Stress has evolutionary roots that help human beings evolve and survive. Existing workplace mental health models typically view stress as the direct cause of poor mental health. Such models focus on strategies to eliminate it. Guided by O’Connor and Kirtley’s integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) model, we posit that demanding jobs and high-stress environments do not directly impact an individual’s mental health but trigger a “sense of self” moderator (SSM), which then leads to mental health outcomes. This moderator is modified by the workplace’s organizational design and individual’s traits. We propose a Workplace Mental Health (WMH) Model, which suggests that by addressing these SSM modifiers through evidence-based interventions at organizational and individual levels, even in high-stress environments, organizations can have mentally healthy workforces and build high-performance workplaces. This paper assumes that stress is an inalienable part of any work environment and that a secular reduction in stress levels in modern society is infeasible. Although some individuals in high-stress job environments develop mental illness, many do not, and some even thrive. This differential response suggests that stress may act as a trigger, but an individual’s reaction to it is influenced more by other factors than the stress itself.

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been an evolution in the paradigms under which the industrial worker is perceived and dealt with. These paradigms can be briefly listed in the order of their evolutionary stage as: the food-gatherer, the economic man, the social man, the resourceful man, and the enterprising man. Each of them is a combination of two basic paradigms in different proportions, namely, the outsider paradigm and the partnership paradigm. Obviously, the paradigmatic perspectives of management about their workers will have a significant influence on how they treat their workers, which may become especially conspicuous during recessions and other kinds of hard times. It was in this context that we designed a study to understand the human resource strategies of companies during a period of recession. Data for this study was collected through the content analysis of 46 published cases, wherein we developed the ratings of two sets of variables, namely: the external and internal environments of the company and the strategic actions taken by the respective managements. A surprising finding of the study is that the correlations between the environmental factors and the strategy factors were small and non-significant; moreover, the correlations involving the external environment were smaller than those involving the internal environment. Hence, it may be inferred that strategic actions are influenced primarily by the paradigmatic perspectives of management rather than environmental factors. In order to identify the different types of paradigmatic perspectives, we have further carried out a cluster analysis to develop a taxonomy of paradigms. The results showed that there are five sub-paradigms, which are: (1) Pacifiers, constituting 35% of the sample; (2) Modifiers, constituting 22%; (3) Molders, constituting 17%; (4) Enhancers, constituting 15%; and (5) Exploiters, constituting 11%. The limitations of the study and the implications of the findings are discussed in the concluding part.

This study considers the role of leadership within the hospitality sector as a key tool in raising performance levels. Hospitality is unique in its service-based approach, which relies on employees to ensure effective service. Post-COVID-19 and Brexit, the hospitality sector has seen a shift in reliance towards a home workforce, and as such, retention has become an area of greater importance. This case study investigation adopted a qualitative approach to consider the perceptions of six managers within a UK-based luxury hotel. Semi-structured interviews were used to draw out their experience of approaches used to ensure effective delivery in their areas of responsibility. The research concludes that a shift in leadership approach (from autocratic to democratic) is a necessity to retain staff, particularly as the shift to a greater reliance on a home workforce due to COVID-19 and Brexit starts to impact the sector. There does, however, remain a need to be more autocratic in certain situations to ensure the quality of service. Subsequently, communication becomes critical in the building of relationships. The research considers leadership approaches from a managerial perspective and is based on individual perceptions. Traditionally, research has been conducted from an employee perspective.

Nomophobia, the anxiety experienced when individuals are separated from their mobile phones, is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern workplaces. This study investigates the role of organizational commitment in mitigating nomophobia, with a focus on the mediating influence of the ethical environment. Data were collected from 600 participants and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings show that a strong sense of organizational commitment significantly reduces nomophobia among employees. Additionally, an ethical environment within organizations further mitigates this anxiety by fostering a workplace culture that encourages psychological well-being. This research provides practical insights for organizations looking to reduce the psychological strain associated with digital dependency, emphasizing the importance of both commitment and a strong ethical climate.