Conceptualizing Workplace Well-being: The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment
The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment was initially designed for improving physicians' well-being. However, this framework is applicable in other industries, as well. Demonstrating the interwoven components of workplace well-being, it unveils a profound fact: True workplace well-being stems from a collective commitment, integrating personal resilience, organizational culture, and operational efficiency.
The Three Pillars
1. Culture of Wellness
The first pillar in The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment is fostering a Culture of Wellness. A culture of wellness is characterized by a company or organization emphasizing an environment that promotes growth, well-being, and safety. To determine if your work environment is creating a culture of wellness, look for these characteristics:
Leadership support, commitment, and accountability for wellness
Infrastructure and resources to support health, safety, and wellness
Regular measurement of well-being and professional fulfillment
Recognition and appreciation
Fairness and inclusiveness
Transparency and values alignment
If your workplace does not include any of these aspects, become a wellness ambassador and advocate for positive improvement! Speak to your leadership team and human resources managers, and start the conversation about workplace wellness.
If you don’t have the capacity for advocacy right now, that’s okay. However, it may be time determine if you can really see yourself flourishing without a culture of wellness. Staying in an environment that does not promote health, wellness, and safety will lead to quicker burnout, further keeping you from flourishing in your professional life.
2. Efficacy of Practice
The next pillar in the model is Efficacy of Practice. This pillar is related to the actual work that is being completed at a company. It’s based on the systems, procedures, and methods in the workplace that foster safety, quality, efficiency, positive interactions, and a healthy work-life balance.
In healthcare, factors of this dimension include:
Identification and redesign of inefficient work flows
Involvement of physicians in the redesign of processes
Teamwork models of practice
Workspaces intentionally designed for interpersonal proximity and improved communication
Use of efficient communication methods to minimize e-mail time burden
Designing roles to practice at top of licensure
Streamlining computer programs, websites and other IT practices
Realistic staffing and scheduling that recognizes predictable absences
A well-organized and efficient workplace not only fosters productivity but also contributes significantly to the holistic well-being of its workforce. When employees feel that their efforts translate into tangible results and see that their time is utilized effectively, it creates a positive ripple effect on their overall health, especially in the reduction of stress.
3. Personal Resilience
The final pillar of The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment is Personal Resilience. Personal resilience centers on the individual skills, systems, and behaviors that impact overall well-being and is characterized by:
Self-care assessment and support systems
Safety net systems for crisis interventions
Worksite evidence-based health promotion
Encouragement of peer support
Financial management counseling
Life-needs support mechanisms (e.g. child and elder care, after-hours meals, and more)
Personal resilience in this regard means taking advantage of the opportunities provided by your organization. Your health care benefits and EAP program likely offer programs to support life needs and access mental health providers. Self-care assessment is something you can do regularly, by actively checking in on your physical, emotional, and mental health needs. And if your organization provides evidence-based initiatives like wellness programs and workshops to empower employees to prioritize their well-being, utilize them!
Conclusion
The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment provides a systems level, integrated framework for understanding the necessary foundation for cultivating professional fulfillment. It demonstrates the reciprocity between all three pillars as well as the need for multi-dimensional approaches to organizational wellness. Use this model to informally assess for areas of strength and need within your company, and to build the case for making organizational improvements that support workforce well-being and positive engagement.
