Create a happy, healthy work environment for your employees, andthey will be happier, healthier -- and more productive.
That's the economic calculation underpinning the surge ofwellness and other employee programs in companies around the UnitedStates.
"Organizations are communities of people," said Robert Rosen,chief executive of Healthy Companies International, an Arlington-based management consulting firm, "and if these people are healthypsychologically and physically, if they're committed and engaged inthe organization, if they believe in the mission of the company, ifthey work in an environment where they're challenged and inspiredand where the people are valued, the business will be reasonablyhealthy."
The happy-worker-equals-healthy-company model seems to be payingoff. A 15-year review of literature from the fields of psychology,business, medicine, public health, sociology and economics suggestsa link between job satisfaction and lower absenteeism, lowerturnover and higher performance. Workplaces with employeeinvolvement programs, such as self-managed work teams, demonstrate a2 to 5 percent increase in productivity. Those with health-promotion programs showed an average of $3.50 savings for everydollar spent, as measured by reduced absenteeism and health-carecosts. Others with healthy workplace practices report significantreductions in on-the-job injuries and in work-related stress levels.
And employees appreciate that. "They let you know you'reimportant, and they value your commitment," said Sonja Roberts ofher employers, Carl M. Freeman Cos., a developer based in Olney."They're very open to changes in life and work. They care about yougetting your work done, but they also care about you as a person --and that's real important."
Google -- ranked number one by Fortune magazine in 2007 as thebest place to work in the United States, based on a survey of105,000 employees at 446 companies -- has a team-based culturethat fosters creativity and commitment. Not to mention such perks asfree gourmet meals, on-site doctors, lap pools and massage chair foremployees at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. But a businessdoesn't have to be as wealthy as Google to promote employee well-being. The most important thing, experts say, is a culture thattruly values employees as individuals.
Much of our understanding about psychological health in theworkplace stems from research on stress. According to studies citedby the American Institute of Stress, a nonprofit organization basedin Yonkers, N.Y., 80 percent of U.S. workers feel stress on the job,and 1 million workers a day fail to show up because of work-relatedstress. Workplace stress contributes to ailments including neck andhand pain, insomnia and aching eyes.
"When we do public opinion survey research, the most frequentlycited source of stress is workplace stress," said Russ Newman,executive director for professional practice for the AmericanPsychological Association.
But reducing stress is just one piece of a workplace environmentthat is psychologically healthy. "People overall are trying tointegrate career success with personal life goals and values," saidDouglas LaBier, a business psychologist in Washington. "They want amanagement culture that promotes teamwork, that's transparent andopen, that has a positive workplace culture that is supportive andthat provides opportunities for ongoing learning, growth andcreative challenge."
Matthew Grawitch, interim director of the Organizational StudiesProgram at Saint Louis University who conducted the review intoworkplace satisfaction, identified five categories of practices thatcontribute to a psychologically healthy workplace:
Work-life balance. When they are encouraged to turn off theirlaptops and cellphones on the weekend or offered flex-time to bewith their kids, employees have higher job satisfaction andcommitment.
Employee growth and development. When employees are givenopportunities for training, developing new skills and applying whatthey've learned, they have reduced levels of stress and increasedmotivation.
Health and safety. Wellness programs such as smoking cessation,weight loss or stress reduction not only have direct healthbenefits, but also demonstrate to employees that the organization isconcerned about their well-being.
Recognition. Compensation and benefits are the most obvious andimportant ways to recognize employees, but activities such asemployee-of-the-month awards also raise morale and motivation.
Involvement. Encouraging employee input into decision-making andbuilding strong workplace teams enhance both employee well-being andproductivity.
At Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, which was recognized bythe APA for its psychologically healthy workplace practices,employees are surveyed regularly to get their ideas on leadership,teamwork, service and quality, and their input is translated intoaction plans. Progress is tracked and reported back to theemployees.
"They really are listening," said Kim Meadows, a three-yearemployee who helps with nurse staffing. Management takes problemsseriously, she said, and "they don't try to sweep it under the rug."For example, she and others in her office are pushing to upgradefrom paper files to a computerized system, and the hospital isresponding.
