Importance of Positive Environment at the Workplace

Work can give an individual purpose and motivation in life. But for many people, the workplace is a highly stressful environment and this means it can be a damaging place for their mental health. The importance of psychological well-being at workplace has grown over the last two or three decades as there has been a shift from physical to psychological sources of pressure at work. An economy in a downward spiral, rising unemployment, anxieties about future job loss, lack of access to affordable health care, a crisis in the financial industry and declining consumer confidence are among some of the challenges creating significant stress in the lives of workers and their families. Much can be done to improve and sustain psychological well-being at work and there are many possible approaches that can be taken. Usually, employer action in this domain has focused on supporting individuals to cope better or to return to health/work when they have suffered a health problem. While these interventions are undoubtedly important, they do not change the working environment (create 'good work/remove 'bad work) and are largely focused on reducing the ill-health of a subgroup within the workforce, rather than improving the psychological well-being of everyone in the organization. Positive workplace fosters employee health and psychological well-being while enhancing organizational performance and productivity. It is the purpose of this paper to explore 1) the conceptual framework and characteristics of positive workplace 2) Positive approaches to the workplace (PERMA Model, Performance-Happiness Model, Strengths-Based Approach, Positive Psychological capital, Positive Organizational Scholarship, Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Organizational Behavior and Positive Leadership) 3) Ways to create apositive workplace 4) Benefits of a positive workplace.