Establishing Key Domains for Measuring Workplace Mental Health: The Indicators of a Thriving Workplace Survey
At EBIS-HSE, we aim to translate academic insights into actionable guidance for healthier, more supportive work environments. This recent study presents a new validated tool to assess workplace mental health across industries, helping organisations benchmark, compare, and improve their work environments systematically.
This study offers a robust and practical framework for assessing workplace mental health across industries. By identifying five core domains that define a thriving workplace, the ITW tool helps organisations benchmark their current conditions and direct improvement efforts with greater precision. The results show that workplace mental health can be measured consistently, compared across sectors, and strengthened through focused action, ultimately supporting healthier and more productive work environments.
Summary
The article presents the Indicators of a Thriving Workplace (ITW) questionnaire. The authors used data from nearly 10,000 Australian workers to derive a concise set of domains that represent core aspects of workplace mental health and well-being. The study demonstrates that the ITW can reliably distinguish among aspects such as leadership quality, social connectedness, safety, job design, and organisational capability. These domains provide a standardised means to compare workplace mental health across sectors and guide industry-specific improvement efforts.
Aim and Context
The study aims to address the need for a robust, empirically validated tool for measuring workplace mental health in a way that is comparable across industries. It seeks to move beyond risk-based psychosocial hazard assessments toward a more holistic, strength-based concept of “thriving.” By doing so, the authors intend to enable employers, researchers, and policymakers to benchmark mental health conditions, track changes over time, and tailor interventions appropriately. The tool also aligns with broader global frameworks that view mental health at work as a function of organisational design, leadership, and culture.
Methodology
- The authors refined the existing ITW survey through literature review, expert workshops, and revision of survey items (initially 199 items, with 105 items focused on workplace mental health and well-being), informed by contemporary theory and practices.
- They collected data using a representative national sample of 9,947 Australian workers recruited via an external panel provider. Quotas ensured the sample matched national workforce demographics in gender, age, industry, region, and other characteristics.
- They applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and principal components analysis (PCA) to identify latent factors (domains) among the survey items. A subsequent confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a separate confirmation subsample validated the factor structure.
- Final domain scores were scaled between 0-100 for comparability, and statistical tests (ANOVA with Bonferroni correction) checked for differences across industries.
Key Findings
1. Five core domains reliably represent workplace mental health
The analysis revealed five distinct and stable domains: Leadership; Connectedness; Safety; Work Design; and Capability. These collectively capture both psychosocial risk factors and positive organisational characteristics.
2. Domain scores vary across industries
Statistically significant though small differences were found between industries in average domain scores, especially in Work Design. This suggests that different sectors have distinct strengths and weaknesses in workplace mental health.
3. The ITW provides the first comprehensive “thriving”-oriented benchmark
Unlike many existing tools that focus on hazards or risks, the ITW is strength-based and assesses positive constructs linked with thriving at work. It offers a practical tool for comparison across sectors and time.
4. A standardised measurement tool supports tailored, industry-specific interventions
Because the tool highlights which domains are weaker or stronger in particular sectors, organisations can prioritise improvements (e.g. improving work design in sectors scoring low on that domain) and monitor progress.
Takeaways for Practice
- Use the ITW questionnaire to benchmark workplace mental health within your organisation or across sector peers.
- Focus interventions not just on risk mitigation, but also on strengthening leadership, social connectedness, work design, and staff capability for mental health support.
- Recognise that different industries may need different strategies: tailor action plans based on domain profiles rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Monitor changes over time to assess whether interventions improve mental health domains, thereby supporting long-term workforce wellbeing and productivity.
Read the full study here:
Ross Iles, Dianne M. Sheppard, Published 4 May 2025; Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10926-025-10302-6