Thriving Workplaces How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives 2025

Address effects “Reactive”Level in organization Organization-wide Team Job IndividualAddress drivers “Proactive” Burn-out symptoms ~1% ~35% ~60% ~5%Focus of most interventions offered today~10% ~40% ~20% ~30%Holistic health Proposed weighting of well-being interventions targeting each organizational levelProposed weighting of well-being interventions targeting each organizational levelData-driven distribution suggestion of employee health and well-being interventions by levels of an organization targeted100FIGURE 11 The reason a portfolio approach is important is that work and health-related outcomes are influenced by both enablers and drivers.101 Enablers are the aspects that can provide positive energy, such as meaningful work and psychological safety. In comparison, demands are challenges at work that require sustained cognitive, physical or emotional effort, such as toxic workplace behaviour and role ambiguity. Holistic health is most strongly influenced by enablers, such as the employee experience of having self-efficacy, adaptability, feelings of belonging, meaningful work and psychological safety. Interventions that address these drivers include self-efficacy and adaptability training, purpose workshops, and psychological-safety leadership and team training. Other interventions to support holistic health include workplace nutrition programmes, peer mentoring, job crafting and physical-activity nudges. In contrast, burn-out symptoms are more strongly associated with demands, such as the employee experience of toxic workplace behaviour, role ambiguity and role conflict. Interventions related to these drivers focus on eliminating toxic behaviours, making roles clearer and helping teams and team leaders reduce confusion and role conflict. Additional interventions include offering high-quality mental health awareness training, managing teams’ ways of working, creating space for recovery and adjusting roles to enhance control and autonomy. The best place for an organization to start addressing demands and building enablers for employees is at the team and job levels.102 Notably, team-level drivers are predictive of both holistic health and burn-out symptoms. Middle managers are crucial to team health and well-being, serving as the link between leadership and employees.103 Their engagement is vital for the successful implementation of employee health and well-being interventions. Empowering and training middle managers to prioritize the health and well-being of their teams can unlock employee growth and productivity. Investing in middle management pays off: research shows that organizations with top- performing middle managers generate 3 to 21 times more in total shareholder returns.104 Additionally, including employees in the decision-making process through surveys, focus groups and well- being committees ensures that subsequent actions meet their needs and realities. Source: MHI Employee Holistic Health Survey 2023, expert interviews Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives 34