What’s in it for me? Create a healthier workplace where your team can thrive
On average, we spend around a third of our lives at work. But when was the last time you thought about how your workplace might be impacting your health? Johns Hopkins Medical, a research hospital attached to Johns Hopkins University, had its employees’ well-being in mind when it launched “Healthy at Hopkins.” The goal: to help staff make positive lifestyle changes.
But despite a successful kick-off, interest in the initiative waned quickly. Motivation fizzled and people went back to their old habits.
If trained doctors can’t keep up a healthy lifestyle at work, what hope do the rest of us have? The answer lies in culture. Research shows that cultural influences shape individuals’ actions far more than isolated incentives or showy events. Building a culture of well-being means aligning company practices, policies, physical spaces, and messaging with making healthy choices.
In this Blink, we’ll explore how organizations can make real changes to support their employees’ health, and reap a multitude of benefits in the process. We’ll look at the key building blocks for creating a culture of wellness, such as shared values, cultural connection points, peer support, and leadership engagement.
Employee behaviors don’t change in a vacuum. They’re shaped by the cultural currents surrounding them. While culture change takes time and concerted effort, a workplace that reinforces well-being empowers individual employees to improve their health. This is your roadmap to a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce.
Shared values
In wellness program design, there’s often a disconnect between leadership and individual employee benefits. Many people question the role of a company in employee health. So, to be successful, it’s crucial to align individual and organizational values in wellness campaigns by identifying common goals and desires.
Effective cultural change in wellness goes beyond superficial efforts, like putting up posters or throwing a party. It involves integrating health and well-being into a company’s core principles, influencing everything from customer service to workplace safety. But it’s worth the effort. An effective wellness program is a solid investment, since healthy employees take fewer sick days and also have enhanced work performance, interactions, and career trajectories.
Achieving these benefits demands a high engagement in cultural change across the organization. Employees at all levels must be able to tailor wellness initiatives to their needs. For instance, someone unpacking stock in a warehouse probably has different needs to a web developer who spends most of their time behind a desk. However, when the overarching values of wellness and health become woven into daily interactions and norms, the individual is offered healthy choices that suit their unique needs.
Culture change also requires consistency between messaging and actual company practices. If leadership promotes wellness but endorses long hours, people become skeptical. Shared values must manifest through policies, spaces, benefits, and leadership behaviors. For instance, offering flexible schedules, ergonomic equipment, and walking breaks transforms words into actions. People can tell when workplace well-being is tokenistic, instead of a true value, so make sure your leadership teams are onboard and committed.
Social climate
In 2004, Mark Bertolini – the CEO at health care insurance company Aetna – endured a severe skiing accident, leading to chronic pain, depression, and opioid dependency. His recovery included alternative therapies like yoga and meditation.
Upon returning to Aetna, Bertolini shared his struggles with pain and mental health, openly discussing his vulnerabilities. In doing so, Bertolini changed the social climate of his company. A social climate refers to the overall quality of interpersonal relationships and interactions within a workplace. It’s the “feel” or atmosphere created by how people relate to and treat each other day-to-day. A positive climate where employees feel psychologically safe is vital for fully engaging people in health initiatives.
If a workplace feels judgmental, indifferent, or hostile, employees hide their struggles and avoid preventive care out of fear. Psychological safety enables candid conversations by removing any stigma around health needs. Leaders should encourage openness about challenges without repercussion. This then supports coworkers in sharing their experiences, reducing isolation.
Bertolini’s candid transparency encouraged more open conversations at Aetna about matters that were often hidden. And this vulnerability from the top leader enabled the company to build a more compassionate social climate.
As a leader, you don’t need to have gone through a crisis to affect your company’s social climate. Small but impactful steps – like hosting structured wellness conversations, facilitating mentoring programs, and actively listening to people’s health concerns – all can support an improved culture of wellness. It’s about breaking down the stigma around health, both mental and physical, across all areas of life.
Social connections provide meaning that’s essential for wellness. Isolation harms physical and mental health, but when you foster an environment of open discussion, you build support structures that help everyone. A climate centered on compassion and inclusion allows people to thrive at work, physically and emotionally.
