Working well: the health advantage

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(Published on page J6 of the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 7, 2013, Sunday, World Health Day)

http://www.jobmarketonline.com/blog/working-well-health-advantage-roel-andag

By Roel Andag

Contributor

From time to time, employees eagerly examine both government- and company-issued calendars to take note of holidays and long weekends. They look forward to these breaks, which they generally use to de-stress. Stress is oftentimes cited as a major cause for quitting a job. Stress is attributable to the state of our health. There are six interrelated and mutually reinforcing health dimensions that companies should strive to address.

Dimension 1: Physical health – level of physical fitness and absence of disease.

Ideas for the company: Provide health coverage package that includes annual comprehensive physical exam, vaccinations and services of a company physician and nurse. Note that Art. 134 of the Labor Code orders all companies employing more than 200 workers to put up a company clinic that will provide free health services, including reproductive health services. Establish a gym in the office or form a tie up with a nearby gym, with defined times of use. Aside from the lunchbreak, enforce two 15-minute renewal breaks, one at mid-morning and another at mid-afternoon. At Chevron, where I once was consultant, all their computers will automatically lock during designated breaks. Employees who want to do some stretching gather in spaces that are wide enough for them to use simple exercise equipment such as dumbbells and stretchable ropes. Their computers will only unfreeze once the break ends. Call centers have nap rooms while construction companies have barracks for their engineers in project sites. Implement health campaigns that promote healthy lifestyle (aside from sportsfests, some companies have Biggest Loser contests and no-smoking policy), work-life balance and safety consciousness, and shed light on occupational hazards and unhealthy and life-shortening vices.

Dimension 2: Mental health – the ability to learn and grow intellectually.

Ideas for the company: Create a learning organization. Set company and department goals that stimulate employees’ creative and analytical thinking. Make planning sessions collaborative, use strategies that tap into both the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Implement an equal opportunity training and development program that taps internal and external resource persons who can help enhance employees’ knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits. Sponsor or subsidize employees’ graduate studies or at the very least allow them to pursue self-financed Masters degrees or special interest courses. Acknowledge, celebrate and reward innovative ideas. One good example is Google’s practice of allowing its employees to use 20 percent of their official time to pursue their personal passions.

Dimension 3: Emotional health – ability to control emotions such that the person is comfortable expressing them in the appropriate manner.

Ideas for the company: Provide regular stress debriefings especially for those in high-stress jobs. When I was still working at the United Nations I came to know that the Department of Social Welfare and Development makes said service available to its caseworkers. Provide counselling to address personal problems because emotions emanating from such problems cannot be prevented from seeping into one’s work. Create support groups that will serve as safe environments for unloading and making sense of emotional baggage. Install a counselling and help hotline that guarantees anonymity and confidentiality. Conduct EQ training. Will it be too radical for a company to create a ‘Taksyapo’ area in its premises? With soundproof walling, of course.

Dimension 4: Social health – the ability to interact well with people and to have satisfying interpersonal relationships.

Ideas for the company: In addition to formal teamwork and collaborations, institute socialization activities that bring together employees in a fun context without job pressures. This can be in the form of parties, outings, family days and creation of special interest and skills clubs such as a choir, Toastmasters, mountain climbers, pet owners and the like. The quality time and interaction that takes place in these events will promote better communication, cross fertilization of ideas, interdependence, and healthy respect for diversity. Also, it has been proven that having a true friend in the workplace is one reason why people stay longer in a company.

Dimension 5: Spiritual health – belief in a unifying force, with faith as the core concept. It also means feeling connected with other human beings and believing that one’s life has purpose and meaning.

Ideas for the company: Some companies hold first-Friday masses and conduct regular retreats and yoga and meditation sessions. Set up an interfaith prayer room. Have nature treks. Create an authentic corporate social responsibility program. Encourage employees to render volunteer work in NGOs and to get involved in their communities. Provide life coaching services and appreciate employees’ contributions to the achievement of company goals.

Dimension 6: Environmental health – a healthy, supportive setting in which to function.

Ideas for the company: When implemented, many of the tips given in the five health dimensions above will already help greatly in ensuring environmental health, especially in the psychological sense. In addition, the company’s commitment to health and wellness needs to be institutionalized in its vision, mission and goals, human resource policies and featured in corporate communications. Make health consciousness part of company culture. Role modeling plays an important part. For example, bosses should live healthy lives and not begrudge employees who in good faith and good timing avail of their vacation leave, of the nap room and taksyapo room. For the physical aspect, the following ideas may be considered: invest in ergonomic equipment and tools, basically chairs and keyboards that are body-friendly; and rearrange office layout such that it conforms to the principles of 5S and promotes face-to-face communication. Serve healthy food during meetings and compel the cafeteria to offer healthy food choices. Provide a directory of nearby health and wellness establishments related to the first five dimensions of health, including places of worship and open, green spaces.

Wellness is the degree to which these six dimensions are in balance. Therefore, a company’s health and wellness program needs to promote equal-opportunity participation where there is no stereotyping that certain persons are good at intellectual pursuits and poor at physical activities. Notice also that the tips and ideas address all levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Health is a human right and a shared employer-employee responsibility. The worker needs to keep himself healthy by optimizing the company’s health and wellness program and by living a healthy life inside and outside of the office. This way, workdays will be as enjoyable and as rejuvenating as holidays and long weekends.

True, it will be expensive to institute all of the above but long-term gains will offset the investment. Think reduced downtime and turnover, and increased morale, motivation, employee engagement, productivity, creativity and longevity. Think ‘employer of choice’ branding because of the leverage derived from a comprehensive health and wellness program. Robust employees handle stress better. Workers who are well work well.

(Roel Andag is an independent trainer and HR consultant. He handles the Management Development Program of DMCI Homes. Visit his blog: www.traineroncall.blogspot.com.)