Improving workplace well-being by

resourcing your “resources”

Dr Ben Searle

Macquarie University

Resourcing your “resources”

• Prevention, recovery, and improvement

• Work characteristics and their links to well-

being and safety outcomes

• Actions and priorities for healthy work

• Managing interpretations, expectations and

other challenges

– case studies

Demands, resources and OH&S

• Research has shown significant OH&S links

– Illness, absenteeism, exhaustion/burnout, safety

– Engagement

Work characteristics

Resources

Challenges vs Hindrances(Cavenaugh et al., 2000; Crawford et al., 2010)

Resources

Challenge

Demands

Hindrance

Demands

Resources

Challenges vs Hindrances vs Threats(Searle & Auton, in review; Tuckey, Searle et al, in review)

Challenge

Demands

Hindrance

Demands

Resources

Threats

Challenge

Demands Hindrances

Resources

Challenges, Hindrances, Threats &

Resources

• Different risk profiles and management

strategies for each

• Context is critical! In different industries /

organisations, different things are perceived

as challenges, hindrances and threats

– Merits of profiling your organisation

Actions and priorities for healthy work

Maintenance

1. Monitor threats,

hindrances, demands

and resources

2. Strive to maintain

existing resources

3. Consider new resources

to develop

Improvement

1. Manage threats

2. Introduce / enhance

appropriate resources

3. Manage hindrances

4. Manage challenges

Which resources do I need?

A matter of fit

• Tailored approaches

– What matches your biggest problem?

– Problem diagnosis & needs analysis

• Fit guidelines

– Match by level (Searle, in review)

– “Triple match principle” (De Jonge & Dormann, 2003)

Job Level

• Autonomy

• Training

• Equipment

• Time

• Feedback

• Instructions

Team Level

• Supervisor

support (e.g.

recognition)

• Co-worker

support

• Team climate

(e.g. safety,

cohesion)

Org. Level

• Leader

support (e.g.

respect)

• Org. climate

(e.g., trust)

• Employee

resources

(e.g. environ-

ment)

Triple-match principle

Physical

• Safety

• Equipment

• Environment

• Ergonomics

Cognitive

• Clarity (of

roles & goals)

• Skill

development

• Knowledge

management

Emotional

• Trust and

justice

• Recognition

• Respect and

professional,

civil conduct

Managing interpretations, expectations

and other challenges

Managing interpretations, expectations

and other challenges

Case Study 1: Private education org.

Job insecurity

Case Study 2: Public Sector org.

Summary

• Many aspects of work can affect health,

engagement, safety and other behaviour

• Resources are critical to prevention,

improvement and recovery

– consistently stronger effects on engagement and

resilience, but also affect fatigue, burnout, & safety

– often a larger range of options, especially pre-crisis

Where to next?

Organisation appraisal

profiling

• Organisation-level

prevention/improvement

• Looking at appraisals of

work features specific to

certain industries / orgs

• Results can be used to

direct future monitoring

and inform interventions

• Employee/team-level

stress management

• Looking at within-day

relations between work

factors, appraisals, well-

being and behaviour

• Results can be used to

develop day-to-day well-

being management skills

• Pre-funded!

Where to next?

Organisation appraisal

profiling

• Organisation-level

prevention/improvement

• Looking at appraisals of

work features specific to

certain industries / orgs

• Results can be used to

direct future monitoring

and inform interventions

Dynamic stress risk &

response modelling

Thank you!

For involvement in our projects,

or for other workplace research / advice,

please contact me at:

ben.searle@mq.edu.au

02 9850 8066