Norms
In any group of people, shared expectations and unwritten rules guide individual behaviors and interactions. An example might be a company dress code. Although it may not be stated formally, employees might be expected to wear business attire, like suits and dresses. These unstated expectations are called norms, and help to define the professional atmosphere within an organization.
Conforming to norms helps us feel we belong and are valued by the group. But sometimes unhealthy norms develop and persist because it feels risky to defy them. Luckily, norms can be consciously shifted if you approach them with intention and consistency. Start by identifying and assessing each norm. You can do this by asking three critical questions. First, does the norm align with organizational values? Second, is it meaningful for employees? And third, is it meaningful to the organization?
As an example of how this can play out, let’s look at The Motley Fool, a financial media company. Initially, its informal, egalitarian culture allowed spontaneous team formations without set rules. However, as the company grew, this system appeared unfair and led to career stagnation and in-group favoritism.
To address the issues that The Motley Fool was facing, the company shifted norms. It adopted the process of openly posting all project opportunities, so that people could apply for the teams they wanted. The new fairness was a fresh take on the organization’s egalitarian values, while also developing a culture of trust and engagement that was meaningful to employees. This new system benefited the company as well, since people were working on projects they were passionate about.
Norms are the building blocks of organizational culture. By realigning your company’s norms, you can ensure that the choices your employees make to improve their well-being are also the path of least resistance. Avoid rigid authoritarian rules that curb autonomy. Nudge people through incentives and environmental cues, like making stairs more visible than elevators. But allow personal discretion. Cultural change takes time, so patience is key. Still, it’s worth the effort. Replacing unhealthy norms with empowering ones brings substantial rewards.
Culture connection points
Formal policies and programs for well-being can sometimes feel awkward and result in people pushing back. For instance, banning all sugary drinks from the building is probably going to cause outrage. But offering healthy alternatives at work might push the culture in the right direction. Simply having a healthy option visible has a profound impact on the choices people make.
Organizations exert daily influence like this, through subtle environmental cues called culture connection points. These are the intersection between workplace design and well-being. Culture connection points include spaces, symbols, benefits, and communication channels.
Southwest Airlines showcases its culture of supporting employee well-being through recruitment. The company’s career website prominently features their values of appreciation, recognition, and celebration.
But this is more than just a slogan to attract talent. The messaging signals to job candidates that Southwest values interpersonal relationships, positivity, and fun. In doing so, it subtly shapes the type of people who apply, and the cultural expectations that the company will expect them to embody.
Southwest Airlines also demonstrates follow through. Connection and fun is embedded into everything, from how staff are onboarded to the expectations of leadership. If you’ve flown with Southwest, you might remember that they use humor during their announcements. Less well known is that leadership meetings are recorded and made available to all employees. As an airline, their core values are about connecting people across the world, starting with how they connect with their own employees.
As a leader, you must be intentional in shaping your workplace ecosystem for mutual benefit. Assess whether current cues help or harm well-being. Then, strategically adjust them to empower healthy norms. For example, make stairwells inviting, provide standing desks, or address mindfulness during meetings. With consistent cues across the employee experience, organizations can profoundly impact health.
Peer support
Peer support is a powerful driver of well-being culture. Our friends, family, and coworkers shape our attitudes and habits, for better or worse. When trying to build healthy lifestyles, having positive peer influences makes success far more likely.
Leaders should leverage this phenomenon by fostering peer support networks. Introduce buddy systems for support and motivation, and train peers in skills like active listening and celebrating wins together. Stories are a powerful tool, so highlight achievements or make positive changes visible to everyone. The more employees feel socially connected and cared for, the more resilient and engaged they become.
This has become even more obvious through the COVID-19 pandemic, when isolation became the norm. At Massachusetts General Hospital, workers faced immense stress from the long hours, trauma, and isolation. To provide emotional support, the hospital launched a buddy program.
Buddy systems are an excellent way to ensure that everybody has a designated support person in the workplace. By scheduling catch-up times, coworker pairs at Massachusetts General checked in on each other regularly to listen, share experiences, and monitor stress levels. Having a trusted peer to confide in helped alleviate the loneliness of the crisis. UK accountant firm The Wow Company did something similar, to keep people connected when they switched to remote working. Even Microsoft uses the buddy system in their onboarding and career development strategies.
