mental health (Joiner et al., 2009), suggesting that social support at work (e.g., from supervisors) may be a key approach to protecting and promoting employee mental health. Social connections provide numerous benefits for health outcomes and are as, or more, important to mortality as other well-known health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption (Holt-Lundstad et al., 2015), and can serve as a resource or buffer against the deleterious effects of stress or strain on psychological health (Cohen & Wills, 1985). This manuscript provides an evidence-based framework for understanding how supervisor supportive behaviors can serve to protect employees against psychosocial workplace risk factors and promote social connection and belongingness protective factors related to employee mental health. We identify six theoretically-based Mental Health Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (MHSSB; i.e., emotional support, practical support, role modeling, reducing stigma, warning sign recognition, warning sign response) that can be enacted and used by supervisors and managers to protect and promote the mental health of employees. A brief overview of mental health, mental disorders, and workplace mental health is provided. This is followed by the theoretical grounding and introduction of MHSSB. Suggestions for future research and practice follow, all with the focus of developing a better understanding of the role of supervisors in protecting and promoting employee mental health in the workplace.

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Section: Mental Health and The Role Of Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Protecting and Promoting Employee Mental Health through Supervisor Supportive Behaviors

Hammer,

Dimoff,

Mohr

et al. 2024

Occup Health Sci

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Common guidance for enhancing social connection (National Institutes of Health, n.d.) focuses almost exclusively on what individuals should do to strengthen their own social connections (or to support children), without regard to contextual/environmental organizational systems within which many people work. We advance the argument that workplaces, particularly direct supervisors and leaders in the organization, have an important role to play in bolstering social connection (Hammer et al, 2022). Given that most adults spend most of their waking hours at work, focusing on social support and connection at work is critical.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Organizations arguably have an obligation to play a role in helping to alleviate such loneliness, given that such organizations can cause, exacerbate, or perpetuate employee loneliness (S. L. Wright, 2015). This can be done through workplace redesign and supervisor support training (Hammer et al, 2022). The timing of this research is critical as loneliness has been on the rise, even prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the central role of peer relationships in unit cohesion, it may be that as part of a broader cohesion-building intervention, cultivating stronger unit belonging may inherently involve building stronger ties among group members (Gesell et al, 2016). We encourage further research efforts to examine the role of supervisor support in reducing loneliness and building greater belonging, particularly among employees experiencing greater disconnection, and how supportive leadership can improve mental health (Hammer et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supportive-leadership training to improve social connection: A cluster-randomized trial demonstrating efficacy in a high-risk occupational context

Mohr¹,

Hammer²,

Dimoff³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Concern over mental health and well-being is acute, particularly following stressful pandemic times, marked by social disconnection and loneliness. At risk is one’s sense of social belonging, a fundamental human need critical to human survival. We echo Holt-Lunstad’s (2022) call for prioritizing social factors when addressing public health during and in recovery from the pandemic, arguing that workplace supervisors and leaders can play an important role. As a workplace context, the military is especially focused on social relationships as service member employees face extreme health and safety challenges, not unlike other high risk first responder occupations. This study evaluated the efficacy of an evidence-based supportive-leadership training intervention targeting active-duty U.S. Army platoon leaders. The goal of the training was to increase service members’ social connectedness through leaders providing social support for psychological health and resilience, thereby decreasing loneliness. One hundred-four platoon leaders completed the 90-minute training that consisted of both in-person and computer-based components. Intervention effects were tested using an intent-to-treat approach and revealed a significant effect, whereby loneliness for service members who were randomized to the intervention group (N=118) was significantly reduced compared to loneliness reports for service members in the control group (N=158). Service members with higher baseline loneliness were more strongly and positively impacted by the supervisor training, reporting higher levels of emotional support and stigma-reduction behaviors from their leaders at 3 months post-baseline. In sum, these results suggest how workplaces and their leaders play a critical role in a national strategy to address Americans’ well-being.

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“…To promote worker health and wellbeing, multifaceted endeavors are necessary to advocate and educate workers, employers, and others (e.g., health care professionals) regarding effective support and care to redress mental health concerns. In addition to the Surgeon General’s new framework, other resources are available to support workers such as manager training programs (Hammer et al, 2022; www.supportiveleadership.org) and tools to enable employers to assess the readiness and quality of their mental-health-related support and resources for their employees (e.g., https://www.healthlinkscertified.org/what-we-do/modules/mental-health). The OHN can leverage these tools and resources in collaboration with organizations to promote worker mental health and wellbeing.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%