WCF Receives Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award
TWO ARKANSAS COMPANIES TO RECEIVE PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE AWARD
Program Recognizes Employers for Creating Workplaces That Foster Employee Health and Well-being While Enhancing Organizational Performance
Two Arkansas organizations will receive a Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award from the Arkansas Psychological Association. Award recipients include:
- Optus, Inc. (For profit category)
- Women & Children First (Not for profit category)
“In this time of high job stress and increasing demands on employees, these exemplary workplaces have made it a priority to create environments that are sensitive to the health and well-being of their workers,” says Joyce Fowler, Ph.D. “By recognizing these organizations for their efforts, we hope others will take notice and implement similar programs in their workplaces.”
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award (PHWA) was created to recognize organizations that understand the link between employee health and well-being and organizational performance and have implemented a variety of workplace practices in an active effort to create a positive work environment.
Each applicant was judged on criteria including: employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. Each organization demonstrated workplace practices that addressed employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition through written applications, employee surveys, and on-site interviews with their employees.
Optus, Inc., (https://www.optusinc.com/), a telecommunications service and manufacturing company, highlighted their understanding of the role of the workplace environment in contributing to well-being. Women & Children First (http://wcfarkansas.org/), a non-profit organization serving women and children suffering from domestic violence, emphasized the implementation of the empowerment model that transformed their organizational functioning and improvement in the well-being of their employees.
According to a 2012 released national survey by the American Psychological Association, many Americans report chronic work stress, with two out of five (41 percent) employees reporting that they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday. Meanwhile, employees who feel valued are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, compared to those who do not feel valued by their employers.
The awards was presented on October 19, 2016 at “The Future of Work” seminar sponsored by the Arkansas Psychological Association and will be followed by a reception in honor of Optus, Inc. and Women & Children First. For more information about the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, which is supported by the American Psychological Association, please contact Joyce Fowler, Ph.D., Arkansas Psychological Association PHWA Committee Chair at 501-664-6632 or [email protected].