Indigenous Employee Satisfaction and Well-being

Within the workplace literature, researchers have examined factors that lead to employee satisfaction and well-being. However, one understudied area is that of employee satisfaction and well-being for Indigenous People in Canada. The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s National Standards for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace state that it is an employer’s duty to promote a work environment that promotes psychological well-being, therefore, this is an important avenue of exploration. This presentation will explore the factors that have been previously examined and propose new avenues of work in this area. Some of the current factors that have been identified that impact Indigenous employee satisfaction are flexibility for attending to family concerns, the balance between paid and non-paid work, and career development opportunities (Haar & Brougham, 2013). It is also important to acknowledge that many Indigenous Peoples have intimate relationships with the land. The caring and symbolic relationships that Indigenous Peoples hold with the land are important in understanding their struggles with a colonized workplace (Hall, 2016). The workplace can benefit by including Indigenous practices that are culturally relevant and meaningful into the organization to expand on the existing human strengths of the community and create a competitive advantage (Reade & McKenna, 2013). Similarly, Indigenous knowledge of dispute resolution, has the potential to be a valuable resource for workplaces that want to improve and maintain cooperative employee relations, ultimately increasing workplace satisfaction and well-being for Indigenous People in Canada.