Dr Tina Kowalski, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Department for Business and Society
Tina is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management in the Department for Business and Society researching how to improve the working environment and experience.
Tina has a BA (Hons) in Psychology, an MSc in Health Psychology and a PhD in Management. She is a qualitative researcher with research interests in and around employee mental health and wellbeing, with a particular interest in the role of context and psychosocial factors.
email: tina.kowalski@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Tina:
Could you please tell us what work you do in the field of mental health?
I am a qualitative researcher with experience in projects which explore employee wellbeing from an HR and people-focused perspective. To date, much of my work has been with the NHS and in the public sector more broadly.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
It is a privilege to meet and work with research participants who are so generous with their time contributing to research by sharing their experiences of work and the workplace. The stories shared with me across the projects I have been involved in inspire me to continue to work in the area of workplace mental health and wellbeing. Work is such a big part of our lives, and we all deserve to work in environments that are protective and positive for our wellbeing, rather than being detrimental. Working on these projects with colleagues from across disciplines is particularly rewarding as I can learn so much from them about the research process and different research methods, as well as from the participants about the topic of the study.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
Although signs of change are emerging, there remains a tendency in workplace wellbeing research to focus on individual factors affecting wellbeing, and in designing individual interventions to enhance employee wellbeing. Whilst it is important that we each take responsibility for our own health and wellbeing, it is also important that we do not lose sight of the societal and structural factors that may also be affecting employee wellbeing, for example, poor work design. A holistic approach is needed if long term improvements are to be achieved.
What impact do you hope your work is having - or can potentially have?
By engaging in interdisciplinary research that helps to identify individual and organisational factors that impair and facilitate employee wellbeing, I hope I can contribute to generating research evidence and recommendations that can inform key organisational stakeholders and policymakers, with a view to improving the working environment and experience for workers, so as to protect employee wellbeing as we continue to navigate the changing nature of work going forwards.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Life can get overwhelming sometimes. Making space in the diary for quality time with my family, friends and with people who nourish rather than deplete me is key to keeping me feeling mentally well. If I can do that whilst being out in nature, even better!