The beginning of the year and various other occasions mark the opportunity to wish each other good health. Health is most important for many of us. So, why wouldn't it be important for the business environment as well? Why shouldn't our organizations also aspire to good health? This is even more relevant since we spend more than a third of our day (out of the time we are awake) at work; and, let's face it, our involvement with our work goes beyond working hours, stretching in our free time as well.
Since the organizations we work for occupy such a great deal of our time, I cannot imagine any HR person, any team lead, any manager or person who wouldn't like to work in a healthy organization. I think we can all guess the answer to this one.
And yet, how do healthy organizations look like? What can we do to have a healthy work environment? And what is more, how can this help us all? Let's find out!
One of the most comprehensive definitions (Sauter, Lim and Murphy,1996) argues that a healthy workspace can be identified in every organization which ,,maximizes wellbeing (via employee goals) as well as profitability and productivity (via company goals)". "Physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, mental wellbeing and emotional wellbeing; (...) if you can cater for all these components, you will achieve a healthy work environment. These all need to be a part of the organizational culture, not just its extension"- David Chenoweth suggests.
Organizational health and workplace wellbeing are important in view of the consequences they have on their employees. These two concepts can affect both the organization and the employees in a negative way. For instance, the employees who are part of organizations with low levels of health and wellbeing can be less productive, can take worse decisions than other peers and are prone to absenteeism (Boyd, 1997).
Specialists identified 5 categories of practices used by healthy organizations:
They create a healthy work-life balance.
They invest in programs for their employees' personal development.
They create a healthy and secure environment in every respect.
They offer their employees the recognition and rewards they deserve.
To understand the impact of such practices, we draw your attention to the table below which highlights the main benefits of such strategies in terms of employee and organizational wellbeing.
Source: The Path to a Healthy Workplace. A Critical review Linking Healthy Workplace Practices, Employee Well-Being, and Organizational Improvements, Matthew J. Grawitch, Melanie Gottschalk and david C. Munz, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Summer 2006
Companies which aim for organizational health are many. Such strategies also become a good competitive edge, in addition to the results they bring to the organization and its members. What can we do to achieve these results? One of the most important suggestions that can be made has to do with wellbeing, a concept which refers to the individual on a holistic level: physically, socially, mentally, emotionally and financially. If we adapt our strategies and interventions taking wellbeing into account, the results and benefits will soon be visible.
Therefore, we wish you good health for the new year (and not only) in every way!
The Path to a Healthy Workplace. A Critical review Linking Healthy Workplace Practices, Employee Well-Being, and Organizational Improvements, Matthew J. Grawitch, Melanie Gottschalk and david C. Munz, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Summer 2006
Health and Well-Being in the Workplace: A review and Synthesis of the Literature, Haren Danna and Ricky W. Griffin, Journal of Management 1999
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