Introduction
Creating workplaces in the Caribbean and beyond where individuals and teams thrive requires more than just good intentions—it calls for a compassionate, inclusive, and intentional approach to well-being. Fostering environments that support mental health and ignite work passion is essential to building motivated, resilient, and purpose-driven organizations.
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Being from the Caribbean means that no matter where we go, there is always a part of our heart that remains and a culture that is the essence of who we are. As such, we continue to be connected to our communities of the Isles to help address pressing workplace challenges that impact people of color and their well-being.
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While our research and recommendations for the “Wellness We Can Feel: Building Safe, Culturally Grounded Workspaces" program focus on Caribbean people, teams, and organizations, within our cultural context, it may also be relevant to those in the Caribbean diaspora, of African descent, and from indigenous backgrounds. We acknowledge that our communities of color, particularly the Black community, are not monolithic. As such, we also invite you to look at our collective values, perspectives, and power to unite and support each other while honoring our distinctly diverse and nuanced cultural fabrics.
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“Like a quilt, we can bring our distinctly different strips of who we are as individuals of intersectionality and creatively stitch them together to make a beautiful, overlapping cultural madras that embodies who we are as a people.” – Dr. Xaulanda
The Genesis
The “Wellness We Can Feel: Building Safe, Culturally Grounded Workspaces” program was ignited based on the research conducted in preparation for the 2025 Caribbean Regional Conference of Psychology presentation by the Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, Dr. Susy Best, Dr. Sophia Joseph-Parilla and Dr. Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel from the U.S. Virgin Islands titled “Empowering the Empowerers: Prioritizing Wellbeing for Caribbean Mental Health Practitioners.” The symposium included an inspiring keynote address, a case study, an interactive roundtable discussion, and a collaborative wellbeing initiative, where participants explored evidence-based strategies and innovative practices that leverage the region's unique natural resources. Applying the factors contributing to mental health challenges in the Caribbean to create a healthy, thriving, motivating, and inclusive workplace requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses systemic issues, promotes well-being, and fosters a supportive culture.
Further leveraging Dr. Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel’s dissertation "Predicting Work Passion: A multiple regression analysis" that focused on healthcare middle managers who self-identify as people of color, it combined constructs of the employee work passion model by Dr. Andrea Zigarmi, et al., motivation theory, mindfulness, and diversity work climate grounded in social cognitive and self-determination theory. When combined with the literature review, key insights offer practical strategies to address the mental health challenges Caribbean professionals face, while empowering leaders to build cultures of inclusion, psychological safety, and sustained engagement. A key focus of Industrial & Organizational Psychology is to apply sound research in the application of workplace challenges. As such, the goal is to nurture environments where “Work that Feels Good” can be achieved by providing insights for organizations, leaders, managers, and employees who are eager to actively shift the culture towards one that is healthy, passionate, engaged, and productive.
WHY is prioritizing wellbeing for employees, particularly Caribbean Mental Health
Practitioners, important? Who benefits?
Prioritizing mental health and well-being for employees, especially mental health practitioners in regions like the Caribbean, is vital not only for the practitioners' personal health but also for enhancing job performance, ensuring high-quality patient care, reducing absenteeism and turnover, attracting and retaining skilled staff, and fostering a healthy, inclusive, and productive organizational culture.... It moves from a reactive approach to a proactive, preventative one that benefits the entire system.
Occupational risk factors like job stress, workplace bullying, and poor communication contribute significantly to burnout.
Poor work-related well-being is linked to elevated rates of sickness, absenteeism, and reduced organizational revenue.
Protective factors include supportive work environments and adequate staffing. Supervisors' support, co-workers' support, and organizational support help employees cope with challenges.
Systematic factors like resource inaccessibility and stigmatization are significant hindrances to mental health in low and middle-income countries like those in the Caribbean.
The Journey: Research-based application to the Workplace
A literature review of Caribbean-focused, mental health scholarly articles was conducted in ProQuest with the criteria of full-text, peer-reviewed, and within the last 3 years. This resulted in over 8,032 articles across the variables and was narrowed down to 50 key Sources. As such, below is a checklist of factors to consider when infusing mental health, wellness, and work passion into your organization.
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Ask yourself, “Is my organization or am I doing these things to promote an environment for ‘Work that Feels Good?”
Assessing & Updating ORGANIZATIONAL Policies with a focus on Mental Health, Work Passion, and Inclusion
To create thriving, inclusive workplaces where people are mentally well, purpose-driven, and passionately engaged, organizations must go beyond surface-level solutions. This means revisiting and realigning internal policies with the lived experiences, values, and cultural contexts of their people especially within the Caribbean. Mental health, work passion, and inclusion are not stand-alone initiatives; they are interwoven forces that shape how individuals show up, stay engaged, and thrive.