Meadows is also taking advantage of a tuition assistance planGood Samaritan offers and going back to college. "I feel successfulin what I do," she said. "I have been given great opportunitieshere. I feel I'm part of something -- not just a team, more likefamily."
Such attitudes are paying off for Good Samaritan: Staff turnoverhas dropped from nearly 30 percent to 18 percent over four years andthe vacancy rate for nurses has been cut by half, according to thehospital. Lawrence Beck, president of Good Samaritan, creditsenhanced health and safety programs for reducing the number ofworker compensation days by 20 percent.
Good communication -- top-down and bottom-up -- is anotherhallmark of a healthy workplace, Grawitch said. Freeman, where SonjaRoberts works, has also been recognized by the APA and hasinstituted a "Lunch Together" program. Four days a week, the chef atcorporate headquarters prepares a free lunch, family-style, for anyemployees (and even their guests) who want to eat together. Most ofthe 45 employees join in.
"We sit down and talk about work, but more times than not, aboutpersonal stuff, things we've read in the news or that are going onin our families," said Roberts, an executive assistant who hasworked at Freeman for six years. "It's a great way to bond with yourco-workers and experience them on a different level."
Roberts also appreciates that her employer honors a balancedlifestyle. "If I ever need to go on a school field trip for mydaughter, there's never any kind of push-back," she said. "You don'tfeel pressured or stressed." Other employees take time off duringthe workday to exercise, and they can adjust their time accordingly,she added.
More important than any particular practice, said LaBier, is theculture and philosophy of the organization and how it supports -- or undermines -- individual health, well-being and creativity. Heidentifies three obstacles to achieving a healthy workplace. "One isabusive management or a bullying culture, or, to a lesser extreme, anon-supportive, manipulative, game-playing management culture," hesaid. "The second one is boredom, which is rampant in many workplacecultures. This comes from a mismatch from what the person is doingand what they're able to do. The third big problem is relationshipconflicts and office politics."
When management doesn't address these problems, he said,recognition plaques and yoga classes aren't going to cut it.
Rosen, whose company has interviewed the chief executives of 300large corporations in 40 countries, said that creatingpsychologically healthy environments is a "major movement" inbusiness that has been building for 30 years.
"The smartest CEOs are the ones who understand that by creating apsychologically healthy environment, they come up with better ideas,they service their customers better and they make more money, plainand simple," he said.
For more information, visit the American PsychologicalAssociation's workplace health Web site, www.phwa.org, LaBier'sCenter for Adult Development, www.adultdev.org, and HealthyCompanies International, www.healthycompanies.com.
Beth Baker is a frequent contributor to the Health section andthe author of "Old Age in a New Age -- The Promise ofTransformative Nursing Homes" (Vanderbilt University Press).Comments: health@washpost.com.
Pass the Pasta, Please, and Hold the Stress; Some Companies Boost Their Bottom Line by Putting Workers at the Top of the Priority List
Create a happy, healthy work environment for your employees, andthey will be happier, healthier -- and more productive.
That's the economic calculation underpinning the surge ofwellness and other employee programs in companies around the UnitedStates.
"Organizations are communities of people," said Robert Rosen,chief executive of Healthy Companies International, an Arlington-based management consulting firm, "and if these people are healthypsychologically and physically, if they're committed and engaged inthe organization, if they believe in the mission of the company, ifthey work in an environment where they're challenged and inspiredand where the people are valued, the business will be reasonablyhealthy."
The happy-worker-equals-healthy-company model seems to be payingoff. A 15-year review of literature from the fields of psychology,business, medicine, public health, sociology and economics suggestsa link between job satisfaction and lower absenteeism, lowerturnover and higher performance. Workplaces with employeeinvolvement programs, such as self-managed work teams, demonstrate a2 to 5 percent increase in productivity. Those with health-promotion programs showed an average of $3.50 savings for everydollar spent, as measured by reduced absenteeism and health-carecosts. Others with healthy workplace practices report significantreductions in on-the-job injuries and in work-related stress levels.
And employees appreciate that. "They let you know you'reimportant, and they value your commitment," said Sonja Roberts ofher employers, Carl M. Freeman Cos., a developer based in Olney."They're very open to changes in life and work. They care about yougetting your work done, but they also care about you as a person --and that's real important."
