Guide
The Five Essentials for workplace well-being: a practical guide
A plain-language summary of the U.S. Surgeon General's framework, and how we use it with companies.
The U.S. Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being (October 2022) describes five essentials of a healthy workplace: Protection from Harm, Connection & Community, Work-Life Harmony, Mattering at Work and Opportunity for Growth. Each rests on two human needs, and all five are centered on worker voice and equity. Companies can apply it in four steps: measure how people experience each essential, choose priorities together with employees, act through leaders and programs, and measure again.
Published by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General in 2022, the framework sets out how workplaces can support mental health and well-being. It is not a law or a certification. It is a public guide that any organization, in any country, can use to structure its people strategy.
Our method is aligned with this public framework; it is not an official endorsement.
| Essential | Human needs | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Protection from Harm | Safety · Security |
|
| 2 Connection & Community | Social Support · Belonging |
|
| 3 Work-Life Harmony | Autonomy · Flexibility |
|
| 4 Mattering at Work | Dignity · Meaning |
|
| 5 Opportunity for Growth | Learning · Accomplishment |
|
Centered on Worker Voice and Equity
At the center: worker voice and equity
People affected by decisions take part in them, and policies work fairly for everyone. In practice this means asking employees before designing programs, and checking whether results differ between groups.
Putting the framework into practice in four steps
Measure
Diagnose →Survey employees, interview leaders and run focus groups to see how each essential is experienced today.
Choose priorities together
Align →Pick one or two essentials to start with, together with employees, and agree what good looks like in daily behavior.
Act
Build →Equip managers and teams through targeted seminars, workshops and leadership programs.
Sustain and measure again
Sustain →Run pulse checks, keep a yearly calendar and measure again within the year.
Common mistakes
- Treating well-being as a list of perks instead of a question of how work is designed.
- Launching programs without asking employees first.
- Leaving managers out, although much of the day-to-day experience of work runs through them.
- Measuring once and never again.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Five Essentials for workplace mental health and well-being?
Protection from Harm (safety, security), Connection & Community (social support, belonging), Work-Life Harmony (autonomy, flexibility), Mattering at Work (dignity, meaning) and Opportunity for Growth (learning, accomplishment), with worker voice and equity at the center.
Is the framework only for U.S. companies?
No. It was written by a U.S. public health office, but it describes human needs that apply at work everywhere, and organizations in other countries use it to structure their well-being strategy.
How does Happy Work Studio use the framework?
Our four tiers follow the steps above: the Well-being & Culture Check-up measures your organization against the five essentials, and the Align, Build and Sustain tiers act on the priorities it shows.
Is Happy Work Studio endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General?
No. Our method is aligned with this public framework; it is not an official endorsement.
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