Creating a psychologically healthy workplace is not just the right thing to do for employees; it’s also the smart thing to do for an organization’s financial well being and productivity. A small investment in psychologically healthy work practices can pay big dividends in years to come.

Studies show that organizations not only benefit from their psychologically healthy workplace practices, they also show that organizations can pay a very real price for inaction and inattention to such health practices. A report from the Journal of Occupational Health and Medicine shows that health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress. Expenditures are even more significant given the fact that corporate healthcare costs continue to accelerate with no slowdown in sight. According to a recent survey, there was a 14.7% increase overall in 2002 in corporate healthcare costs.

The American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) new publication identifies a series of best practices, which have been successfully used to create psychologically healthy workplaces. These business best practices came to light as part of APA’s new national recognition program - “The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award: Best Practices Honors,” which recognizes companies for innovative programs and policies that support psychologically healthy work environments. Companies ranging from BellSouth to Washington State University and Small Dog Electronics are among the 15 companies nationwide honored for their ongoing commitment to workplace health and well-being.

A brief description of each of the honorees’ innovative programs is included in the publication that can be viewed and downloaded from the APA’s website.

See the APA news release or contact: Luana Bossolo at 202-336-5899 for additional information.
 

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare. APA is on the web and located at: http://www.apa.org