The Ingredients for a Healthy Organization.
When it comes to Healthy Organizations, it’s like whole-grain bread—you don’t really know if it’s whole-grain until you check the ingredients. Unfortunately, many organizations call themselves “healthy” when, at best, their wellness initiatives are just cosmetic: a fruit basket here, a ping-pong table there, or a running club.
Then there are the organizations truly committed to being Healthy Organizations. They’re few, but their numbers are growing—and they will continue to grow until people’s health becomes a strategic element for every organization, just as occupational risk prevention became over the last 25 years.
The challenge for these pioneering organizations, which are embedding employee health into their corporate strategy, is knowing what ingredients are needed for a truly Healthy Organization. The first steps these companies are taking aim to answer this question:
But… does people’s health depend only on their work environment?
Clearly, no. The main health problems among the working population are stress, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, and metabolic and cardiovascular issues. The difference between a healthy organization and a toxic one lies in the percentages of these health problems. But a healthy work environment does not immunize all employees from these issues, nor does working in a “toxic” organization condemn everyone exposed to it.
Employee health ultimately also depends heavily on personal health skills, habits, and motivations. A person with unhealthy habits or lacking personal health skills will likely experience health problems, even if they work in the best of healthy organizations.
At HEWEGO, we want to help organizations—and the people within them—shift the focus to create truly Healthy Organizations.
At HEWEGO, we believe the answer is yes. Promoting healthy work environments is essential, but it’s not enough if we truly want to improve people’s health and well-being effectively. An organization that makes it a strategic goal to help people develop their personal health skills will achieve meaningful and efficient improvements in both the health of its employees and, of course, the organization itself.
Thus, a truly Healthy Organization must include two key ingredients:
Working conditions that support people’s health and well-being.
The development of people’s personal health skills.