Google -- ranked number one by Fortune magazine in 2007 as thebest place to work in the United States, based on a survey of105,000 employees at 446 companies -- has a team-based culturethat fosters creativity and commitment. Not to mention such perks asfree gourmet meals, on-site doctors, lap pools and massage chair foremployees at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. But a businessdoesn't have to be as wealthy as Google to promote employee well-being. The most important thing, experts say, is a culture thattruly values employees as individuals.
Much of our understanding about psychological health in theworkplace stems from research on stress. According to studies citedby the American Institute of Stress, a nonprofit organization basedin Yonkers, N.Y., 80 percent of U.S. workers feel stress on the job,and 1 million workers a day fail to show up because of work-relatedstress. Workplace stress contributes to ailments including neck andhand pain, insomnia and aching eyes.
"When we do public opinion survey research, the most frequentlycited source of stress is workplace stress," said Russ Newman,executive director for professional practice for the AmericanPsychological Association.
But reducing stress is just one piece of a workplace environmentthat is psychologically healthy. "People overall are trying tointegrate career success with personal life goals and values," saidDouglas LaBier, a business psychologist in Washington. "They want amanagement culture that promotes teamwork, that's transparent andopen, that has a positive workplace culture that is supportive andthat provides opportunities for ongoing learning, growth andcreative challenge."
Matthew Grawitch, interim director of the Organizational StudiesProgram at Saint Louis University who conducted the review intoworkplace satisfaction, identified five categories of practices thatcontribute to a psychologically healthy workplace:
Work-life balance. When they are encouraged to turn off theirlaptops and cellphones on the weekend or offered flex-time to bewith their kids, employees have higher job satisfaction andcommitment.
Employee growth and development. When employees are givenopportunities for training, developing new skills and applying whatthey've learned, they have reduced levels of stress and increasedmotivation.
Health and safety. Wellness programs such as smoking cessation,weight loss or stress reduction not only have direct healthbenefits, but also demonstrate to employees that the organization isconcerned about their well-being.
Recognition. Compensation and benefits are the most obvious andimportant ways to recognize employees, but activities such asemployee-of-the-month awards also raise morale and motivation.
Involvement. Encouraging employee input into decision-making andbuilding strong workplace teams enhance both employee well-being andproductivity.
At Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, which was recognized bythe APA for its psychologically healthy workplace practices,employees are surveyed regularly to get their ideas on leadership,teamwork, service and quality, and their input is translated intoaction plans. Progress is tracked and reported back to theemployees.
"They really are listening," said Kim Meadows, a three-yearemployee who helps with nurse staffing. Management takes problemsseriously, she said, and "they don't try to sweep it under the rug."For example, she and others in her office are pushing to upgradefrom paper files to a computerized system, and the hospital isresponding.
Meadows is also taking advantage of a tuition assistance planGood Samaritan offers and going back to college. "I feel successfulin what I do," she said. "I have been given great opportunitieshere. I feel I'm part of something -- not just a team, more likefamily."
Such attitudes are paying off for Good Samaritan: Staff turnoverhas dropped from nearly 30 percent to 18 percent over four years andthe vacancy rate for nurses has been cut by half, according to thehospital. Lawrence Beck, president of Good Samaritan, creditsenhanced health and safety programs for reducing the number ofworker compensation days by 20 percent.
Good communication -- top-down and bottom-up -- is anotherhallmark of a healthy workplace, Grawitch said. Freeman, where SonjaRoberts works, has also been recognized by the APA and hasinstituted a "Lunch Together" program. Four days a week, the chef atcorporate headquarters prepares a free lunch, family-style, for anyemployees (and even their guests) who want to eat together. Most ofthe 45 employees join in.
"We sit down and talk about work, but more times than not, aboutpersonal stuff, things we've read in the news or that are going onin our families," said Roberts, an executive assistant who hasworked at Freeman for six years. "It's a great way to bond with yourco-workers and experience them on a different level."
Roberts also appreciates that her employer honors a balancedlifestyle. "If I ever need to go on a school field trip for mydaughter, there's never any kind of push-back," she said. "You don'tfeel pressured or stressed." Other employees take time off duringthe workday to exercise, and they can adjust their time accordingly,she added.
