Welcome to our first post marking the beginning of a series of blogs focused on improving employee well-being and retention. We’ll explore each key or ‘essential’ element of the US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being, breaking down actionable strategies for a supportive work environment.
The series will include the following topics:
- Introduction to the US Surgeon General’s Framework
- Protection From Harm
- Connection & Community – published soon
- Work-Life Harmony – published soon
- Mattering at Work – published soon
- Opportunity for Growth – published soon
Today’s focus is on Protection from Harm, a foundational essential pillar that parallels the basic physiological needs in Maslow’s hierarchy. Without a sense of safety, it becomes challenging to address higher-level needs, and employees may seek other job opportunities if they feel unsafe. As you’d assume, this is what all other pillars are built from and needs to be in place in any business for people to feel safe and be happy.
What Does Safety and Security in the Workplace Mean?
The US Surgeon General’s framework defines safety in the workplace as ensuring that all employees are free from risks of physical harm, injuries, or illness. It also extends to protection against psychological harm, including discrimination, bias, bullying, and harassment.
Furthermore, job and financial security are critical to employees feeling secure in their roles, ensuring long-term retention and well-being.
For employers, achieving this means implementing strategies to:
- Prioritise both physical and psychological safety in the workplace
- Normalise mental health care and support
- Operationalise Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)
These are not optional practices but are essential for creating a work environment where employees feel valued and safe. Without them, retention will suffer as employees will be more likely to seek out new employment opportunities (where they WILL feel safe).
Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment
Physical and Psychological Safety
While physical safety may not be a pressing concern in industries like IT, workplace comfort and ergonomic design should not be overlooked. WellFit Consultancy says that ‘According to the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, effective office ergonomics interventions on average reduce the number of musculoskeletal problems by 61%, reduce lost workdays by 88% and reduce staff turnover by 87%.’
Data like this can’t be ignored, so ensuring employees have comfortable, well-designed workspaces is essential and enhances their overall safety. If you’re uncertain how to optimise your workstations both in the office and for those working from home, this article on ergonomic design can help.
In some cases, performance-based rewards can inadvertently promote extended working hours within IT teams, therefore implementing policies that prevent excessive overtime is essential for protecting employees’ mental and physical health.
Promoting Psychological Safety
At Evolved Teams, we emphasise the importance of psychological safety - the ability for employees to express opinions, ask questions, and challenge ideas without fear of criticism. Our open door policies and access to senior leaders encourages all staff to come forward with ideas or issues. Psychological safety is a key trait of high-performing teams, as confirmed by Google’s 2012 study, and it is crucial in achieving a safe work environment.
Building a culture of psychological safety involves:
1. Educating your team about its importance
2. Building personal connections and bonds
3. Regularly measuring psychological safety within the team
Encouraging Rest
We all know how vital rest and sleep are for maintaining mental and physical health. Though you can’t directly control your employees’ sleep, ensuring they don’t work extended hours or during their time off can support their overall well-being. Instituting policies that prevent work communication during non-working hours or holidays can help ensure they are getting adequate rest. It’s also worth noting here that the new UK Labour Government has announced plans to roll out a ‘right to switch off’ policy for workers. This gives employees the right to ignore emails and calls from work outside of regular working hours to protect them from burnout. Likely to be introduced in Spring 2025, employers would have to respect employees' time outside of regular working hours or could face legal action.
Mental Health Support and Inclusivity
Normalising Mental Health Care
While progress has been made in mental health awareness, there is still much to do in many workplaces. While companies are not expected to provide professional mental health care, they can support a culture of openness around mental health. Making sure employees know mental health resources are available—and easy to access—is a must. Ideally, mental health support should be integrated into your employment policies.
DEIA: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
A diverse workforce is an asset to any company, offering a wide array of perspectives that can drive innovation. But diversity doesn’t just happen on its own—it requires intentional action. In IT, where male-to-female ratios are often skewed, creating a diverse team can be especially challenging. Companies must take deliberate steps, such as revising job postings or offering benefits tailored to female employees (such as menopause awareness and childcare), to increase diversity.
Your company’s website and team pages can also influence diversity. If your “About Us” page showcases an all-male team, female applicants may feel less inclined to apply. Remember the quote from tennis legend Billie Jean King who campaigned for fair representation in the sport; “If you can see it, you can be it”. Representation matters, and creating an inclusive environment begins with how your company presents itself.
Financial and Job Security
While fair compensation is undoubtedly important, job security can be an even more critical factor in employee retention. After organisational changes or restructuring, some companies notice higher turnover rates—likely due to employees feeling insecure about their long-term job prospects, even if they survived the cuts.
Ensuring that employees feel secure in their positions is essential. And although transparency is important, communications around financial challenges or loss of clients must be handled with sensitivity, as such news may be perceived as a threat to job security, even if it isn’t.
Conclusion
Establishing safety and security is the foundation of employee well-being and retention. If workers don’t feel safe from physical or psychological harm, they’ll likely seek other opportunities. Addressing this critical element can greatly enhance retention in your organisation.
If you’re facing retention challenges and would like to discuss solutions, we’re here to help. Our extended IT teams can bolster your in-house employees and provide stable, engaged, and collaborative teams to support you.
Contact our Head of Partnerships, Richard at richard@evolved-teams.com to discuss your team augmentation needs.