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Introduction
Employee well-being and occupational health and safety (OHS) are two interconnected areas that are essential for ensuring the health, safety, and productivity of employees. Employee well-being is a broad concept that encompasses physical, emotional, and social well-being. OHS is concerned with identifying and mitigating workplace hazards and preventing work-related injuries and illnesses.
Together, these two areas form a critical partnership that can help organizations promote a healthy and safe workplace culture, boost employee morale and retention, and improve business outcomes.
Interconnection between employee well-being and OHS ((Armstrong Handbook
of HRM, 2014)
One of the key ways in which employee well-being and OHS are connected is through the impact of work-related stress on health and safety outcomes. Employees who experience high levels of stress are more likely to engage in unsafe work behaviors and experience workplace accidents and injuries .Thus, addressing work-related stress is critical for promoting both employee well-being and OHS.
Another area of intersection between employee well-being and OHS is in the realm of ergonomics. Ergonomics is concerned with the design of work spaces and equipment to maximize safety, comfort, and productivity. By designing work spaces and equipment that support good ergonomics, organizations can reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and other physical injuries.
Types of employee well-being (Alexandra
Marinak)
- Financial well-being – being able to meet the personal financial needs successfully
- Career well-being – being able to work and meet their career objectives
- Emotional well-being – being able to manage stress or emotional struggles
- Physical well-being – being able for basic functioning and accomplishing tasks
- Community well-being – having a connection with others and feeling a sense of belonging in the workplace
- Leisure well-being – being able to spend on creative, interesting and entertaining pursuits in their life
Reasons why employee well-being and OHS are concerns (Armstrong Handbook
of HRM, 2014)
- Employers have a duty to adopt a socially responsible approach to looking after their people.
- Employers do so because this will increase the commitment of the employees towards the organization and will help to establish it as a ‘best place to work’.
- Employers are responsible for creating a good work environment as a part of the total reward system.
- Improved well-being also contributes for goal achievement, risk taking and finding practical solutions for challenges that arise.
- Improved well-being also contributes to decreased absenteeism and increased retention and engagement.
- A proper OSH workplace would give reduced health care expenses
Strategies that can be used for employee well-being and OHS.
Establish comprehensive workplace wellness programs that focus on promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and addressing work-related stress. These programs can include initiatives such as stress management training, physical activity programs, and healthy eating campaigns.
Conduct regular OHS audits and risk assessments to identify and address workplace hazards, and provide workers with training and resources to promote safe work practices.
Role of HR leaders to promote employee well-being and OHS
- Balance work with play – organize mood-boosting, community-building and social gatherings through which employees could refresh and reconnect
- Cultivate gratitude – create an open culture for appreciation and reward which would infuse a positive vibe into the work community
- Encourage mindfulness – set the foundation (by some breathing exercises or meditation) for smart decision making and high quality work.
Factors that would lead to negative employee well-being and OHS
- Leadership style – a poor management style would create a higher stress level
- Workload – heavy workload due to improper staffing and resource allocation
- Lack of social support – comparison of performance between peers would make the employees not support each other
- Personal commitment – personal issues outside the organization (pregnancy, relationship conflict, death of loved ones)
- Improper ergonomics – work spaces and equipment that do not facilitate smooth work flow
Measuring employee well-being
HR team can conduct surveys on topics such as compensation, engagement, belonging, workload, and career goals.
HR can maintain a work-force data that would highlight high rate of absenteeism or low productivity
HR can have in-person check-ins with employees and identify issues if any
Conclusion
Employee well-being and OHS are two critical areas that are interconnected and essential for promoting a healthy, safe, and productive workplace. By recognizing the importance of this partnership and implementing strategies to promote both areas, organizations can create a culture of safety and well-being that benefits workers and the business as a whole.
References
Alexandra Marinak. (no date) Employee well-being. Resources for employees (online)
Available at https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/employee-wellbeing-caring-for-your-people
Accessed on
06th April 2023
Bob. (no date) What is employee well-being? bob (Online)
Available at https://www.hibob.com/hr-glossary/employee-wellbeing/
Accessed on
06th April 2023
Joseph
Htel. (no date) Armstrong’s Essential Human Resource Management Practice -
Michael Armstrong & Stephen Taylor.