More important than any particular practice, said LaBier, is theculture and philosophy of the organization and how it supports -- or undermines -- individual health, well-being and creativity. Heidentifies three obstacles to achieving a healthy workplace. "One isabusive management or a bullying culture, or, to a lesser extreme, anon-supportive, manipulative, game-playing management culture," hesaid. "The second one is boredom, which is rampant in many workplacecultures. This comes from a mismatch from what the person is doingand what they're able to do. The third big problem is relationshipconflicts and office politics."
When management doesn't address these problems, he said,recognition plaques and yoga classes aren't going to cut it.
Rosen, whose company has interviewed the chief executives of 300large corporations in 40 countries, said that creatingpsychologically healthy environments is a "major movement" inbusiness that has been building for 30 years.
"The smartest CEOs are the ones who understand that by creating apsychologically healthy environment, they come up with better ideas,they service their customers better and they make more money, plainand simple," he said.
For more information, visit the American PsychologicalAssociation's workplace health Web site, www.phwa.org, LaBier'sCenter for Adult Development, www.adultdev.org, and HealthyCompanies International, www.healthycompanies.com.
Beth Baker is a frequent contributor to the Health section andthe author of "Old Age in a New Age -- The Promise ofTransformative Nursing Homes" (Vanderbilt University Press).Comments: health@washpost.com.
Pass the Pasta, Please, and Hold the Stress; Some Companies Boost Their Bottom Line by Putting Workers at the Top of the Priority List
Create a happy, healthy work environment for your employees, andthey will be happier, healthier -- and more productive.
That's the economic calculation underpinning the surge ofwellness and other employee programs in companies around the UnitedStates.
"Organizations are communities of people," said Robert Rosen,chief executive of Healthy Companies International, an Arlington-based management consulting firm, "and if these people are healthypsychologically and physically, if they're committed and engaged inthe organization, if they believe in the mission of the company, ifthey work in an environment where they're challenged and inspiredand where the people are valued, the business will be reasonablyhealthy."
The happy-worker-equals-healthy-company model seems to be payingoff. A 15-year review of literature from the fields of psychology,business, medicine, public health, sociology and economics suggestsa link between job satisfaction and lower absenteeism, lowerturnover and higher performance. Workplaces with employeeinvolvement programs, such as self-managed work teams, demonstrate a2 to 5 percent increase in productivity. Those with health-promotion programs showed an average of $3.50 savings for everydollar spent, as measured by reduced absenteeism and health-carecosts. Others with healthy workplace practices report significantreductions in on-the-job injuries and in work-related stress levels.
And employees appreciate that. "They let you know you'reimportant, and they value your commitment," said Sonja Roberts ofher employers, Carl M. Freeman Cos., a developer based in Olney."They're very open to changes in life and work. They care about yougetting your work done, but they also care about you as a person --and that's real important."
Google -- ranked number one by Fortune magazine in 2007 as thebest place to work in the United States, based on a survey of105,000 employees at 446 companies -- has a team-based culturethat fosters creativity and commitment. Not to mention such perks asfree gourmet meals, on-site doctors, lap pools and massage chair foremployees at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. But a businessdoesn't have to be as wealthy as Google to promote employee well-being. The most important thing, experts say, is a culture thattruly values employees as individuals.
Much of our understanding about psychological health in theworkplace stems from research on stress. According to studies citedby the American Institute of Stress, a nonprofit organization basedin Yonkers, N.Y., 80 percent of U.S. workers feel stress on the job,and 1 million workers a day fail to show up because of work-relatedstress. Workplace stress contributes to ailments including neck andhand pain, insomnia and aching eyes.
"When we do public opinion survey research, the most frequentlycited source of stress is workplace stress," said Russ Newman,executive director for professional practice for the AmericanPsychological Association.
But reducing stress is just one piece of a workplace environmentthat is psychologically healthy. "People overall are trying tointegrate career success with personal life goals and values," saidDouglas LaBier, a business psychologist in Washington. "They want amanagement culture that promotes teamwork, that's transparent andopen, that has a positive workplace culture that is supportive andthat provides opportunities for ongoing learning, growth andcreative challenge."
