are happy employees safe employees? rick spencer leadership team member omega health systems...
TRANSCRIPT
Are happy employees safe employees?
Rick Spencer
Leadership Team Member
Omega Health Systems
Thousand Oaks, CA USA
Agenda
• What do happy employees look like?
• Are happy employees safer?
• How can we increase the amount of happy
employees in the workplace?
• Strategies and Case Studies of results achieved
via management standards
Happiness
Pleasure
Joy
Contentment VS. Misery
Delight
Satisfaction
What does happiness in the workplace look
like?
Employee Engagement
Engagement occurs when employees are:
(1)fully present and physically committed;
(2)emotionally energized and forming meaningful connections to customers
and co-workers;
(3)believing their work has value; and
(4)truly focused on their task and their role.
Engagement has been linked to customer satisfaction, employee retention,
productivity and bottom-line profitability ... and, yes, sustaining a culture of
safety excellence.
Gallup Research
Data provided by Gallup Inc.
Are happy employees safer employees?
This sounds like it may take a lot of
effort. Can’t I just use the rubber bands and
paper clips?
HSE Management Standard Approach
The Management Standards approach has been developed by
HSE to help reduce the levels of work-related stress reported by
British workers.
The overall aim is to bring about a reduction in the number of
employees who go off sick, or who cannot perform well at work
because of stress.
The Business Case
Employee commitment to work
Staff performance and productivity
Attendance levels
Staff recruitment and retention
Customer satisfaction
Organisational image and reputation
Potential litigation
The Legal Case
The Management Standards are guidance, however, employers
already have duties:
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999: To assess the risk of stress-related ill
health arising from work activities.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974: To take
measures to control that risk.
Understanding the Management StandardsThe six areas are:
Demands: workload, work patterns, and the work environment (I have the equipment and materials to do my job right)
Control: How much say the person has in the way they do their work (At work, my opinions seem to count)
Support: encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues (In the last seven days I received recognition or praise for doing good work)
Relationships: promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour (My associates are committed to doing quality work)
Role: Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles (I know what is expected of me at work)
Change: How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation (The mission or purpose of my organization makes me fell like my job is important)
Are you absolutely sure I can’t just use rubber bands and
paper clips?
Getting Started
Gaining senior management commitment
Setting up a steering group (or other forum)
Agreeing terms of reference for the Steering group
Assigning roles and responsibilities
Setting up a Steering Group
Who should be part of the steering group:
Senior management
Employee group representative
Trade unions representative
Health & safety manager
Human resources
Occupational Health
Line management
AN Other?
Steering Group – Key Roles
Project Champion:
Represents the project at Board level
Updates the Board on progress
Ensures the project is adequately resourced
Day-to-day Champion:
Takes the role of project manager
Organises and facilitates meetings
Documents decisions to provide an audit trail
Keeps the project on schedule and on budget
Steering Group – key activities
Project naming
Project management
Planning
Resources
Marketing / communications
Monitoring progress
Approval of action plans
Generation and approval of management reports
Any others?
Steering Group - Communication
Methods of communication:
Briefing groups
Intranet
Newsletters
Notice boards
Email!!!
Individual memos and letters
Newspapers
Any others?
Steering GroupWhat users have said:
Vital to achieve 100% commitment from senior management and local management teams
The ‘steering group’ are key; individuals who are keen to make a contribution and make the project work
Steering group rules include egos left at the door!
You need a team who can be mutually supportive
Need a communication strategy, communication is vital
Planning is absolutely critical
Be pragmatic, all actions are agreed and are done.
Results
Blackpool Fylde and Wyre NHS Foundation Trust
Key successes: Almost 40 % reduction in cases of work-related stress,
sickness absence has improved by over 10%, employee grievances
reduced by 50% and disciplinary action reduced by 25%.
North Lanarkshire Council – Housing and social work services -
Social workers
Include halving sickness absence in the Services, a better
understanding of the problems that exist and improved
communication to discuss these, better internal partnerships and a
"positive and embedded health safety and wellbeing culture."
Embedding the Approach
This is about making employee engagement part of everyday
H&S management. How can this be achieved?
Reviewing existing policies & procedures based on interventions
Evaluating effectiveness of interventions on organisational
performance
Continuous improvement
Summary
Elements of the Management Standards approach can be integrated
with existing initiatives
Existing data can be used within the approach, there is no requirement
to run a new staff survey
Focus groups, or other staff consultation, are a key component of the
approach
Employer, senior and line management need to buy into the approach
and the delivery of the interventions
The Management Standards themselves need to be embedded into
every day custom and practice
