Towards Creating an Environment Where Everyone Can Find Meaningful Work: Enhancing Well-being from a Psychological Perspective

What prompted you to start your research?

In addition to my interest in psychology and behavioral science, my family ran its own business. Since I had the opportunity to witness the difficulties of managing people first hand, I became interested in working in a field that provides support to working people. During my undergraduate and graduate years, I studied experimental psychology, clinical psychology and preventive medicine. After attaining my graduate degree, I worked as an occupational health professional in a corporate setting, providing counseling and research on methods for reducing stress and enhancing employees’ well-being. At present, the correlation between the workplace environment and the mental health of working people is gaining social recognition, and progress is being made in the implementation of various measures and the verification of benefits. There is still an insufficient number of professionals working in this field. Considering this situation, I joined Hosei University to utilize my accumulated practical experience and contribute to the development of the next generation.

*Well-Being = State of living healthy and happily Being physically, mentally and socially satisfied.

Explain the major details of your current research

The number of companies that introduced telework (remote work) as one of the triggers for COVID-19 has increased. Although it has improved work efficiency, it is not uncommon for people who have not yet adapted to their workplace or people who have weak relationships in the workplace to become exhausted or out of shape due to poor communication. Therefore, we are conducting a survey of psychological impact of teleworking on workers and researching measures to improve it. Also, for workplaces facing challenges with “support functions,” owing mainly to a weak psychological sense of belonging among workers or poor leadership among supervisors, an intervention program is being developed to encourage their networks.

As a part of research activities, we are conducting interviews with management. A trend has come to light showcasing the fact that, in contrast with large companies, managerial resources and awareness for mental health care is poor at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly micro-businesses. As one solution, we are also working on the development of e-learning based remote support program to prevent mental health problems in SMEs.

What is work engagement, which has been gathering attention in recent years?

Work engagement is a concept advocated by Professor Wilmar Schaufeli, a psychologist from the Netherlands. This concept was devised in contrast to the burnout syndrome, which is a loss of motivation due to overwork. This refers to the state where “people take pride in their work, work enthusiastically, and work energetically by gaining energy from their job.” This differs from workaholism, which is a compulsion to work due to the belief of an employee that the workplace will not function if they do not do their work and somehow feeling anxious if they do not work. As work engagement grows, work becomes enjoyable, and a sense of fulfillment of being needed by others can be gained from work. Consequently, it becomes more difficult for a worker to become depressed and makes it easier to gain support from those around them. The word “karoshi” has become known worldwide. As this indicates, work engagement is also an extremely important concept even in Japan, which is facing a variety of issues in its work environment. Through a series of research studies, I aim to contribute to an improvement in work engagement in more people.

Step 1: Showing gratitude to those around you
For both students and working adults, the majority of worries arise from relationships with people. Meanwhile, interpersonal relations can also alleviate stress. It is pointed out that people who have habit of being thankful to others have higher levels of happiness compared to those who do not.

Step 2: Confront the reasons for your feelings
Let’s face your feelings of irritation or anxiety that arise during chats with others. Behind these feelings are those “things you aim to value.” What is it you wanted to value when these feelings arise?

Step 3: Think about methods for protecting those things “you want to value”
If you repeatedly have negative feelings, think of ways to protect the “things you aim to value” that are behind these feelings. Also, it is important to see things from a different perspective. Your resilience to stress will improve simply by being aware of these things on daily basis.

Point!

“Exercise,” “Sleep,” and “Breathing” are important, not just think with your head

• Stretching is beneficial in easing stress
• Feel less stress with an appropriate amount, rhythm and quality of sleep
• Adjust your autonomic nervous system by breathing slowly and deeply