Healthy Workplace Culture: The foundation of a
healthy workforce
By - Ralph F. Colao
Health & Performance Officer
Hub International Midwest Ltd.
If you believe as I do, that “health and wellness is a way of life, as well as a state of mind and a
state of being,” then the workplace societal environment (workplace
culture) is paramount to establishing and maintaining employee health and
well-being.
Focus group participants most frequently describe
wellness as a “balanced approach to health involving physical, emotional,
intellectual, social and spiritual aspects.”
As I discuss that same concept with senior executives, they most
frequently cite evidence of a successful employee health management strategy as
“increased employee energy.”
To those ends above, a healthy culture seemingly includes
two primary components. The first is a human capital approach that incorporates policies and practices that
involve, empower, and engage employees in decisions about their work and the
direction of the organization. Leaders
clearly communicate the company’s vision and goals, and the reasons behind them,
and can model and reward desired behaviors. This type of culture promotes
an environment of innovation, creativity and engagement, and ultimately fosters
workforce energy. Workplace culture cannot be dismissed since an
organization’s existing work culture (its beliefs, values, attitudes, practices
and customs) is one of the greatest determinants of employee distress and anxiety. According to a
study by ComPsych1 66
percent of employees report having high levels of stress, with extreme
fatigue/feeling out of control.
The second component of
a healthy workplace culture includes tools, resources, policies and practices,
along with a physical environment that supports the dimensions of wellness
mentioned earlier.
The combination of
these two components results in a work environment where it is easy,
convenient, acceptable and expected for employees to engage in healthy and safe
behaviors as part of the everyday work experience. In other words, health and
well-being simply become “the
way things are done around here.”
Industry research
is also quickly supporting the fact that this combination has a positive impact
on business performance. In fact, HealthNEXT2 found companies that build a culture
of health by focusing on the well-being and safety of their workforce realize a
greater return for their investors (3.11 percent to 5.29 percent when compared
to the S&P 500).
1The StressPulse survey was conducted
from Sept. 26 to Oct. 15 2011, receiving responses from employees of more than
1,500 ComPsych client companies nationwide.
2Fabius R, Thayer RD, Konicki DL, et.
Al. The link between workforce health and safety and the health of the bottom
line: tracking market performance of companies that nurture a “culture of
health.” J Occup Environ Med. 2013; 55(9):993-1000
Ralph F. Colao
Health & Performance Officer
Hub International Midwest Ltd.
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