The statement that mental state affects our functioning in life and physical health is nothing new. Mental state also affects our well-being in the workplace, how we deal with challenges and affects our productivity. In this sense, psychological potential can be understood as an individual employee resource of great importance, especially in difficult, dangerous or responsible professions. Importantly, psychological potential can be developed.

Psychological capital is a positive psychological state of an individual, characterized by:

• self-efficacy, which allows you to make the effort necessary to succeed in difficult tasks,
• optimism – making positive judgments about the success of the present and in the future, drawing constructive conclusions from positive and negative events, as well as their causes and effects,
• hope – perseverance in achieving goals and, if necessary, changing the strategy of achieving success,
• renewal of resources – in situations of feeling surrounded by problems, the ability to return to a state of mental balance.

Studies of psychological capital show links with health and well-being. Psychological capital affects attachment to the organization, job satisfaction or the intention to stay at work. People with high psychological capital have a positive attitude towards future achievements and greater confidence in their own abilities to meet the various challenges that work brings. These positive states motivate you to put more effort into your work and perform your duties better, which in turn increases job satisfaction. Psychological capital affects the better well-being of employees also by reducing stress. Research also shows that psychological capital reduces the intention to leave the job as a result of increasing the perceived level of participation and responsibility for one’s actions. Psychological capital is also a buffer in the case of emotional work (i.e. „the effort accompanying the control of emotions during contacts with clients”), as it reduces its negative impact on burnout, while increasing job satisfaction despite this type of burden.

As research shows, psychological capital is associated with better well-being, commitment to work, innovation and effectiveness of employees. The first reports also speak about the effectiveness of intervention programs for the development of psychological capital. If such interventions are taken in practice, they are likely to entail certain costs for employers: both in terms of the time to be spent attending workshops, in terms of the remuneration of trainers and, finally, in the actions that (as European experience shows) should be taken after the intervention has ended. It is worth emphasizing, however, that investing in psychological capital also brings economic effects.

Importantly, research shows that the psychological capital of employees is not only related to their better well-being and work results, but is also shaped by good working conditions. The most important seem to be the behavior of superiors: the leadership styles they use or the support shown to employees. The organizational climate is also important, m.in.

Source: CIOP and PIB materials

Source: https://www.seka.pl/potencjal-psychologiczny-pracownikow/

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.