Unhealthy workplace cultures and other workplace factors are part of America’s declining physical and mental health. Now employers are being called to be part of the solution. Surgeon General Releases Framework.

Unhealthy workplace cultures and other workplace factors are part of America’s declining physical and mental health.
Now employers are being called to be part of the solution.
Surgeon General Releases Framework.

Omaha, Nebraska – October 21, 2022: Yesterday the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. The Surgeon General’s message released with this framework is powerful. It is a signal to employers that it is time to stop asking questions about whether employee well-being is their responsibility. Unhealthy workplace cultures and other workplace factors are—and have been—part of America’s declining physical and mental health. Now employers are being called to be part of the solution.

For three decades, WELCOA has collected data about how businesses intersect with and impact employee well-being. The data show that designing employee well-being is a practice and a discipline. It has a core methodology that can be taught to any professional and implemented by any organization. Sara Martin, CEO of WELCOA, states, “The model that the Surgeon General has laid out is one of harm reduction. This requires business leaders to understand that they cultivate the environment in which employees exist and respond to dynamics that may cause unintentional harm to reduce that harm. Prior to and throughout the pandemic, WELCOA has been raising awareness about psychological safety, the value of community, and the necessity of meaningful work. We are thrilled to see these as core tenets of the Surgeon General’s framework.”

Right now, many organizations struggle to conceptualize the roadmap to creating a company where employees can thrive in a complex landscape of mental health crises, great resignation, and quiet quitting. However, businesses that follow evidenced-based core methodology like the WELCOA Well Workplace Process™ have already begun responding to employee well-being and mental health with a much more intentional lens that delivers strategic progress. There are measurable differentiators that businesses can deliver that ensure high-impact outcomes. It’s worth noting that in recent research by the Returns On Wellbeing Institute, those businesses following the WELCOA Well Workplace Process™ deliver on all of these differentiators 100% of the time.

When it comes to addressing the mental health of employees, businesses are investing heavily in mental health tech platforms such as Koa Health and Unmind, along with professional services like management training to ensure stigma reduction and deliver mental health first aid. There is increased accountability for leaders to ensure that their employees are getting what they need.

“There has been a markedly increased focus in the workplace well-being space on products and services addressing social determinants of health. Additionally, optimizing management and leadership capabilities to address issues of mental health at a systems level is having a long overdue moment in the sun,” commented Chetan Bagga, CEO of Archetype, a corporate wellness investment and consulting firm.

According to the press release from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, “With more than 160 million people participating in the United States workforce and with the average full-time worker in the United States spending about half of their waking life at work, workplaces play a significant role in shaping our mental and physical well-being. Employers have a unique opportunity not only to invest in the mental health and well-being of their workforce but also to strengthen their organizations’ success by doing so.” WELCOA’s mission and vision are in complete alignment with this priority. Furthermore, WELCOA is positioned to support an organization’s ability to respond effectively to the model put forth by the Surgeon General.

---

About WELCOA:

With a 30-year history and a reach of 30,000 businesses, WELCOA leverages data analytics to serve business leaders and industry experts with organizational development processes, analytical tools, and training to improve employee well-being. Representatives available for a virtual interview.

---