Using Conversations, Listening and Leadership to Support Staff Wellness: The CALM Framework
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Setting and Participants
2.2. Study Design
2.3. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
2.4. Data Collection and Analysis
2.5. The Development of the CALM Framework
2.6. Ethical Approval
3. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Implications for Healthcare Organisations
4.2. Future Directions
4.3. Strengths and Limitations
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
CALM | Conversation, Active Listening, Leadership Engagement, Mechanism for Feed-back |
SWR | Staff Wellness Rounding |
HCWs | Healthcare workers |
References
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CALM Framework Component | Findings from Staff Survey (Phase One) | Findings from Leader Rounder Interviews (Phase Two) | Findings from Roundee Interviews (Phase Three) | Key Observations |
---|---|---|---|---|
Conversation | 74% valued informal, open conversations. 85.2% liked positive reinforcement. | Leader Rounders required skills that support staff to have open conversations | Roundees appreciated the relaxed, non-judgmental atmosphere. | Informal conversations foster trust and openness, building connection. |
Active Listening | 74% felt heard, and desired compassionate listening rather than immediate solutions. | Leader rounders required active listening skills, and the ability to provide emotional support | Roundees valued active listening and emotional support. | Active listening and emotional support are essential, with a preference for listening over problem-solving. |
Leadership Engagement | 77.5% felt wellness rounds allowed them to escalate issues to management. | Leaders acted as communicators and facilitators of staff feedback | Leaders acted as communicators and facilitators for staff feedback. | Leadership plays a pivotal role in feedback escalation, addressing concerns, and supporting staff. |
Mechanism for Feedback | 77.5% felt they could escalate issues, but only 32.5% felt feedback was adequately addressed. | Leader rounders required a process and the skills to theme feedback and to escalate issues to senior executive | Roundees wanted more visible actions on their feedback. | A gap exists between feedback collection and tangible change, indicating a need for greater transparency and accountability. |
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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Iqbal, U.; Wilson, N.; Taylor, R.; Smith, L.; Kohler, F. Using Conversations, Listening and Leadership to Support Staff Wellness: The CALM Framework. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101558
Iqbal U, Wilson N, Taylor R, Smith L, Kohler F. Using Conversations, Listening and Leadership to Support Staff Wellness: The CALM Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(10):1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101558
Chicago/Turabian StyleIqbal, Usman, Natalie Wilson, Robyn Taylor, Louise Smith, and Friedbert Kohler. 2025. "Using Conversations, Listening and Leadership to Support Staff Wellness: The CALM Framework" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 10: 1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101558
APA StyleIqbal, U., Wilson, N., Taylor, R., Smith, L., & Kohler, F. (2025). Using Conversations, Listening and Leadership to Support Staff Wellness: The CALM Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(10), 1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101558