Building a Culture of Workforce Wellness Using Implementation Science-Informed Strategies: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Introduction: Successfully addressing burnout in health and human services settings is a topic of growing interest and impact in the field. Implementation science gives us strategies to build organizational readiness to create a culture of workforce wellness. This study used strategies for identifying and preparing wellness champions and building feedback loops to begin to build a culture of workforce wellness. The primary aim of this study was to assess perspectives on establishing feedback loops across all levels of the organizational hierarchy. Method: This study took place in a community mental health organization that provides services across four different states. Champions in each state were identified and connected with leaders and teams. The champions supported the engagement of leaders and the design of feedback loops. Champions remained engaged throughout the process of assessing needs and sharing workforce wellness data. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on data collected during meetings that were intended to create organizational practice to policy feedback loops. Results: Staff across all levels of the organizational hierarchy shared feedback and participated in facilitated reflective discussion. Participants offered several suggestions for addressing burnout. Across all participants, workplace connections were perceived as a protective factor against burnout. Discussion: This implementation science strategy to help combat burnout is an effective and feasible way to include frontline staff voices and build connection and trust between leaders and staff in health and human services settings. Public Significance StatementResource limitations in large community mental health agencies contribute to high demand, low support, and a lower sense of control over work for mental health clinicians, fueling burnout alongside staff shortages (leading to even higher demand and higher propensity for burnout among remaining staff). For agencies to continue providing low-cost mental health services to the public, finding solutions to burnout is paramount.