Enhancing Diversity Work Climate and Creating Workspaces With Belonging
To effectively support employee well-being, enhance work passion, and build resilient organizations, it is imperative to move beyond tokenistic gestures and implement structural changes that actively enhance the diversity work climate and create spaces of belonging. This requires organizations and leaders to be culturally aware and sensitive, acknowledge past abuses and systemic issues, and proactively integrate diverse employees into the social fabric of the workplace.
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Actively Cultivate a Positive Diversity Work Climate: Given its significant predictive power for work passion among people of color, organizations should actively implement strategies to foster a positive diversity work climate. This can include initiatives that promote fair treatment, respect, and equal opportunities for all employees.
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Promote Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness: Training programs should not only focus on general cultural sensitivity but also specifically address how cultural backgrounds might influence experiences of work, motivation, and well-being, potentially impacting work passion.
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Address Stigma Related to Mental Health and Cultural Differences: Workplaces should actively combat stigma related to mental health, and also foster an environment where diverse cultural perspectives are valued and understood, contributing to a more inclusive climate, which is also linked to work passion.
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Foster Psychological Safety and Belonging: Create a space where employees from all backgrounds feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety, which can positively influence their work passion and overall well-being.
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Provide Opportunities for Diverse Voices: Ensure that employees from diverse backgrounds have opportunities to contribute to decision-making processes and organizational policies, fostering a sense of inclusion that can enhance their connection to work (harmonious passion).
Leaders & Managers
Leaders and managers play a critical role in shaping the work environment and influencing employee well-being and engagement. Creating a supportive, motivating, and inclusive workplace is essential, particularly in diverse settings and high-stress professions. Understanding what drives employee passion for their work is key, as work passion has been linked to important outcomes, including psychological well-being and performance
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Focus on Motivation and Diversity: Leaders should prioritize creating a work environment that fosters motivation and a positive diversity work climate as these were found to be significant predictors of work passion, which can be linked to employee well-being and engagement.
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Nurture Positive Relationships: Leaders should promote positive interpersonal relationships and teamwork within the workplace. The dissertation's stepwise regression for harmonious passion also highlighted the role of relationship characteristics at work.
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Understand the Antecedents of Work Passion: Be aware of how organizational characteristics (like fairness), job characteristics (like autonomy and variety), and relationship characteristics can influence employee work passion and wellbeing.
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Recognize Different Types of Passion: Understand the difference between harmonious and obsessive work passion. While harmonious passion is generally linked to positive outcomes, obsessive passion can have less desirable consequences. Leaders should aim to cultivate environments that foster harmonious passion by supporting autonomy and meaningful work.
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Promote Mindfulness: Leaders can still encourage mindfulness practices as a tool for stress management and well-being.
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Lead Inclusively: Model inclusive behaviors and ensure that leadership practices are fair and equitable across all employee groups, contributing to a positive diversity work climate.
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Support Employee Development and Meaningful Work: Help employees find meaning and purpose in their work, which can fuel harmonious passion. Provide opportunities for growth and development.
Employees
Employees are vital contributors to the workplace, and their well-being is intricately linked to both individual experience and organizational success. Understanding and cultivating a positive relationship with one's work, often referred to as work passion, is crucial for personal fulfillment and contributing to a healthy work environment.
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Cultivate Harmonious Passion: Engage in work activities that genuinely interest you and align with your values8. Strive for a balanced approach to work that is integrated with other aspects of your life
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Seek Supportive Relationships: Build positive relationships with colleagues and supervisors58. Strong workplace connections can contribute to a more positive work environment.
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Practice Mindfulness and Self-Care: Engage in practices that enhance self-awareness and help manage stress.
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Communicate Needs and Perspectives: Respectfully communicate your needs and perspectives, contributing to a more inclusive dialogue within the workplace. Your unique background and experiences are valuable.
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Seek Meaning and Engagement: Try to find meaning in your work and actively engage in tasks that you find interesting and motivating.
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Advocate for an Inclusive Environment: Speak up against discrimination and promote respectful interactions among colleagues, contributing to a positive diversity work climate.
By exploring, assessing, and integrating some of the above insights within your organization or within your own life can provide significant strides in an organization’s culture and/or one’s motivation. When explored alongside broader considerations of mental health and inclusion in the Caribbean context, organizations and individuals can work collaboratively to create healthier, more thriving, motivating, and inclusive workplaces.
Are you ready to create “Wellness We Can Feel: Building Safe, Culturally Grounded Workspaces" together?
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