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Safety View: Role of Mental Health in Organizational Performance

By Tamara Parris
Published: December 6, 2020 | Last updated: November 22, 2023
Key Takeaways

What is the role of mental health in organizational performance? Is this the province of human resources, safety, or leadership?

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What is the role of mental health in organizational performance? Join as we discuss if this is the province of human resources, safety, or leadership lead by Rosa Carrillo. Come share your thoughts and learn from others. We will look at the latest findings on the state of well-being at work and recommendations.

The International Labor Organization defines workplace wellbeing as it: “relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organization. The aim of measures for workplace wellbeing are to complement OSH measures to make sure workers are safe, healthy, satisfied and engaged at work.”

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Mental health affects how we perceive, think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. It is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

Chat from Session:

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00:24:22Tamara Parris:Really glad to see so everyone here with us! Welcome 🙂
00:24:41Lisa Lande:Same, Tamara!
00:26:07Lisa Lande:Mental health, psych safety, and social/emotional needs.
00:33:26Tanya Hewitt:The "She-cession"
00:38:44Lisa Lande:https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms/up-next
00:38:50Lisa Lande:Is this is Gary?
00:39:15Gary Wong:Yes! Thanks Lisa
00:39:19Lisa Lande::-)
00:40:01Tanya Hewitt:This is the Economist episode I referenced https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxDVucUZCnc&t=214s
00:40:14Lisa Lande:Thanks Tanya
00:43:05Tanya Hewitt:But the Business Roundtable might have an impact https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans
00:44:16Lisa Lande:Nice to see you Gordon! 🙂
00:45:23Gary Wong:Tanya: Elizabeth Warren’s perspective on the Business Roundtable
00:45:27Gary Wong:https://www.fastcompany.com/90557370/elizabeth-warren-business-roundtable-declaration-was-just-an-empty-publicity-stunt?partner=feedburner&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feedburner+fastcompany&utm_content=feedburner&cid=eem524:524:s00:09/29/2020_fc&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=Compass&utm_campaign=eem524:524:s00:09/29/2020_fc
00:46:27Gary Wong:Hi Andy!
00:50:28Andy Barker:Hi – I would get Rosa to talk about relationships – if you have trust it is OK to speak – we may not be able to fix every issue you have, but we can listen at work and provide you with what you need to help make work OK – if work is OK, you may be better able to cope with outside "issues" – but it takes relationships and listening – lots of
00:51:18Lisa Lande:Yes, Andy. Rosa noted psych safety as a precursor to building trust as well as an outcome of having it. We can dig deeper here.
00:58:36Tanya Hewitt:Hi all – this has been lovely – although I will need to leave for another Zoom call. Thanks for the discussion!
01:03:09Lisa Lande:Empowerment and sense of value is so critical to mental health and well-being, so safety and performance.
01:22:33Lisa Lande:https://theleadershipedge.com/
01:25:05Lisa Lande:The cues that tell us someone is unwell, uneasy, unengaged are not as subtle as we believe. We can learn to attend to these.
01:25:35Lisa Lande:…we must learn to attend to these actually.
01:25:51Tamara Parris:why does leadership not attend to them is my question Lisa
01:26:20Lisa Lande:We do not SEE them because these are not the behaviors we have historically associated with safety and performance.
01:26:39Lisa Lande:…that we have historically monitored and reinforced
01:26:43Lisa Lande:Measured
01:26:45Tamara Parris:true
01:26:57Tamara Parris:they are uncomfortable conversations
01:27:21Tamara Parris:can not control as easily as the technical
01:27:23Lisa Lande:Yes. So train to make comfortable. We have means to do this. Assessment centers are incredibly powerful.
01:28:23Bill Nelson:Lisa – That website is something different. Leader’s Edge was a leadership training program aimed at pastors and church leaders here in Houston. But the principles have been captured in two books by Jim Herrington, “The Leader’s Journey” and “Leading Congregational Change”. The principles are very applicable to secular organizations as well.
01:28:57Lisa Lande:Oh excuse me Bill. Do you have a link, or is it not formalized as a “business”?
01:30:02Lisa Lande:So good to see everyone! Thank you for joining us today.
01:30:02Bill Nelson:The current website is totally church oriented so I need to find a more general reference.
01:30:14Lisa Lande:Thanks, Bill.

More About “The Safety View”

Each one-hour session is hosted by an expert or stakeholder in safety performance. And each session invites all attendees to participate, listen, and learn from each other and through conversation and shared experiences. Collectively, we explore the human system’s impact on safety and performance – relationally, psychologically, and socially.

We look forward to discussing this intriguing topic with you, and hope you are able to attend. However, if unable to attend, please know that all sessions will be available for view, by registrants and non-registrants alike, through the Safeopedia websitehttps://www.safeopedia.com/topic/182/safeopedia-podcasts

After a brief introduction to the topic and sharing of relevant research, the floor will be open for group conversation. We invite ALL to share their thoughts, and will openly embrace – actually encourage – different perspectives. We really want to hear from all, from those who can share measurable, scientific concepts, those who have knowledge gained from experience, and those who intend to learn and understand more.

Group Rules of Conduct:

  • Build each other up to encourage and grow our ideas. Our group goal is to learn, share and expand our views.
  • If you disagree, first repeat what you heard and get acknowledgement that you understand what others have tried to propose.
  • Use "I think", "feel", "have discovered" during respectful rebuttals of others opinions and ideas.
  • Be prepared to agree, to disagree as views will be different.from our own and we want to nurture others.

Regular Hosts of the Safety View are:

Rosa Carrillo author of The Relationship Factor in Safety Leadership, safety leadership consultant, MS in Organizational development.

Gary Wong, Complexity Facilitator at Gary Wong & Associates, Bachelor of Applied Science, Masters of Business Administration, safety and organizational change from a complexity perspective.

Tamara Parris, Community Development, Bachelors of Social Work, Occupational Health and Safety, and Emergency Management.

Lisa Lande, Ph.D., Principal Consultant at Petricher Consulting, LLC, licensed psychologist, human and organizational factors; safety, culture and leadership coach and consultant.

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Written by Tamara Parris

Tamara Parris

Tamara Parris is the VP of Community and Business Development at Safeopedia, and owner of EHS Professionals Group on LinkedIn. Her passion is working with other EHS Professionals to collaborate in thought leadership, networking and connecting our industry peers to resources that will increase profitability and safety practices within their workplaces. Tamara has been in the Health and Safety field for over 20 years, her industry experiences include the Construction sector, CCTV and Security, and Commercial Retail industries.

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