Why your workplace needs to invest in emotional ergonomics

Workplace WellnessMental Health

Aug 5

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Emotional ergonomics may be the key to a mentally and physically healthy workplace. Explore what it is, how it can benefit employees, and 9 tips to support workers' wellbeing.

Many corporate leaders focus on ergonomics, or the practice of designing comfortable workplaces with the hope of boosting productivity and morale. They might invest in supportive chairs and pricey standing desks, stock office kitchens with tasty snacks, and design functional office layouts to support collaboration. But all too often, they neglect to think about emotional ergonomics, or how their workplace culture affects people's mental health.

If you've ever had a boss who expects you to work around the clock or deadlines that pile up despite your pleas for support, you know all too well that a bag of chips or catered lunch isn’t exactly the solution. And if you are part of an office culture that allows for gossip and backstabbing, you've seen what can happen when emotional ergonomics are ignored.

On the other hand, if you've been part of a collaborative team or had leadership that preached the value of work/life balance, you also understand how emotional ergonomics can encourage loyalty and reduce burnout. Let’s explore more about what emotional ergonomics means, why it matters for mental health, and how organizations can start creating better cultures today.

What is emotional ergonomics?

Emotional ergonomics is about how work feels and makes you feel. It focuses on job satisfaction, morale, and deals with the small moments of emotional friction that can either support or wear down your wellbeing. It also takes into account the full spectrum of work experience, including how feedback is delivered, the safety of self-expression, and the frequency of pressure to perform.

Unlike traditional ergonomics, which focuses on physical setup, emotional ergonomics focuses on the psychological environment. It asks questions like, “Is communication clear and kind?” and “Are workloads paced in a way that accounts for emotional capacity?”

Basically, emotional ergonomics is the design of systems, relationships, and rituals that help people feel grounded and supported throughout their work day. And when this type of ergonomics isn’t cared for, it can lead to fatigue, disconnection, and even burnout.

How does emotional ergonomics impact employee mental health?

Typically, emotional strain accumulates through everyday interactions like vague feedback, unclear roles, and the constant need to self-monitor. Small experiences like this can activate people’s nervous systems, elevate their stress hormones, and lead to long-term mental and physical fatigue.

As a result, this kind of regular emotional load can erode a person’s capacity to focus and recover. It may also cause chronic tension to show up in the body as headaches, insomnia, and digestive issues. It can even lead to anxiety and emotional numbness.

Unfortunately, when emotional ergonomics at the workplace is not addressed, people can begin to adapt in unsustainable ways. They may go quiet in meetings, overwork to avoid critique, and even disengage entirely.

4 benefits of supporting employees’ emotional life

When organizations prioritize mental wellbeing, people tend to have more energy and are better equipped to meet the demands of modern work.

Here are four benefits of emotional ergonomics:

1. Better mental health outcomes: Emotionally ergonomic workplaces help reduce chronic tension by creating environments where people don’t have to brace for discomfort. When safety is the norm, employees are better able to manage their mental health and stay grounded even during stressful moments.

2. Higher retention and engagement: People tend to stay in jobs or roles where they feel emotionally safe. That means fewer silent resignations and more long-term investment from people who feel valued.

3. Improved collaboration and communication: Teams work better when people aren’t on edge. This type of ergonomics encourages open dialogue and makes it easier for people to share what they need.

4. Increased adaptability and innovation: Risk-taking and creative thinking often require emotional bandwidth. When the emotional labor of survival doesn’t drain employees, they’re more likely to contribute ideas and experiment with solutions.

How to support workers' emotional wellbeing: 9 tips for a balanced workplace

Creating a workplace culture where employees are never stressed isn’t possible, but designing a culture that offers flexibility can help. This creates conditions where people can show up, speak up, and recover when things get hard.

Here are a few ways employers and managers can help reduce unnecessary strain in the workplace.

1. Train managers in emotional intelligence

Equip managers and people in positions of power with skills in active listening, empathy, conflict resolution, and trauma-informed communication.

A manager might say, “When you have capacity, I’d love to circle back on this.” Saying this, as opposed to “Let’s talk later,” can really help ease anxiety.

