RESEARCH
Research
Erin Quinane Performance is dedicated to advancing the understanding of psychosocial risks and workplace mental health. Our team of experts is committed to partnering with organisations to conduct rigorous academic research that drives meaningful change. We believe that a healthy workplace is the foundation of a thriving organisation. By collaborating with us, you gain access to cutting-edge research methodologies and insights that can help identify, assess, and mitigate psychosocial risks in your workplace. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to foster a supportive and mentally healthy work environment.
Current research project
How publicly listed boardrooms govern psychosocial risks at work
The objective of the research is to examine how boardrooms govern psychosocial risks at work. Currently, no academic research exists in this field. The scope of the research will include investigating boardroom capability to effectively govern psychosocial risks and mental health at work; the nature of boardroom discussions relating to psychosocial risks and their impact on workforce mental health; the level of awareness of psychosocial risks at the enterprise level; the capability of the C-Suite to effectively manage psychosocial risks and mental health at work; and unearthing global best practice boardroom approaches to effectively govern psychosocial risks. To gather data for this study, approximately 80 directors on boards of publicly listed companies across multiple industries and countries will be interviewed. This research helps to fill an academic research gap about the skills and capabilities needed for boardrooms to effectively govern psychosocial risks at work. Research Team: Dr Erin Quinane, RMIT University; Professor Simon Pervan, RMIT University; Professor Kathleen Pike, Columbia University; and Sir Cary Cooper, The University of Manchester. Expected Completion Date: 2025 Sponsorship Funding: Ashurst
Prior research
CEOs, leaders and managing mental health: a tension-centered approach.
Abstract Little is known about how leaders view their role in managing employee mental health (MH). In response, interviews were conducted with 26 Australian CEOs and senior leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors across many industries. Qualitative analysis of the interviews identified themes including viewing employee MH as an individual issue, awareness of implicit bias, creating a safe workplace, ignorance of employee MH and best practices, a belief in the value of caring, use of a broad array of programs, and institutional/contextual factors influencing employee MH. A tension-centered approach was used to understand the themes. Tensions found include privacy concerns and managerial ignorance as opposed to employees feeling free to disclose MH information and finding safety and compassion in responses to employee disclosure; that tension can lead to a cycle of ignorance feeding ignorance. Other tensions include whether the organization cannot or can help mental ill health and whether MH is an individual or social/organizational responsibility. Theoretical contributions include identifying potential overlap between various responses to tensions, and caveats regarding the ostensible superiority of one type of response (synthesis). Practical recommendations include the promotion of workplace cultures supportive of disclosure/compassion/safety, and developing metrics to monitor Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Reference: Quinane, E., Bardoel, E. A., & Pervan, S. (2021). CEOs, leaders and managing mental health: a tension-centered approach. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(15), 3157-3189.
Doctoral Dissertation: Practical interventions to protect employee mental health and mental ill-health in the workplace.
Abstract This research aims to identify the organisational tensions that senior executive (SEs) leaders who represent the highest level of management in an organisation face in protecting employee mental health (MH) and mental ill-health (Mi-H) and examine what practical interventions they can implement to protect employee MH and Mi-H. To inform the research question, this study was designed in two distinct phases. Phase One of this research was designed as an exploratory study consisting of 26 in-depth interviews with Australian Senior Executives (ASEs) to understand what leaders are currently doing in terms of protecting employee MH and Mi-H, how leaders perceive current practices, and what they would like to do to move MH forward. The sample was drawn from Senior Executives (SE) across the private, public, and non-profit sectors spanning multiple industries. All participants held SE leadership roles. Inductive reasoning was used to analyse the data, while tension-centred theory was used as a conceptual framework to understand the tensions, complexities, paradoxes, and ironies SEs face in protecting employee MH and Mi-H. A key finding from Phase One showed that ASEs are looking for practical interventions and guidance on protecting employee MH in the workplace. Given this key finding, in Phase Two, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with global elites, experts, and specialists (EESs) who had deep knowledge relevant to this study’s research topic and could inform the research question. The sample was drawn from global EESs across the private, public, and non-profit sectors spanning multiple industries. All participants held or had held SE roles. Inductive-deductive-abductive reasoning was used to analyse the data collected in Phase Two. This provided the opportunity to draw out themes gleaned from Phase One and Phase Two, assess the practicality of solutions that Phase Two global EESs identified, and develop a set of practical interventions to inform the research question. Reference: Quinane, E. (2021). Practical interventions to protect employee mental health and mental ill-health in the workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Swinburne University of Technology).