Presented by: Graham Lowe, The Graham Lowe Group Inc at OHSIG 2014, Thursday 11/9/14, Plenary session, 8.30am

1. The Wellness Dividend
How Healthy Organizations Maximize
Employee Health, Safety & Performance
Presentation by Graham Lowe
OHSIG Conference
Auckland, September 11th, 2014

2. 2
Overview
Wellbeing and performance
Healthy and safe workplaces
Building healthy organizations
Reaping wellness dividends

3. 3
Future workforce challenges
Talent
Engagement
Costs
Healthy, safe
and
productive
workplaces

4. 4
Healthy
Organization
Strategic impact of wellness
Comprehensive
Programs
High
Impact
Low
Impact Individual
Risk Factors

5. 5
Wellbeing and performance
Healthy and safe workplaces
Building healthy organizations
Reaping wellness dividends

6. 6
People-performance links
Higher performance
Engaged workforce
Healthy & safe
employees

7. Lots of evidence
Job Satisfaction
• A meta-analysis
of 500
job
satisfaction
studies
• job satisfaction
influences
mental and
physical health
Job Stress
• A meta-analysis
of 169
job stress
studies
• stress reduces
job
performance
Job
Performance
• A meta-analysis
of 57
job
performance
studies
• supervisors,
empowerment
and culture
impact
performance
7

8. 8
Happy employees = sustainable success
See: Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 2012.

9. 9
Psychological health & safety risks

10. National Standard
Psychologically healthy & safe workplaces…
• Foster psychological well-being and enhance
organizational performance
• Promote respectful relationships between staff and
customers
• Support staff experiencing psychological difficulties
• Expand Occupational Health & Safety management
systems
Source: Mental Health Commission of Canada. http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/5346
10

11. 11
Wellbeing and performance
Healthy and safe workplaces
Building healthy organizations
Reaping wellness dividends

12. 12
High quality work environments support safety and HR goals
WORK ENVIRONMENT
 Team work
 Fair processes
 Learning opportunities
 Supportive supervisor
 People leadership
SAFETY
CULTURE
• Report
• Learn
• Act
HR GOALS
Pride
Commitment
Job satisfaction
Engagement
Safety culture
Source: G. Lowe. (2008). The role of healthcare work environments in shaping a safety culture. Healthcare Quarterly 11 (2), 43-51.

13. 13
Where’s the biggest ‘win – win’?
96%
of healthcare workers
who agree their workplace is
healthy
ALSO agree it is
safe
60%
of healthcare workers
who agree their workplace
is safe
ALSO agree it is
healthy
Source: Graham Lowe Group, Health Sciences Association of Alberta Work Environment Survey (n=5,131).

14. Been injured or felt unwell as a result of moving and handling
patients in past 12 months by level of engagement
14
50.1%
32.3%
19.8%
35.8%
49.9%
80.2%
64.2%
67.7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Total
High
Medium
Low
Level of Engagement
Yes No
Source: Ontario Hospital Association, hospital employees with frequent direct patient contact (n=5,000).

15. 15
Wellbeing and performance
Healthy and safe workplaces
Building healthy organizations
Reaping wellness dividends

16. 16
You need robust solutions
Presenteeism,
absenteeism, LTI, LTD,
benefit costs, morale,
turnover
Jobs, work environment,
organizational systems,
culture and leadership
Symptoms
Causes

17. 17
Healthy organization building blocks
Inspired employees
Vibrant workplaces
Inclusive leadership
Positive culture
Source: G. Lowe. (2010). Creating Healthy Organizations.

18. 18
A tale of two cultures
.
“The Golden Rule” is a corporate value
Lac-Mégantic train derailment: 47 dead

19. 19
Trust, engagement and performance
Source: G. Lowe. (2012). How employee engagement matters for hospital performance. Healthcare Quarterly 15 (2), 29-39.

20. 20
Build trust by living the values

21. 21
Vibrant workplace ingredients
1. Respect and fairness
2. 2-way communication
3. Autonomy and input
4. Adequate resources
5. Supportive supervisors
6. Challenging work
7. Recognition and rewards
8. Safe and healthy environment

22. 22
Reducing work stress
Employee control Job demands

23. Old vs. new thinking about motivation
• Autonomy
• Mastery
• Purpose
23

24. 24
Wellbeing and performance
Healthy and safe workplaces
Building healthy organizations
Reaping wellness dividends

25. 25
The Wellness Dividend

26. 26
New Zealand’s challenge
New Zealand needs a culture that
recognizes health and safety as an
investment in good business
practice, improved productivity and
reliability, and an engaged
workforce.
Working Safer:
A Blueprint for Health and Safety at Work, 2013

27. 27
How to achieve wellness goals…
World Health Organization
defines health promotion as:
“…the process of enabling individuals
and communities to increase control
over the determinants of health and
thereby improve their health.”

28. Wellness program design principles
• Empower local workplace wellness committees
• Coordinate with OHS committees
• Foster employee participation and “ownership”
• Recognize that morale influences participation
28
Engagement Wellbeing

29. 29
4 steps to wellness dividends
1. View wellbeing as a leading indicator of future workforce
capabilities and costs
2. Boost employee morale by promoting wellbeing
3. Encourage a culture of health and safety through
employee participation and ‘ownership’
4. Integrate wellness actions and goals into your
engagement strategy

30. 30
Be a change agent!

31. 31
For information and resources go to:
www.creatinghealthyorganizations.ca
Or scan:
Follow me on Twitter: @HealthyOrgs
The Graham Lowe Group | www.grahamlowe.ca | glowe@grahamlowe.ca