Today’s leaders appreciate that organizations perform better when their staff members are healthy, motivated and focused. But it’s not always clear how a workplace can be made psychologically healthy and safe, particularly in times of organizational change or economic uncertainty. 

It’s reported that 47% of working Canadians agree their work is the most stressful part of their day and that  3 out of 10 Canadian employees believe their work environments are not psychologically safe or healthy.

The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace was developed to focus on 13 factors that influence psychological health and safety in the workplace. One of the standout factors is clear leadership and expectations defined as effective and supportive leadership that helps employees know what they need to do, how their work contributes to the organization, and whether there are impending changes.

The 3 main benefits for organizations with clear leadership and expectations 

1. Leaders are role models for positive, healthy behaviours – impacting overall culture positively.

2.There’s greater trust between leaders and employees.

3.Morale is positive even during times of change or high stress.

How can management use clear leadership as a support?

As a manager, make it very clear what you want, who you want involved, and when you want the work completed by. This ensures the direction is clear and provides more opportunities for helpful feedback to employees about their expected and actual performance. 

How can employees embrace clear leadership communication?

This open and clear communication style also prompts and encourages employees to ask clarifying questions: What is expected of them? Who is available to provide support? How long the work is expected to take? This provides employees with an understanding of what success looks like and how to get there.  

Support for the whole organization

The workplace plays an essential part in maintaining and supporting the positive mental health of its people. When the whole team embraces clear leadership and expectations –one of the 13 factors of psychological health and safety in the workplace– staff become aware of what they need to do and how their work contributes to the organization. Mental wellbeing then becomes a prime consideration in the workplace that improves employee engagement, job satisfaction, greater staff retention rates and also helps reduce employee absenteeism and presenteeism.  

Book a demo of Snapclarity’s virtual mental healthcare platform to see how it will transform your employees’ experience.