Successfully completing lab work can be challenging. Whether the lab is engaged in innovative, cutting-edge research or delivering highly accurate and precise diagnostic data, the nature of the work can drain the spirit and the energy from the staff. Lab managers need to recognize the needs and the benefits of staff well-being to provide sustainable technical outcomes for customers, patients, and stakeholders. Most lab managers are promoted from the bench and receive little, if any, training on the people aspects of the role. Professor Mandy O’Neill of George Mason University is an expert in organizational well-being. Here are her five priorities to drive well-being in the lab.
Companionate love
People need support in all phases of their lives. This can be especially true at work where we face technical challenges, deadlines, workload pressures, and uncertainty about outcomes. Companionate love is having a bestie at work—someone who listens, understands, has your back, and lifts you up. Lab managers can identify staff who are loners or struggling to find friends in the lab. Seek opportunities for them to work in teams and get involved in the social fabric of the lab.
Mutual vulnerability
Nobody is perfect, and no one knows everything. Everyone makes mistakes and needs help. Build a lab culture that fosters open communication and psychological safety, allowing everyone to recover from errors with grace and seek help with any work-related issues. This kind of vulnerability fosters closeness on the team and helps staff get to know one another better, which builds stronger teams that drive higher performance.
Gratitude
Showing appreciation for others is a key aspect of building strong relationships. Perhaps the most important words in any lab are please and thank you. These simple acknowledgments of everyone’s humanity help to ensure everyone’s contributions are recognized and appreciated. Lab managers can model this behavior by using "please" and "thank you" every day. This will demonstrate that you see the staff as people, not resources, and will build gratitude into the lab’s culture.
Awe
O’Neill tells us that well-being requires purpose, vitality, resilience, and challenges. When the lab includes in its purpose things that are big, exciting, and scary, it helps drive home the reasons why staff work hard and commit themselves to delivering high-quality work. Lab managers need to communicate clearly and often about how the lab contributes to something big and important, whether that is by keeping products safe, developing new medicines, or helping doctors treat patients. Making those connections improves staff well-being by helping them be more emotionally connected to the work.
Joviality
While the work in the lab might be hard, challenging, and tedious, we still need to have fun. Take the opportunities to celebrate successes, laugh at outcomes, and enjoy working together to solve important problems. Making the time that staff spend together more fun builds better relationships, improves well-being, and helps people bring their best selves to work. Lab managers can look for opportunities to celebrate holidays, share cultural aspects, eat together, and enjoy each other’s company. Small investments in fun will have large returns in engagement, well-being, and performance.
Improving staff well-being provides many benefits. It enables individuals to perform at a higher level and increases the sustainability of their effort. It builds stronger relationships that drive the teamwork and collaboration required to solve complex and unique problems. Increased well-being also simply feels good. It will improve morale and engagement, helping the team build the resilience to overcome challenges and navigate tough days in the lab. Improving well-being is worth the effort.
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