3 Antidotes to an Unhealthy Work Environment

Hello Leaders, welcome to the conversation.

In this article we are going to cover a few ideas and leave you with at least 3 practical activities to implement into your business and one Principle to ponder and reflect on.

-??????? The mindset of creating work environment that fosters mental health

-??????? The risks of not having a healthy work environment

-??????? 3 actions to take that bolster a healthy, thriving workplace

-??????? A look at Timeless Business Principle #5

-??????? Peer Boards scheduled this month that you can attend

Let’s open the conversation.

Unpopular Opinion: Corporates are spending too much time, money, and energy on "wellness" programs that don’t really have any impact.

“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.” – Johnny Carson

So, how do we contribute meaningfully to building a healthy work environment, and what does it look like? Well, it’s not about "Pizza Fridays," that’s for sure.

When I chat with business owners, a topic of conversation that often comes up as a challenge is the one they have with the people in the organization. Staff seem demotivated or generally not doing what they are supposed to do, even when the company is doing a lot of ‘wellness’ initiatives to make people happy.

When you dig a bit deeper, it can almost seem dysfunctional.

If we can agree that a dysfunctional household can lead to problem children, then surely, we can recognize that a workplace that is dysfunctional has just as much impact on our personal and business success.

Raising the awareness and standard of ‘wellness’ in the workplace is actually good for business.

Employees who feel respected, safe, and mentally healthy perform higher, are more satisfied with their jobs, and are substantially less likely to resign than those who feel undervalued, stressed, or burned out. I dare say, people are more likely to be proactive when they are in a ‘good space’.

And mental health, like physical health, is a daily habit. Pizza Fridays once a month might fill the belly, but they don’t fill the cup of well-being. There must be a regular practice and a standard of behaviour towards building a healthy work environment, just like you have to work out regularly to stay fit.

Even though jobs are scarce in South Africa now, people are realizing that they are worth more than the pay check, and most are looking for more value from their time. People are craving a greater sense of purpose with a longing for something they love. In an unhealthy work environment, you’ll get one of two results:

1. They will hold on to a job for dear life, despite being uncomfortable. It will be like staying in a bad romance – there’s no love and respect anymore, and the dishes get washed begrudgingly and haphazardly. Like washing your own plate but not your partner’s?!

Statistics show that a large proportion of people are actively disengaged at work and contributing the bare minimum required.

1. People who feel hurt or unhappy with their current employer will still be willing to look for a job somewhere else even though the pickings are scarce. It may be with the competition, taking your institutional knowledge with them. Well, the elections have just shown us this is a real thing!

It’s a problem.

While there is no universal answer as to what makes a work environment ‘healthy’, there are some common practices and behaviours that most thriving company cultures have in common because smart business owners have infused the practices throughout their strategic vision:

• Alignment of Common Goals
• Collaboration and Team Mindedness
• Commitment to Excellence
• Opportunity for Advancement and Development
• Recognition of Achievements and Accomplishments
• Respectful and Forthcoming Communications
• Hiring for Cultural Alignment

If you want to know what the magic pill might be, sorry, there isn’t one. Instead, it may be a regimen of “probiotics”. Identifying where you might be falling short in your own workplace wellness initiatives is the first step to building an environment in which your people thrive.

One of the best ways to do that is to really hear what your team has to say.

Get your stethoscope out and schedule one-on-ones with as many employees as reasonably possible and ask them the hard questions. Or you might consider creating an anonymous survey. Either way, let them know that you are there to listen and not to judge or defend. Consider asking them:

• What do you like about your job and work environment?
• What don’t you like?
• On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate our company culture?
• If you were the boss, what would you do differently?
• How can we do better and be better?
• What do we need to stop, start, or continue?

There will be outliers, but likely, you will notice some recurring themes, so pay special attention to those. Build a spreadsheet with the good, the bad, and the ugly insight you garnered from your team. Include a separate column consisting of issues and ideas you believe are worthy of action. That is your starting point for the real work of building a healthy, content, and productive environment.

“Ag, but people are just going to complain about not having enough money.”

Yes, most likely, wouldn’t you?

“Ja, but there’s always someone who’s going to be unhappy.”

Yes, might be true again. There is the 10% haters rule.

“If it’s anonymous, people will say whatever they want.”

Correct again, the level of ‘hate’ you’re expecting might be equal to the level of distrust you have of your people.

While surveys might shine a light on specific things that are wrong, it’s the general sense of what’s happening that is the most important thing to identify. You will learn a great deal from these conversations. Remember that wellness in the workplace starts at the top – and that means you as the business owner.

Here are 3 Antidotes to an Unhealthy Work Environment:

Once you’ve established a sample of specific irritations to fix, here are three smart actions you can take as the business owner to bolster your company culture and build a healthy, thriving workplace. Let’s call these the ‘Broad Spectrum Antibiotics’.

1. Regularly Express Gratitude & Appreciation. Encouraging engagement can substantially improve a sense of wellness, performance, and productivity. More than just reward systems, be sure to regularly offer verbal acknowledgment.
2. Establish a Trusting, Caring & Safe Environment. Check in with your employees on a regular basis. Show your team that you have a sincere interest in their health and happiness, both at work and at home.
3. Create Opportunities for Growth. Employee and leadership development initiatives show your team that you are invested in their personal long-term success. Consider creating or joining mentorship programs or other learning and growth opportunities.

In Summary: Wellness in the workplace is a core value we should strive towards. We’re creating better people, better workplaces, and by extension a better South Africa. And when it is a core value, it should show up in our daily behaviour, not as periodic events. I’ll leave you with this thought:

“Work is love made visible.” – Kahlil Gibran

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Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses

Principle Five: If You’re the Smartest Person in the Room, Maybe You’re In the Wrong Room

My favourite passage from this chapter of the book is;

“As a business owner, you are in the unique position of being both player and manager. You must be involved in the day-to-day operations, applying your energies and passion to serving your customers while ensuring employees remain productive. But in order to safeguard your business you must plan for the long-term and consider what it will take for your company to survive and thrive beyond tomorrow”

It reminds me of a conversation at a recent Peer Board one business owner was struggling with the idea of bringing in new talent to grow his business. The advice he got was “let it go, to let it grow” and it resonated so well. Sometimes we’re so used to making all the decisions and having complete control over our business that it’s hard to make the shift to managing the results of others.

This idea reinforces this quote for me;

“Decisions don’t happen in a vacuum; the best ones rarely come from deep pondering in isolation. They happen when people learn from and draw on the experiences of others.” —Harvard Business Review, Beyond the Echo Chamber

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PS.

I’ve added another feather in my cap and recently got certified as a StratPro Facilitator. This Strategic Business Transformation program beautifully ties up my knowledge and presents it through a unique process.

If your business feels stagnant and it’s time to change, lets discuss how we can bring the team into alignment towards a shared vision and goals.

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PSS.

I have a Peer Advisory Board on the 26th June. If you’d like to take part, lets have coffee to discuss how you might get value from it.

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If you liked this newsletter, please like, share, and comment.

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If you want to learn more about hosting a workshop on this topic or simply have a conversation over coffee about it, feel free to send me a message. You can send me @colin Carmody a DM, contact me via [email protected] or call +27 78-804-2347

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Coach Colin at the Alternative Board

Coach. Facilitator. Change Agent.

Live Better. Lead Better. Grow more.

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