Matthew Grawitch, interim director of the Organizational StudiesProgram at Saint Louis University who conducted the review intoworkplace satisfaction, identified five categories of practices thatcontribute to a psychologically healthy workplace:
Work-life balance. When they are encouraged to turn off theirlaptops and cellphones on the weekend or offered flex-time to bewith their kids, employees have higher job satisfaction andcommitment.
Employee growth and development. When employees are givenopportunities for training, developing new skills and applying whatthey've learned, they have reduced levels of stress and increasedmotivation.
Health and safety. Wellness programs such as smoking cessation,weight loss or stress reduction not only have direct healthbenefits, but also demonstrate to employees that the organization isconcerned about their well-being.
Recognition. Compensation and benefits are the most obvious andimportant ways to recognize employees, but activities such asemployee-of-the-month awards also raise morale and motivation.
Involvement. Encouraging employee input into decision-making andbuilding strong workplace teams enhance both employee well-being andproductivity.
At Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, which was recognized bythe APA for its psychologically healthy workplace practices,employees are surveyed regularly to get their ideas on leadership,teamwork, service and quality, and their input is translated intoaction plans. Progress is tracked and reported back to theemployees.
"They really are listening," said Kim Meadows, a three-yearemployee who helps with nurse staffing. Management takes problemsseriously, she said, and "they don't try to sweep it under the rug."For example, she and others in her office are pushing to upgradefrom paper files to a computerized system, and the hospital isresponding.
Meadows is also taking advantage of a tuition assistance planGood Samaritan offers and going back to college. "I feel successfulin what I do," she said. "I have been given great opportunitieshere. I feel I'm part of something -- not just a team, more likefamily."
Such attitudes are paying off for Good Samaritan: Staff turnoverhas dropped from nearly 30 percent to 18 percent over four years andthe vacancy rate for nurses has been cut by half, according to thehospital. Lawrence Beck, president of Good Samaritan, creditsenhanced health and safety programs for reducing the number ofworker compensation days by 20 percent.
Good communication -- top-down and bottom-up -- is anotherhallmark of a healthy workplace, Grawitch said. Freeman, where SonjaRoberts works, has also been recognized by the APA and hasinstituted a "Lunch Together" program. Four days a week, the chef atcorporate headquarters prepares a free lunch, family-style, for anyemployees (and even their guests) who want to eat together. Most ofthe 45 employees join in.
"We sit down and talk about work, but more times than not, aboutpersonal stuff, things we've read in the news or that are going onin our families," said Roberts, an executive assistant who hasworked at Freeman for six years. "It's a great way to bond with yourco-workers and experience them on a different level."
Roberts also appreciates that her employer honors a balancedlifestyle. "If I ever need to go on a school field trip for mydaughter, there's never any kind of push-back," she said. "You don'tfeel pressured or stressed." Other employees take time off duringthe workday to exercise, and they can adjust their time accordingly,she added.
More important than any particular practice, said LaBier, is theculture and philosophy of the organization and how it supports -- or undermines -- individual health, well-being and creativity. Heidentifies three obstacles to achieving a healthy workplace. "One isabusive management or a bullying culture, or, to a lesser extreme, anon-supportive, manipulative, game-playing management culture," hesaid. "The second one is boredom, which is rampant in many workplacecultures. This comes from a mismatch from what the person is doingand what they're able to do. The third big problem is relationshipconflicts and office politics."
When management doesn't address these problems, he said,recognition plaques and yoga classes aren't going to cut it.
Rosen, whose company has interviewed the chief executives of 300large corporations in 40 countries, said that creatingpsychologically healthy environments is a "major movement" inbusiness that has been building for 30 years.
"The smartest CEOs are the ones who understand that by creating apsychologically healthy environment, they come up with better ideas,they service their customers better and they make more money, plainand simple," he said.
For more information, visit the American PsychologicalAssociation's workplace health Web site, www.phwa.org, LaBier'sCenter for Adult Development, www.adultdev.org, and HealthyCompanies International, www.healthycompanies.com.
Beth Baker is a frequent contributor to the Health section andthe author of "Old Age in a New Age -- The Promise ofTransformative Nursing Homes" (Vanderbilt University Press).Comments: health@washpost.com.
