When Lauren Steiner started her company in 2007, she learned a lot from her father, a small business owner with just one other employee. But there was one piece of advice she didn't take. As her company grew, her dad would answer any question she had about employees by telling her to ignore what her employees wanted and instead focus on what her company needed.
"I knew that together my employees and I could accomplish things way greater than I could with just myself or one other employee," says Steiner, whose Cleveland-based grant-writing company, Grants Plus, now employs 16 people. "Our employees are invested in our success because we've invested in them."
Grants Plus exemplifies the psychologically healthy workplace, David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, told participants at the 11th annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony at APA's State Leadership Conference in February.
Psychologically healthy workplaces are a win-win for both employers and their employees, said Ballard, assistant executive director for organizational excellence at APA.
Eighty-two percent of employees at the award-winning organizations — which excel in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work/life balance and employee recognition — describe their organization as a good place to work versus just 58 percent nationally.
And the award-winning organizations have an employee turnover rate of just 13 percent, compared with 42 percent nationally.
Ineffective leadership is one reason so many employees aren't engaged in their work, said psychologist William A. Gentry, PhD, director of applied research consulting services and senior research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Gentry offered several research-based recommendations for how leaders can help motivate employees. Invite people who directly benefit from the organization's work in to tell their stories, he suggested. And remember that as a leader, it's no longer about you. "You've got to shine on a spotlight on other people and help them be their best," he said.
The winners of the 2016 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards are:
- Certified Angus Beef, an Ohio nonprofit that establishes and monitors quality standards, gets employees involved with regular breakfast meetings and off-site retreats and invests in their development with certification programs, webinars and more.
- Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library in Ohio launched a six-week wellness challenge, with 96 percent of participants losing or maintaining their weight.
- Grants Plus lets staff make their own schedules, sends them to top training centers in other states and encourages shout-outs to other employees via its internal social media app.
- Moore Communications Group, a Florida branding, public relations and advertising company, offers an in-house wellness coordinator, fitness challenges, professional development funding and flex-time.
- Passport Health Plan, a nonprofit that administers Kentucky's Medicaid benefits, has a wellness program that includes onsite inoculations, fitness programs and produce delivery from a nearby farm.
- San Jorge Children's Hospital, with a hospital in San Juan and four satellite clinics around Puerto Rico, scores 90 percent in both employee and customer satisfaction by offering health services, continuing education, flexible schedules and other benefits to its employees.
The effects of these practices can spill over beyond the organizations themselves, added Steiner. After Grants Plus won its award, Steiner visited her dad and his employee, Rick, in their shop. "Behind the counter, I saw something I had never seen before — a chalkboard that said in big block letters ‘Employee of the Month: Rick,'" she said. "He's listening."
