Best Fit or Best Practice
Due to the increasing shifts in the business world, more and more firms and organizations have realized that employees' mental well-being is essential within the organization. For the integration of these resources, a large number of organizations begin to focus on establishing plans and implementing the appropriate model or strategy (CIPD, 2016). In the context of a proper mental health environment, a best-fit model acts as the most suitable model to enhance the integration and connection of human resources while ensuring that their mental health is protected (Koser et al., 2018). As human resource activities comprise a range of managerial decisions and actions that determine the firm's performance, the best-fit model ensures that the decisions made support the creation of an effective and supportive mental health environment. The best-fit model emphasizes that HR and organization strategies should be aligned.
Based on the best practice model, HR strategies must be appropriate in varying circumstances along with the culture and the existing operations. Employees' mental health is mainly affected by the work environment that they are exposed to and the difficulty of the tasks they are engaged in (Miller, 2016). To establish an environment that supports positive mental health, the HR strategies utilized should focus on the needs of the firm and the employees' needs, following the expectations set for them (Lamb, 2016). The management should develop strategic changes based on the existing environment to develop an HR service relevant to the firm's work attitudes and organizational expectations. Therefore, the best-practice model would not be applicable as it involves the use of HR activities that are used universally across different companies. This universal approach would mean that HR services would not cater to the unique work environment that employees have to face.
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HR Policies and Practices
As human resources are critical to an organization's financial performance, HR managers should pursue policies and practices aimed at improving mental health support in the organization, even if it may not positively impact the financial performance. Mental health is an essential component in the labor market and is one of the crucial modifiers to execution and production. Work is typically a protective component for individuals, but in cases where they are not appropriately addressed, it may affect the mental welfare of those involved (Rees et al., 2016). When appropriate policies and practices are not formulated to facilitate mental health support, associated typical practices such as low work-life balance, absence of development opportunities, and a high level of workload may cause poor mental health outcomes.
Efforts focusing on mental health support should be thoroughly pursued to ensure that employee wellness and mindfulness are prioritized. It is appropriate for firms to provide HR policies and practices aimed at the development of necessary psychological coping skills, which would be aimed at the development of mental health (Holland, 2019). Therefore, various strategies should be used to improve the mental well-being of employees. These practices not only enhance the existing work environment, but also ensure that the psychosocial status of the employees is protected to support peak productivity (Koser et al., 2018). These practices and policies aimed at improving mental health are usually directed at addressing conflicts between employees, stress-related absences, inappropriate behaviors with consumers, challenges associated with disciplinary actions, trauma associated with work, or personal issues. Addressing these issues maximizes professional collaboration within the organization, while improving the ethical and organizational components required for increased productivity.
Dangers of Channels for Disclosure
In the workplace environment, employees and managers should have the freedom to decide whether to reveal or conceal information concerning themselves. In regards to mental health and the related support, this freedom is even more critical since the information to be communicated is highly personal and may have a considerable effect on the workplace relationships (Matthews, 2018). Therefore, when establishing channels for support for those affected in the context of mental health in the workplace, there are several dangers that should be taken into consideration. These dangers are mainly associated with the reactions that other employees may have to the disclosed information. One of the dangers of establishing such a channel is that other employees may not respond favorably to the information presented (Lee et al., 2020). These channels mainly act as a way for those involved to learn about how the other person thinks and feels. When employees disclose information concerning mental health support that could result in further absences or reduced productivity, other employees may react negatively due to the increased workload that they would have to deal with.
Another danger is that the recipient of other’s mental health information may gain power in the working relationship due to the information they possess. If an employee discloses information about their mental health to an individual in a managerial position, then the manager may be viewed as having greater power in the relationship. This may cause mistrust between the employee and the manager, causing lower productivity and increased stress levels in the workplace for the employee. This may also result in exclusion. For instance, the manager may decide to exclude the employee who disclosed information concerning mental health support in high profile tasks.
Moreover, the establishment of channels used to disclose information concerning mental health can result in the employees being treated differently than others (Lee et al., 2020). Disclosing personal and sensitive data concerning one's mental health can result in the rest of the workforce viewing the individual as different. Employees may be considered as needy, not self-sufficient, or lacking the ability to perform at the same level as their peers within the work environment. Therefore, disclosure of personal information should be avoided in the organization due to numerous associated dangers.
