Healthcare professionals are facing a crisis that doesn't always make the headlines: workplace stress. It's persistent, often invisible, and has a ripple effect on staff performance and retention, patient outcomes, and organizational culture. Long shifts, emotional demands, time pressures, and chronic understaffing have become normalized, even expected. But that doesn’t make them sustainable.
Hospital leaders and managers are increasingly recognizing that addressing staff well-being isn’t optional, it’s essential. Yet, most strategies focus on reactive burnout treatment rather than proactive prevention. It’s time to look beyond traditional approaches and embrace practical, evidence-based tools that support mental wellness on the frontlines.
Stress and Burnout, The Hidden Crisis in Healthcare Workplaces
Stress is a well-documented issue in healthcare, but many managers underestimate just how deeply it runs. According to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), healthcare workers face disproportionate levels of psychological stress due to long hours, emotionally charged situations, patient-family dynamics, physical risks, and chronic understaffing.
This stress leads not only to burnout but to a decline in patient care quality, staff retention, and mental health as well. What’s less often discussed is how daily stress quietly accumulates and what simple, innovative strategies can make a meaningful difference.
The CDC has released a 6-Step Guide to help hospital leaders implement approaches to support well-being. Some hospitals have implemented flexible scheduling, employee assistance programs, onsite fitness classes, walking clubs, nutrition workshops, as well as Reiki, meditation rooms, and aromatherapy.
A Closer Look at Aromatherapy for Staff - The Data Behind the Burnout
In a study conducted at a teaching hospital in East Texas by Dorlores Martinez, BSN, RN, CNOR and Cheryl Watson, BSN, RN, surgical staff participated in a workplace clinical aromatherapy evaluation trial using Elequil Aromatabs® aromatherapy. Forty-three participants rated their stress before and after a week of daily use by selecting either Lavender, Lavender-Peppermint, or Orange-Peppermint aromas. Here are some of the results:
Average Stress reduction
- Overall: 39% decrease
- Lavender alone: 46% decrease
- Lavender-Peppermint: 40% decrease
- Orange-Peppermint: 28% decrease
Additionally, 84% of participants reported a positive experience, and 95% said they would recommend the practice to co-workers
These are not insignificant results. They reflect the impact of small, intentional interventions on team morale. One RN shared, “I found the Elequil Aromatabs to be very calming. Every time I would be deep into something and smell the lavender, it reminded me to take a breath, and I felt my head clear. I could tell a difference in myself when I wore one, and I do think others could as well.”
Wellness Codes: Code Lavender & Code Lilac
Hospitals have codes for every emergency. Code Blue for cardiac arrest, Code Red for fire. But what about emotional emergencies? Enter Code Lavender and Code Lilac, wellness interventions implemented at some hospitals:
Code Lavender was originally developed by the Cleveland Clinic. It activates a rapid response wellness team to support staff after emotionally traumatic events. This may include spiritual care, massage therapy, tea service, or simply a quiet space to decompress. There are different ways to request Code Lavender – it can be texting with just the words “Code Lavender” with no explanation on why the nurse is requesting it. Another way is by putting on a lavender bracelet to let your peers know you need their support.
Code Lilac is a newer adaptation, implemented by systems like Memorial Hermann. While similar, its focus is broader. It offers full team support with resilience training and peer support and is an ongoing wellness initiative.
These aren’t just soft strategies; they’re evidence-based responses to emotional trauma, and they normalize asking for help. Staff wellness must be treated with the same urgency and legitimacy as patient care.
Leadership Lessons for Healthcare Managers
If you’re a manager or supervisor in a healthcare environment, here’s what you can do to foster a wellness-first culture:
- Implement Micro-Interventions- Introduce simple stress-reduction tools like aromatherapy. Elequil Aromatabs aromatherapy offer hands-free, hospital-safe delivery of calming essential oils and have proven to significantly reduce stress levels. It adheres to the nurse’s scrubs, stays with them as they go about their shift and stays within their personal space.
- Normalize Wellness Responses- Train your team to call a Code Lavender when needed. Provide a dedicated space with soft lighting, aromatherapy, music, or mindfulness exercises. If you don’t have a formal program, start with a pilot initiative.
An excellent resource is Stryker’s Code Lavender® toolkit, which offers practice guidance and ready-to-use templates to help launch and sustain a successful support program. - Invest in Preventive Support - Proactively ask your team about burnout, not just in annual surveys by setting up a Code Lilac. Peer-to-peer support groups and mental health check-ins should be regular, visible, and non-stigmatized.
- Track and Share Results- Data speaks volumes. Consider a model such as the one used for the East Texas surgical study. Collect feedback on wellness interventions, analyze impact, and share the results with leadership.
The study "The Economics of Aromatherapy: Elequil Aromatabs Reduce Costs and Improve Care Environments " estimates that the average cost to educate and replace a nurse is $65K. Wellness is not fluff—it’s an ROI-positive strategy for staff retention.
Start Small, Think Big
Creating a wellness-focused culture doesn’t require massive budgets or radical policy changes. It starts with empathy, creativity, and commitment.
When we treat staff wellness as a clinical priority and not an afterthought, we heal the healers, and in turn, elevate patient care. So whether it’s a Lavender-Peppermint Elequil Aromatabs on a scrub top or a quiet tea break after a tough case, every act of compassion counts.
