It’s hardly news that healthy employees who enjoy their work also perform better and contribute more to the development of the organization. Doing your best to help employees feel good at work has become a given for many employers, but far from all have found the right tools to succeed.
So how do you actually go about creating a healthy corporate culture, where you lift, support and help each other succeed?
Here we offer a brief insight into how you can start or further develop a health-promoting perspective.
A health-promoting corporate culture can, over time, be developed in collaboration between employees, work groups and management. It often involves changing perspective and focusing on how we want things to be at work, instead of only focusing on how we don’t want them to be. We are so used to trying to measure the effect of health promotion in terms of changes in sickness absence, which is a very blunt and outdated tool. That approach focuses on reducing what we want less of, but can mean we miss the overall goal of good job satisfaction, climate and health for everyone.
From an evolutionary and biological standpoint, humans are predisposed to focus on obstacles, problems and dangers that we notice or believe we will notice in the future. We have a risk-aware mindset at our core, and that has contributed to our species’ survival. And getting a handle on risks and threats is extremely important in working life as well, so we can prevent and manage them before they become reality. But to create a sustainable climate, we need to complement this view with a more health-promoting perspective, a so-called salutogenic approach. In short, this means we must also focus on how we want things to be, what contributes to health and well-being, and how we can strengthen the parts that already work well. This approach gives us a clearer direction and is often a common denominator among companies that are known for having a strong corporate culture and are ranked as the most attractive employers.
Both perspectives are needed, and if we are to make wise decisions that benefit the corporate climate, we need to understand where we are starting from. Both which parts already work well and that we want to preserve/develop, and the parts where there may be risks of ill health or a poorer climate. We usually find it easier to identify risks and set up action plans to counter them. Or rather, it doesn’t require as much focus, because that ability is already genetically programmed into most of us. But to create a culture where we lift each other up and focus on what creates success for us specifically, we need to focus more on the positive aspects.
Get started on creating a better corporate culture
A good starting point for developing the work climate at group level can be to carry out a more extensive review of the health situation and the current work environment 1–2 times a year, for example in connection with Wellr’s digital health check and work environment analysis. This gives us an overview of the health status and job satisfaction in the workplace, so we can implement the right types of initiatives during the year. But don’t wait a whole year until it’s time again; these issues need to move higher up the priority list for the effect to be noticeable. Try having a standing agenda item on your regular work group meetings throughout the year.
It is also important to remember to follow up on these aspects at the individual level. Make sure to include a health-promoting perspective in performance reviews and in the other 1–1 meetings you hold during the year. Another tip: it works very well to have this discussion while doing a health-promoting activity, such as a walking meeting, to further boost creativity and well-being during the workday.
Suggested questions to work with:
The individual:
What do I need in order to feel good and enjoy my work?
What am I already satisfied with and want to maintain/further develop?
How can I create those conditions?
What do I need help with, and from whom?
Which part will I start with, and when?
What possible obstacles/challenges might I encounter, and how can I prevent them?
What do I want these changes to lead to, for me?
When and how will I follow up on the results?
Try to be as concrete as possible in what you mean at every step; it will help you succeed!
The work group:
What makes us feel good and enjoy our work?
What already works well today that we want to maintain/further develop together?
What would we like to add to make things even better?
How can we do that?
Which parts can we handle ourselves, and what might we need help with?
When and how will we follow up? How will we know that we have succeeded?
This type of workshop on work environment and health tends to kick off many interesting processes and new lines of thought. Remember to jointly select a few areas you want to start with, and formulate a plan for these areas so it is clear what your next step will be. But save all the good ideas for later follow-up.
Does it feel like a big step to take?
We at Wellr are happy to help! Contact us today!
With Wellr, you can get support both in finding out how your staff are doing and how the work environment is functioning, while at the same time each individual receives support in the change process with individual action proposals and goal-setting tools. Our health developers help you analyze the results at group level and are there with you on the journey of planning your health efforts for the coming year. Add to this fun and team-building health competitions and challenges, and you have a solid foundation to build on.
Good luck on your journey towards a more health-promoting corporate culture!