Core Principles that Should Support an HRM Approach
The duty of care refers to the responsibility of a company to act with a reasonable care standard in regards to acts that may cause foreseeable harm. For an HRM approach based on the duty of care to be conducted, several principles should be included to ensure sufficient mental health support is provided to employees. One of these principles is that employees are provided with the most significant degree of health and safety protection (Russo, 2018). For example, the management should ensure that the organizational expectations set for employees match with their expertise to avoid elevated stress in the workforce. The second principle is that those who manage or control activities negatively impact employees’ mental health take responsibility for decreasing any risks. For instance, proper conflict management strategies should be taught to employees to promote the creation of a peaceful environment and, in turn, a work environment that is supportive of mental health.
The third principle is that employers should be proactive and establish reasonable measures to protect the mental health of employees in business operations. An example of a proactive measure would be conducting monthly mental health training sessions to provide employees with the tools that they can use. Lastly, employers and employees should exchange information concerning risks to mental health and steps that may be taken to minimize these risks (Igbinomwanhia et al., 2012). An open-door policy can be established to enable employees to express any perceived risks to their mental health. This will help employers in establishing work environments that are conducive to positive mental health.
Professional and Ethical Approach
The use of a professional and ethical approach to HR is beneficial to business operations. It supports the satisfaction of employee needs when it comes to mental health. One of the main ways that this approach will support business practices is by ensuring that they are legally applicable. Secondly, there are minimal costs associated with discrimination and a hostile work environment. Gaining a reputation for ethics and professionalism will also ensure that the business attracts the top talent within the industry (Rees et al., 2016). Additionally, employees have focused on findings the most beneficial employment relationships that may exist. Having an HR function that addresses mental health issues will result in the business having access to a skilled, experienced, and highly productive employee . This HR function can result in identifying developmental needs for employees to fit in with a wider business strategy. Hence, the needs of employees will be easily observable by the management. The management can then create proper mental health practices and activities that result in the establishment of a productive and healthy work environment. Therefore, this approach to HR will be beneficial to both employees and business opérations.
Conclusion
With the increase in the changes within the HR industry, there is an increased need to provide support for the mental health of employees. During the management of human resources, the best-fit model acts as the most appropriate strategy due to its acknowledgment of the unique culture of an organization. HR managers should pursue policies and practices focused on improving mental health support, even when it does not result in an evident impact on financial performance. While addressing mental health support, the HRM approach should be based on several principles, which include providing employees with the highest degree of health and safety protection that can be practiced and minimizing any risks associated with the mental health of employees. Lastly, a professional and ethical approach to HR should be applied to ensure the satisfaction of employees and increased operational efficiencies.
References
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Holland, P. J. (Ed.), 2019. Contemporary HRM Issues in the 21st Century , Emerald Publishing Limited.
Igbinomwanhia, O. R., Iyayi, O., & Iyayi, F., 2012. Employee work-life balance as an HR imperative. African Research Review , 12(3), pp. 109-126.
Koser, M., Rasool, S. F., & Samma, M., 2018. High performance work system is the accelerator of the best fit and integrated HR-practices to achieve the goal of productivity: a case of textile sector in Pakistan. Global Management Journal for Academic & Corporate Studies , 8(1), pp. 10-21.
Lamb, N., 2016. The importance of the workplace in achieving one agenda for mental and physical health, CIPD . [Online] (Updated 2016) Available at:
< https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/moving-employee-well-being-agenda-forward_2016_tcm18-15556.pdf > [Accessed 29 Nov. 2020].
Lee, Y., & Li, J. Y. Q., 2020. The value of internal communication in enhancing employees’ health information disclosure intentions in the workplace, Public Relations Review , 46(1), pp. 101872.
Matthews, G., 2018. Employee engagement: what’s your strategy? Strategic HR Review . [Online] (Updated 15 April 2018) Available at: < https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-03-2018-0025 > [Accessed 29 Nov. 2020].
Miller, J., 2016. The well-being and productivity link: a significant opportunity for research-into-practice. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance , 3(3), pp. 289-311.
Rees, G., & French, R. (Eds.). (2016). Leading, managing and developing people , Kogan Page Publishers.
Russo, D. (2018). Implementation of the Duty of Care by the OSCE. In The Duty of Care of International Organizations Towards Their Civilian Personnel (pp. 265-292), The Hague: TMC Asser Press.
