If I were to ask you the question – “How’s your health?”
What would you think I meant?
Most people I speak to immediately go to equate my question with wellness – physical and mental health wellness – not the encompassing well-being. Very few ever mention or even consider their social well-being. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” World Health Organization, 1948.
My next question for those who work in organisations (of any size): “Are you aware of ISO 45003 (https://www.iso.org/standard/64283.html), released mid 2021 about managing psychosocial risks at work?”
And the reaction?
The (large) majority go straight for their pens to write it down to look up when they get a moment.
My take home message from this is that there is SO much information and advice, guidelines, standards, etc to know – that we cannot possibly know it all.
At Michele Scherr Consulting, I not only offer services where I’m a conduit between the change program or process and the people being affected by the changes, but I do so with a view to psychosocial safety and wellbeing.
I’ve teamed with a company that offers #tech4good . Via inputs from the most recent scientific research, I can help with leadership and individuals in a way like never before. The onboarding process uses over 10,000 points of data comparison to help each person really understand themselves from deeper perspectives than ever before.
How does that help in the workplace?
Some examples:
If you have a person who works best in an open environment – you know that and can potentially accommodate it.
If you have a person who works best alone – you know that, and it gives you options for how to get the best work out of them – do you have them allocated an office? Do you have them work from home where possible? Is there another solution?
You might have someone who powers through the day, every day – and NEEDs to do that for their wellbeing. You then know that you can load them up with work that they can complete and move to the next thing.
Comparatively, you might have someone who NEEDs to have a ‘slow’ start to the day which means that they need low stress things to do first up and build to more stress. Applying too much stress too early, depletes them and overwhelms them.
You may have someone who needs to have their NEEDs for safety and security met before they can focus on other things – so a turbulent, insecure environment can be destructive to them on a personal level. Whereas another person would see it as riding the ‘waves’ and ‘going with the flow’.
These are just a few examples of different people responding to different aspects of the work environment. Each person can absolutely be successful in their own right – catering to the style that is best for them. The tech program and techniques I use go so much further than behaviour and communication styles. It helps you to understand yourself and your staff on the level of everything you and they need to function at your/their best.
And if they’re functioning at their best in a safe workplace, their work and outcomes are sure to be optimal… right?