Another great way to foster peer relationships is through group programs. Groups of employees with similar health goals can work towards them together, through lifestyle programs at work. You probably wouldn’t go up to a colleague and ask them if they want support to lower their cholesterol, but you might ask them if they’re going to join the step-count challenge the office is running, or if they’ve heard about the lunch-time yoga class. Harness group motivation to create by-in and positive change.
Leadership engagement
Leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture of workplace well-being. They set the tone, design well-being initiatives, and often have the final say in things like budget or office setup. By visibly modeling healthy behaviors and consistently communicating support, leaders can significantly reduce workplace stress.
This role is not just about policy-making; it’s about shaping a holistic environment where well-being aligns seamlessly with performance. Leaders should actively celebrate those who embrace new health norms and address any resistance or skepticism. Though challenging, this journey towards a healthier workplace culture promises significant rewards, including enhanced employee satisfaction, retention, and a positive impact on the company’s bottom line.
Take Starbucks’ CEO Kevin Johnson’s response during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson prioritized employee health above all else, instructing managers not to compel staff to work if they felt unsafe, and ensuring paid leave to alleviate financial concerns. This approach established Starbucks’ values-driven response to the crisis, setting a precedent for the company’s actions.
Leaders’ authentic involvement in well-being initiatives signals their strategic importance, elevating them from mere optional programs to integral elements of the organization’s ethos. A leader’s commitment has a cascading effect, influencing the entire company culture.
For example, take pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, where managers are held accountable for employee health. They lead by example, participating in physical activities alongside staff in the company’s gyms. This practice embeds physical wellness as a cultural norm, not just a policy. This level of accountability ensures that well-being is an integrated part of management, aligning actions with company values.
Leadership engagement breathes life into a workplace’s wellness culture. As a leader, your role is to embody and advocate for your staff’s well-being, inspiring change through your actions and decisions.
Navigating speed bumps
Creating a thriving health culture in the workplace is a journey filled with challenges. Despite the best intentions, organizations often encounter speed bumps that hinder progress.
These include failing to follow through on initiatives, mixed messaging, and prematurely launching programs without laying a solid foundation. Successfully navigating these obstacles requires patience and thoughtful strategy.
Monitoring progress is crucial in this journey. Regular assessments using both qualitative and quantitative methods can track shifts in attitudes and habits. Employee surveys are a valuable tool to achieve this, offering insights into perceptions of leadership support and peer connections. Interviews and focus groups provide deeper understanding, while participation rates and health metrics in specific programs, like nutrition classes, offer tangible evidence of impact.
Johns Hopkins uses the CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard to evaluate its employer health promotion efforts annually. The scorecard benchmarks over 150 factors across areas like benefits, programs, and environmental supports. Comparing results year-to-year allows Johns Hopkins to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to better support employee well-being.
But even with good monitoring, change is challenging. Some common problems in building a workplace well-being culture include a lack of accountability, overconfidence, losing focus on what really matters, or rushing into programs without proper planning. There should be an alignment between job design and well-being goals, and leaders should ensure that people who are entrusted with key responsibilities are trained and confident in their roles in the new systems.
By being aware of these potential pitfalls and continuously measuring progress, organizations can effectively steer their culture towards a healthier and more productive environment. This process of vigilant monitoring and adaptation ensures that the workplace evolves into a space where employees not only work – but thrive.
Final summary
Cultivating a healthy workplace culture is a multifaceted journey requiring dedication and strategic planning. From aligning shared values and fostering a supportive social climate to navigating the complexities of organizational norms, each aspect plays a crucial role. And it is leadership that sets the tone for a well-being focused environment.
Remember, your employees’ health doesn’t clock out when they clock in. It’s intertwined with their workplace, and influenced by every policy, social interaction, and leadership decision.
The journey to a healthier workplace is ongoing, with each step fostering a more engaged, resilient, and thriving workforce. Let’s commit to making health and well-being a fundamental part of our work lives, starting today.