2. Give people more autonomy

Whenever possible, give employees autonomy over their schedules, workflows, and creative processes. Trusting someone to own a task, without watching their every move, signals respect and builds trust.

3. Normalize emotional check-ins

Asking your employees how they’re doing or how their energy is at the start of a meeting, or in an email or Slack message, can go a long way. It reminds people that their feelings matter, and it’s okay to name them.

4. Design meetings that don’t drain everyone

Defaulting to long video calls for every decision can be emotionally exhausting. It may work better to have shorter meetings or delegate responsibilities among the team.

Additionally, it can be helpful to consider who really needs to be in the meetings and who might benefit from a thoughtful summary instead.

5. Make rest and recovery visible

If taking time off or logging off on time is quietly punished, people won’t feel safe using those benefits. Leaders can model healthy boundaries by actually taking vacation days, declining after-hours requests, and saying things like, “I’m stepping away for a bit to recharge.”

Modeling rest for your team when you’re in a position of leadership is important.

💙 Take some time to recharge with our One Minute Reset with Chibs Okereke.

6. Support clear and compassionate communication

Use tools like “clarity docs” to outline roles, project scope, and decision-making authority. Encourage feedback that’s honest and respectful — no need to sugarcoat, just lead with compassion and clarity.

7. Offer mental health resources that go beyond lip service

If possible, companies should always subsidize therapy. If that’s not possible with your workplace, a list of mental health providers can also help point employees in the right direction.

You could also offer access to mindfulness tools like the Calm app and allow time during the day for employees to use them.

💙 Make time for you, or your team, to face Work Stress during this meditation with Tamara Levitt.

8. Create intentional spaces for social connection

Occasional no-agenda coffee chats or low-pressure team hangs can help build community. Interest-based Slack channels can also encourage employees to engage with one another.

Connection reduces isolation, which may significantly help reduce emotional fatigue.

9. Ask and adapt

Creating a workplace that prioritizes emotional ergonomics won’t happen overnight. It’s an ongoing process that may require feedback from employees. If you’re helping facilitate this at your workplace, be sure to ask for honest feedback and implement it whenever reasonable or possible.

Emotional ergonomics FAQs

What are examples of emotional ergonomics?

There are many ways emotional ergonomics can show up in the workplace. It could be a team lead who provides clear feedback without being condescending. Or a company that builds in buffer time between back-to-back meetings to help reduce cognitive overload.

Offering multiple ways to communicate, creating trauma-informed HR policies, and acknowledging team wins can also come into play. These practices can help reduce emotional friction and increase a sense of safety and belonging.

How is emotional ergonomics different from regular ergonomics?

Traditional ergonomics focuses on physical setup, like adjustable chairs, screen height, and lighting. On the other hand, emotional ergonomics looks at the psychological and emotional landscape of work. It’s about how the environment and systems either support or strain mental and emotional wellbeing.

While physical ergonomics prevents physical injury, emotional ergonomics helps prevent burnout, anxiety, and disconnection.

Can emotional ergonomics help with burnout?

Emotional ergonomics can help with burnout. Typically, burnout is treated as an individual problem with individual solutions, like getting more sleep and practicing self-care. But a lot of what causes burnout is systemic, like unclear expectations, emotional overload, and lack of support.

Emotional ergonomics addresses these root causes by designing systems that are more humane. It focuses on reducing unnecessary stress and creating space for recovery.

How can I improve emotional ergonomics for my remote team?

Recognizing that emotional strain can be even harder to detect when you’re not in person. Remote teams can often struggle with loneliness, miscommunication, and the pressure to always be “on.”

To help prevent these issues, it helps when managers and leaders set clear boundaries around work hours, reduce the pressure to respond instantly, and create consistent opportunities for check-ins, both formal and casual. It may also be helpful to be mindful of Zoom fatigue and offer other options for meetings or communication when possible.

Are there any tools that support emotional wellbeing at work?

There are many tools to support emotional wellbeing at work, but they’re most effective when paired with the right culture. Mental health-based apps like Calm can support mindfulness and stress relief. But it’s important to note that none of these tools can replace everyday practices, such as empathetic leadership, healthy boundaries, and intentional communication.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

workplace health

Calm Editorial Team