Personal health is a hot topic these days, with myriad applications and devices to record our steps, our calories, our prescription drug dosages and so forth. We make a point of avoiding smoky environments, tend toward “insecticide-free” fruit, and feel guilty if we don’t get in our 10,000 steps in a day. With personal “good health” we look better, feel better and are able to do more and enjoy life more.
But what about the health of the organization – the company – we’re a part of? Since so much of our time is spent at work, how does our work environment – healthy or unhealthy – impact our personal health, and how does the collective health of an organization’s workforce affect its health?
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” More recent definitions describe health in terms of adaptability – “the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges,” (Machteld Huber) or simply, “the ability to adapt and to self-manage.” (British Medical Journal).
In the past few years there have been a bazillion articles, surveys, studies, blogs, etc., written about employee engagement – but that’s only a small piece of the bigger puzzle – organizational health. Think about this. Someone could be very engaged in their work and by extension, in the company. So engaged in fact, that they spend many late nights at work, to the detriment of their family life and their personal health. Stress and exhaustion finally take their toll, family life is kaput, and soon this “engaged” employee is out on medical leave, resulting in a huge gap on the team. Talk about a broken engagement.
It’s time we looked at the bigger picture. It’s time we thought seriously about the work environments we’re creating and how those environments are impacting employees at work, at home and in their communities. They’re all connected.
Leaders, how healthy is your team? Have you created an environment in which each employee feels valued, connected, challenged and recognized? Do you recognize when someone is overextended and then provide the support, resources or coaching they need to dial it back? In your hiring decisions, do you consider both the person-job fit and the person-organization fit?
An organization is only as strong, or as healthy, as its people. If you want an organization that can adapt and self-manage in the face of the many challenges today, you’ve got to start paying attention to the health of your team. Yes, engagement is part of it. But just part.
If you’d like to learn more about how to assess the health of your organization and what that means, please contact me. kcolligan@PeopleThink.biz or 415.440.7944.
Till next time,
Karen