Academia (Online)
Available at
https://www.academia.edu/19545696
Accessed on
04th April 2023
you have selected valuable topic. Health and safety programs are aimed at ensuring workers are protected, risks are minimized, and a healthy and safe workplace is maintained. All employers must establish some form of health and safety program at the workplace.
ReplyDeleteIt helps employees perform better, boosts employee morale, enhances job satisfaction, prevents lost time due to illness, stress, or absenteeism, helps bring down turnover, and more. In all, it benefits both employees and employers.
This is a topic that is widely spoken now. Occupational Health and Safey was seriously taken into account only in manufacturing/factory set up earlier. With the changing world and increase in demand from employees end on their health, safety and wellbeing, most of the organization have already introduced policies and schemes which directly address health, safety and mental wellbeing of employees. In fact, nowadays, you cannot attract a good candidate for a job without having staff wellbeing and occupational safety measures in place.
ReplyDeleteWhen an organization ensure their employee health and safety, it may leads to motivate the employees and it definitely enhance the employee commitment towards the organization as well. HRM theories such as Resource-Based Theory, Contingency Theory, and Equity Theory can help organizations understand the importance of health and safety in the workplace and how to develop effective policies and practices that support employee well-being and safety.
ReplyDeleteSince the Covid-19 outbreak, employers have emphasized employee well-being as a new, developing trend. This idea had been used in businesses before, but it has now grown much more widespread. After the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees continued to work from home, according to Liversage, A. (2022). In this situation, it is crucial that companies continue to assist workers. Despite the recommendation to approach corporate well-being holistically, it is crucial to recognize that each individual's experience of lockdown was particular to them. Some effects linger for a while. After COVID-19, there are numerous ways we may sustain corporate well-being as a top priority.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the insightful article!
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job of outlining the importance of prioritizing employee well-being and the impact it has on the overall success of an organization. Your emphasis on the role of occupational health in promoting employee well-being is very impressive. It is very important to promote work-life balance and offer employee wellness programs to support the physical and mental health of employees.
How can the HR managers measure the return on investment (ROI) of promoting OHS?
The article highlights the interconnection between employee well-being and occupational health and safety (OHS) and how they contribute to the health, safety, and productivity of employees. I completely agree with the author that stress is a key factor that affects both employee well-being and OHS outcomes (Armstrong Handbook of HRM, 2014). Stressful employees are more prone to engage in unsafe work behaviors and workplace accidents and injuries. The author's suggestion to conduct regular OHS audits and risk assessments to identify and address workplace hazards is critical in promoting OHS and employee well-being. Additionally, a socially responsible approach is necessary for employers to establish themselves as the best place to work by adopting comprehensive workplace wellness programs that focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and addressing work-related stress (Armstrong Handbook of HRM, 2014). HR leaders have an important role to play in promoting employee well-being and OHS through encouraging mindfulness, organizing mood-boosting social gatherings, and cultivating gratitude (Pedler, Burgoyne, & Boydell, 2013). Overall, prioritizing employee well-being and OHS is crucial to the success of any organization (Gilmore & Williams, 2009).
ReplyDeleteInsightful article on the interconnection between employee well-being and occupational health and safety. It highlights the importance of addressing work-related stress and designing workspaces that support good ergonomics to promote both employee well-being and OHS. I found the types of employee well-being you mentioned, including financial, career, emotional, physical, community, and leisure, to be comprehensive and helpful for understanding different aspects of well-being.
ReplyDeleteHow can HR leaders encourage employees to participate in workplace wellness programs and take ownership of their own well-being?
This is an insightful article. Adding more information to how well-being could be measured, HR could use health data based on health claims, a health risk assessment and also by monitoring employee engagement as employee engagement is directly connected to the employee well-being.
ReplyDelete