Assessing risk and protective factors associated with psychological wellbeing in the workplace among employees of small retail businesses

Abstract

Workplaces vary in terms of their culture of health. Small employers especially may have a difficult time prioritizing aspects of health that traditionally are undervalued, such as mental wellness. Employees at the businesses are less likely to have access to workplace resources that promote wellbeing, which may contribute to inequities and health disparities. The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to assess factors associated with psychological wellbeing in the workplace among employees of small retail businesses in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Also, this study was undertaken to investigate whether differences in these factors varied based on demographics. A previously established, validated and reliable survey was issued to 20 retail businesses with 100 or less full and part-time employees. In total, 49 employees provided complete records to be included in final analyses. The most commonly reported risk factor was emotional exhaustion. Preliminary results within sample examination revealed that factors associated with psychological wellbeing in the workplace differed based on employee demographics. Future studies should emphasize a more rigorous sampling approach to promote generalizability, and research should attempt to further validate the online survey used in this study by looking for associated between factors and other well established psychological wellbeing measures.