Psychology research uncovers link between workplace culture and mental health outcomes in high stress industries

Employees on the frontlines are routinely placed in high stress, high pressure situations. First responders, military members, and, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care workers find themselves in stressful, dangerous, and volatile situations.

“One of the expectations of this population is that they are highly resilient individuals,” explains Dr. Gargi Sawhney, an occupational health psychology researcher at Auburn University.

With a workplace expectation of resiliency, Sawhney says many individuals may avoid reporting mental health symptoms.

In this episode of the “Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know” podcast, Dr. Sawhney discusses the serious impact that poor mental health can have on employees. Additionally, she breaks down the coping strategies that her research found to be successful in mitigating mental health symptoms and the key things organizational leaders can do to best support their employees.

Listen to the podcast here.