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Thrive at Work Framework

What is the Framework?

Led by the Future of Work Institute at Curtin University, Thrive at Work is a world-first wellbeing initiative centred on designing work that helps employees, organisations and industry to thrive.

Evidence-based framework

The Thrive at Work initiative is underpinned by an evidence-based framework that helps organisations to navigate the wealth of information on mental health at work.

The Framework has been developed in consultation with industry and an extensive evaluation of the academic literature. The result is a comprehensive framework that provides organisations with a clear set of evidence-based strategies to address the full spectrum of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

We have categorised the lessons so you can see where they align with the Framework’s three key areas.

Mitigate illness (Get well)
Building block: Detect illness
  • Build capacity to monitor and identify illness
  • Create HR systems for monitoring and detection
Building block: Support and Accommodate illness
  • Provide appropriate support
  • Remove barriers to support
  • Manage crisis and injury
  • Provide effective return to work processes
Building block: Increase individual resources for managing Mental Ill-health
  • Raise awareness of personal mental health
  • Build individual willingness to seek help
  • Build individual capacity to recover
Prevent harm (Stay well)
Building block: Increase Job Resources
  • Provide stimulating work
  • Provide mastery resources
  • Provide agency
  • Foster relational resources
Building block: Ensure Tolerable Demands
  • Create tolerable job demands: load and time, emotional, role, cognitive, environment and physical, and relational
  • Create tolerable organisational demands: organisational change, organisational justice and job security
Building block: Increase Personal Resources for Preventing Harm
  • Foster resilience and coping
  • Support job crafting and other strategies to prevent stress
  • Support appropriate after-work strategies
Promote Thriving (Be the best person you can be)
Building block: Promote Purpose and Growth
  • Provide vision and foster purpose
  • Foster confidence and learning
  • Support career progression and lifelong development
Building block: Promote Connection
  • Value connections and diversity
  • Foster work connections and linkages
  • Enable diversity and inclusion
Building block: Increase personal resources for thriving
  • Support job-crafting for personal growth
  • Foster positive psychology practices
  • Support community engagement
View lessons by Framework

This project is based on the principles and research of the Thrive at Work Initiative. Parker, S., Jorritsma, K. & Griffin, M. (2021) Shifting the Mental Health Conversation: Present and Future Application of the “Thrive at Work” Framework. In P. Brough, E. Gardiner, and K. Daniels. (Eds). Handbook on Management and Employment Practices, Series in Occupational Health Sciences, Springer Nature: London.