Launching OPRA by X-Leap

The organisational risk survey ‘Organization Psychological Risk Assessment’(OPRA), conducted by X-Leap during the pandemic in 2021 shows a rise in mental health conditions that could put organisations at risk.

The ‘Organization Psychological Risk Assessment’ (OPRA) survey conducted by X-Leap, a design-led management consulting firm – has found that 96% of survey respondents have reported experiencing early symptoms linked to mental health issues. These are split into physical and mental symptoms are include suffering from insomnia, gastric/digestive issues, problems in concentration, and poor decision making.

At an individual level, these conditions are challenging enough. But X-Leap argues that at an organisational level, these emerging mental health issues could pose a strategic threat to organisations. 

To assess this, the survey measured factors that could put organisations at risk. These were parameters directly related to a person’s job, the organisation’s culture and leadership and factors like mental wellbeing support.

Although 80% responded that they found their job to be meaningful, 40% found their work profiles to be monotonous. While looking at an organisation’s culture and leadership, it found that 35% weren’t happy with how change was managed at their company. 1 in 4 felt that there was lack of flexibility in work hours. What was significant was that half of the respondents were not confident with speaking about mental health issues at their workplace.

The survey has found further nuances in its respondents which it has captured in two groups, i.e. those that show mild and intense symptoms. A deep dive into the two groups shows that a person’s intersectionality (for e.g. age, gender seniority) also offers more detail. For example, among respondents women have been found to be more sensitive to factors like work environment than men. Whereas, factors like job security factor in more where men are involved.

Although many organisations have responded to these well-being challenges by incorporating measures like well-being leaves and other EAPs, a lot can be improved. The OPRA team at X-Leap suggests that the lens be flipped. Saikat Ghosh, Managing Partner at X-Leap, says “Instead of viewing this as an ‘employee problem’ that requires a ‘welfare approach’, it is strategically important for organisations to think of deeper and more informed interventions which could genuinely improve employee wellbeing, thus leading to better performance.”

In this, OPRA can be applied as an end-to-end solution, adapted at three key levels: organisational where it aligns with a workplace’s purpose; at the workforce level where it looks at hotspots where mental health interventions can be applied; and at the individual level where compassion is key to understanding an individual’s mental health struggles. OPRA is a crucial tool for organisations looking to build a resilient, kind and sustainable work culture, and is part of our culture strengthening solutions at X-Leap.

Note:
OPRA results were captured from a pool of 71 global respondents, who represent all walks of professional work life, from freelancers to permanent employees. Out of this, approximately 67% are those with post-graduate degrees, while around 27% of them hold graduate degrees.