WASHINGTON – Faced with skyrocketing healthcare costs, global competition and economic uncertainty, organizations are looking for the competitive advantage that will give them an edge in the marketplace. Some organizations are leading the way in creating a workplace that does more than just improve organizational performance and productivity. These employers are building a strong, vibrant organizational culture that supports the organization itself. They are creating a psychologically healthy workplace. As part of a new national awards program, six organizations – ARUP Laboratories (Utah), IBM’s T.J.Watson Research Center (New York), Versant (Wisconsin), Great River Health Systems (Iowa), The Comporium Group (South Carolina) and Green Chimneys School (New York) – were recognized for implementing a comprehensive array of programs and policies that foster a psychologically healthy workplace. The American Psychological Association (APA) presented these companies with a National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award at a ceremony in Washington, DC on March 4.
In addition, ten companies received a Best Practices Honor for an innovative program or policy that contributes to a psychologically healthy work environment. The honorees are Abacus Planning Group (South Carolina), Coleman Professional Services, (Ohio), Downtown Honda - Spokane (Washington), Carl M. Freeman Associates (Maryland), Highsmith (Wisconsin), NRG Systems (Vermont), Stone Construction Equipment (New York), Trihydro (Wyoming), Secunda Marine Services, (Nova Scotia, Canada) and Pacific Shipyards International’s NISMO Division (Hawaii).
“Many employers now recognize that the key to success lies in their own workforce and understand that employee health and well-being and organizational performance are inextricably linked,” says Russ Newman, PhD, JD, executive director for professional practice at APA.
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award (PHWA) program recognizes organizations that make a commitment to programs and policies that foster employee health and well-being while enhancing organizational performance. Psychologically healthy workplace practices fall into five categories: employee involvement; health and safety; employee growth and development; work-life balance; and employee recognition. Some examples of organizational practices that help create a psychologically healthy work environment include: employee participation in decision making; skills training and leadership development; flexible work arrangements; programs promoting healthy lifestyle and behavior choices; programs to prevent and manage workplace stress; a priority placed on employee health and safety; recognition of individual and team performance; and comprehensive health care benefits that include access to mental health services.
National PHWA
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award program has both state and national-level components. The National PHWA is designed to showcase the very best from among the award winners recognized by APA’s affiliated state, provincial and territorial psychological associations. Nominees were selected from a pool of previous state-level winners and evaluated on their workplace programs and policies in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition.
Additional factors considered include employee attitudes and opinions, the role of communication in the organization; and the benefits realized in terms of both employee health and well-being and organizational performance. Awards were given to organizations in the following categories: not-for-profit, government/military/educational institution, large for-profit, medium for-profit and small for-profit.
Best Practices Honors
In 2003, APA launched the Best Practices Honors, a national recognition that highlights those state-level winners with a particularly innovative program or policy that contributes to a psychologically healthy work environment. As with the national award, nominees came from a pool of previous state-level winners and were selected through a competitive evaluation and judging process.
“It is important to note that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to creating a psychologically healthy workplace,” says Newman. “Success is based, in part, on addressing the challenges unique to a particular organization and tailoring programs and policies to the needs of its employees.”
More information on the National PHWA winners and Best Practices Honorees is available at the APA Help Center Media Room. Companies interested in learning more about creating a psychologically healthy workplace or applying for an award in their state, province or territory can visit www.phwa.org.
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.