What if subordinates took care of managers’ mental health at work?

Managers’ mental health is increasingly a subject of concern. However, organizational interventions to reduce stress and promote mental health do not target managers, but rather employees. Numerous studies report a link between supervisory behaviors and subordinates’ mental health at work, and suggest that developing managers’ behavior is a promising avenue in enhancing subordinates’ mental health at work. Nonetheless, the literature has neglected the role and behaviors of subordinates in the prevention of their managers’ mental health problems. This article presents the results of a qualitative research study that inventories 38 specific work practices (observable behaviors) of subordinates, grouped into 12 competencies. Managers and subordinates identified these work practices as affecting work environmental stressors and promoting managers’ mental health at work. The results also point to a major gap between the specific working practices cited by managers and those cited by subordinates, who generally report practices in a passive way. The theoretical and practical repercussions and implications for organizational intervention and human resource management are discussed.