August 2010
Welcome to the first bi-monthly issue of Working Well Matters, an online newsletter that focusing on creating mentally healthy and productive workplaces. Your contributions and feedback are very welcome.
To celebrate the launch, we are providing organisations with an excellent opportunity to invest in their staff. Register for two Working Well Workshops and receive 50% off the third workshop. Conditions apply.
In this issue we talk to Dana Toeke, Human Resources Advisor for fashion retailer Country Road NZ on recent in-house training provided by Working Well.
And we're keen to hear your thoughts on an upcoming public workshop so I've added a very quick survey.
Mauri ora
Shaughan Woodcock
Acting Working Well Manager
Contents
In the News
Sunday lost to workday blues
Barrat, J. (2010, 23 May). Auckland: NZ Herald.
News article
Teresa Ash, from Signature Psychologies in Auckland, has conducted research in NZ on how people use their weekends to de-stress from their working week and how Sundays can often be spent worrying about work the following Monday.
Do less if you want to achieve more
Walker, L. (2010, 7 July). Auckland: NZ Herald.
News article
According to a recent Harris poll, one-third of workers aged 25 to 39 feel burned out. Research indicates that 70 to 90 per cent of patient visits to primary care are for health problems related to underlying emotional stress.
Feeling wanted at work key to happiness
(2010, 8 July). Auckland: Everybody.co.nz
News article
If you feel "on the outer" at work, your mental health and wellbeing may also suffer through anxiety, depression or stress, Brisbane psychology researchers have found.
Research / Resources
WHO healthy workplaces: framework and model for action
Burton, J. (2010). Geneva: World Health Organization
Background and Literature Review
A new publication produced by the World Health Organization promotes a global model for action, applicable to all workplaces. It is a well-known fact nowadays that a healthy workforce in a healthy workplace also means a healthy business.
The price is right: making workplace wellness financially sustainable
Lee. S., & Blake, H., & Lloyd, S. (2008). International Journal of Workplace Management, 3(1), 58-69.
Abstract
The public health argument for developing and maintaining workplace wellness programmes in organisations is well-documented, particularly within the healthcare sector which aims to "set the example" for workplace health. However, workplace wellness also makes good business sense, since it is established that investing in employee health can reduce absenteeism, improve job satisfaction and productivity and enhance corporate image.
Rethinking the work-life interface: it's not about balance, it's about resource allocation
Matthew J. Grawitch, Larissa K. Barber, Logan Justice. (2010, April). Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, 2(2), 127-159.
Abstract
Previous research has focused primarily on the ways in which work life and non-work life influence each other (mostly negatively), we present an alternative perspective that focuses on personal pursuits and the management of personal resources.
Mental health in the workplaces: an employer's guide
(2010). London: Mental Health Foundation.
Promotional page
Handy pull-out guides and information sheets, and is designed to show employers how thinking about mental health in the workplace can benefit both their business and their employees.
The weekend matters: relationships between stress recovery and affective experiences
Fritz, C., Sonnentag, S., Spector, P., & McInroe, J. (2010, June). Journal of Organizational Behavior, early view.
Abstract
Non-work experiences during the weekend provide opportunities to recover from work demands and to replenish lost resources. This longitudinal study examined how specific recovery experiences during the weekend (relaxation, mastery, control, and detachment), as well as non-work hassles, were associated with specific positive and negative affective states during the following workweek.
People with depression need expert support to return to work, new research review finds
Seymour, L. (2010, June). Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.
Report
People with common mental health problems do not have to be completely well to return to work. For many, going back to work actually helps their recovery.
Join Working Well
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