Corporate Training Magazine

Building the Case for Healthy Workplace
Vol 3 Issue 1- Jan 2007

By Dan Corbett

The pursuit of excellence is a healthy thing to do: healthy for employees, customers and stakeholders, and the pursuit of a healthy workplace is very much about achieving excellence.

There is a growing body of evidence that organizations that have prepared for the future by investing in organizational excellence, build shareholder and stakeholder value through sustainable performance. Leaders in these organizations see that a commitment to organizational excellence as an investment in the future rather than a cost.

The case for a healthy workplace must be positioned within the context of achieving Excellence and as an investment in not just the health of employees but in the long-term health of the organization.

Many organizations in Canada already know that the case for a healthy workplace is obvious. However a quick reality check shows that what many believe is obvious is not enough to make the case in this 'prove it' world.

The hard reality is that the incidence and variety of workplace health issues are increasing and new complex issues are emerging. The lack of a comprehensive workplace health strategy in organizations to deal with these issues on a preventative basis is causing significant negative impact on productivity and public health care.

Most organizations have made workplace improvements in the traditional areas of occupational health and safety. Statistical reviews show that improvements have been made in the injury rate of employees, in the physical environment such that injury rates in the musculo-skeletal category have decreased and in the ergonomics environment of work.

However in recent years various studies and research projects have revealed a very compelling set of statistics about the impact employee mental health issues are having on the workplace and the health of the organization.

What is needed now in Canada is a comprehensive approach by organizations to workplace wellness and employee well-being that extends beyond the traditional approach to occupational health and safety. Some organizations have begun to strategically address workplace health issues. However, to have societal impact we need many more organizations to reach out and embrace a comprehensive approach to a healthy workplace.

One reason why more organizations are not being proactive is that the case does not seem as obvious for decision-makers. Therefore we need to focus on the reality of "making the business case" for a healthy workplace. My reality check is that the corporate understanding of the importance of a healthy workplace is where quality was ten years ago.

Ten years ago many organizational leaders had to be convinced that investing in quality was a good business decision that would produce a significant return on investment.

Our experience was that change required leadership commitment, as the real issue was to bring cultural change to how an organization goes about creating real and sustainable value for the customer.

We now have the same issue with healthy workplace, as real change will only come from leadership commitment. That commitment requires an understanding of the impact that employee satisfaction has on organizational strategies such as productivity, customer satisfaction and social responsibility.

The National Quality Institute (NQI) has evidence that a healthy workplace provides a great return on investment. Case studies and experience demonstrate that a healthy workplace is integral to achieving organizational excellence. The focus is on creating the right work environment for employees, which in turn creates the right approach to satisfying the strategic and operational goals of satisfied customers, clients and stakeholders.

What makes the difference between those organizations that make the transformation and those that do not is the quality of leadership and the engagement of employees in creating a high performing organization. This requires a new way of leading - one that in the coming years will emerge as the way to lead organizations and their people to achieve success.

Strategic Drivers
The pursuit of excellence is a healthy thing to do: healthy for employees, healthy for customers and for stakeholders. The pursuit of a healthy workplace is very much about achieving excellence, and with excellence comes high performance and results. So how do you get the attention of leaders in your organization?

Here are four strategic drivers that help make the case as to why leaders need to commit to a strategic focus on healthy workplace. Such leadership focus creates a healthy organization that is a great place to work and do business with.

Being an Employer of Choice
Recruiting and retaining the best people requires advanced leadership thinking about the working environment and the well-being of employees.

Corporate Social Responsibility
There are increasing expectations on the role of business and how it fulfills its responsibility to society. Investors are increasingly focusing on how organizations meet this expectation. A healthy workplace is a critical part of developing this strategy, necause how you treat your employees has impact in the community.

Creating Value
A healthy workplace with motivated employees is a critical component in the value chain in a knowledge-based organization.

The New Economy is about Linkage and Transparency
What happens in one part of an organization impacts on the broader nature of the organization in terms of political, social, financial and operational. Issues. For those individuals mandated with ensuring sustainability and risk management in an organization, employee safety and health performance is a very clear measure in the assessment process.

In the private sector enlightened leaders know it is no longer enough to just focus on maximizing shareholder return, to beat the quarterly investment analysts and to obey the law.

In the public sector, enlightened leaders know that the status quo will not do and that there is a need to have a clear framework to demonstrate value for public funding.

The common thread for leaders in both sectors of our economy is to realize the need to have a work culture that recognizes the whole person. It is through the professionalism and competency of the people who do the work that strategic growth happens.

These four drivers are what we see as the key strategic reasons that need to be included in building a case for a healthy workplace. How does your organization rate on the four drivers?

If you don't think that a healthy workplace has strategic impact on the organization, think again. The costs for not recognizing this are substantial. For those organizations that do understand, the results are clear.