Enhancing employees’ mental well-being at workplaces : A scoping literature review

Abstract

This thesis focused on interventions that support and improve mental well-being of employees. Its purpose was to explore the literature in order to identify interventions derived from positive psychology that enhance mental well-being at work. The aim was twofold: firstly, to identify key characteristics of interventions used to improve mental well-being; secondly to explore how effective those interventions actually are. This thesis used a scoping literature review as its research method and followed Arksey & O’Malley (2005) guidelines. Two database searches were performed in Spring 2019 with the use of Academic Search Ultimate, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline and Business Search Ultimate databases. From a total of 242 hits I selected 26 review studies, extracted the data that answers the study questions, charted it and analyzed using content analysis method. All the reviewed articles (n=26) provided evidence for positive effects of analyzed programs and interventions. However, there seems to be no one superior method that would be most effective in improving psychological well-being of employees. Additionally, methods of intervention delivery such as length, dosage and technique might not be a single predictor of effectiveness. This scoping literature review aimed at identifying key characteristics of workplace-based interventions to inform decisions on how to plan and implement effective programs enhancing mental well-being of employees. An important finding of this review is the need for careful tailoring of the trainings and programs. Planning a program beneficial for both employees and the organization requires thorough consideration of recipients’ needs, their own commitment as well as individuals’ and organizational resources.