Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 53 Louise Lambert is a registered psychologist and editor of the Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology in the United Arab Emirates. For more information, visit www.happinessmatters.org. psychologists. These are the collective responsibility of governments, the private sector and communities as a whole. Let's keep sight of this as the months go on. What is making it tough for people right now is not knowing what's next. Employers must communicate, even if they do not have all of the answers. Simply saying, "We're working on it, but in the mean- time, what do you need upon your return?" goes a long way. • Finally, the presence of mental health issues at work must bear the question: what are organizations inadvertently doing to make these surface? Simply offering services without reflection upon why services are needed is not a sustainable practice. Offering one without the other is akin to offering cigarettes and the COPD specialist at the same time. Positive psychology So, where does this leave organizations? It's time to focus on wellbeing and not because of COVID-19, CSR, recruitment or retention, but because it's in the inter- ests of organizations to do so. Employees are not satisfied with merely feeling less blah, dull, bored, annoyed and frustrated. They are getting tired of endless webinars on mental health issues they do not have or already know about. Instead, they want to feel good, satisfied, interested, optimistic, energized, seen, cared for, as though they belong, and that life is meaningful. And the science of positive psychology can do that. Positive psychology offers everyone, whether they are depressed, languishing or flourishing, the psycho- logical skills to do, feel, think and relate better. In effect, positive psychology offers individuals the skills to redesign their own lives to be more colourful, a little intriguing, and joyful to inhabit. These skills, known as positive psychology interventions, have been tested on millions of people around the world. They work. And they work over time relative to control groups. These interventions not only benefit the already well — they were originally tested on clinically depressed popu- lations and in recent years, have been used on the non-distressed too. They have been evaluated against anti-de- pressant medication and cognitive behavioural treatments, considered the gold standard for depression in clinical settings. Across studies, they work just as well, and in many cases, surpass stan- dard treatment. These interventions increase the overall subjective well- being of individuals, and boost positive emotional experiences, build meaning and purpose, and deepen relationships. They elevate people beyond simply feeling "not bad." When used at work, they increase psychological capital and push past the ceiling effects of much training designed to merely fix problems. These acceler- ated mindsets go on to have positive influences on personal lives, home lives, social lives, community lives, as well as economic lives. No one needs reminding, but happier employees are more productive, healthier, creative and constructive. They are less likely to steal, simply warm a chair, be sick or bored, and they save organizations money in the long run as well. Let's not leave managers off the hook: we can also train them to become kinder, more attentive, supportive, trusting, and in a position to model wellbeing versus magically expecting it to occur on its own. Offering mental health services is good and necessary but it misses the mark for most people. Those who have mental health issues already know all about it, and those who don't aren't interested. Instead, people want to experience their lives as joyful, interesting, funny and worth doing. Striving to merely not be mentally distressed is a low standard — we can do better. Organizations can do better. In fact, employers that champion happiness and wellbeing offer societies a precious asset by doing so and lift everyone in their vicinity. We all win when life is worth living. CHRR

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