July 12, 2010
With Britain having the longest working hours in the EU, and the link between long hours and ill-health firmly established, we need to ensure that as many people as possible have access to better ways of working in the future.
Rather than working longer hours we should be working more flexible hours – and reaping the rewards of the productivity and efficiency gains this can bring. And as technology increasingly allows many of us to work away from the office – why not? That’s why I’m glad to hear that organisations that support flexible working are receiving the recognition they deserve. The Working Families charity has launched the ‘Top Employers for Working Families award’ for organisations that encourage flexible working, paternity leave, carer provision, emergency childcare and other innovative type of policies. As 40% of the workforce have responsibilities for dependents (children, elder parents, etc.), the importance of these initiatives should not be underestimated.
I also think this approach can and should be adopted even more broadly. The evidence from the government’s Foresight report on ‘mental capital and wellbeing’ indicated that because of the benefits to the health and efficiency of individuals it is cost-effective for the ‘right to request’ flexible working to be open to all, rather than just those with children. By providing their support, employers can promote greater work-life balance, which in turn enhances the productivity and health of UK Plc. Our productivity as a country, both now and in the future, depends on our ability to ensure better balance in life by working smarter and not longer.
If your organisation would like to enter the award scheme you can contact Working Families via the link below, the closing date is the 16th July. If you win the award it could do wonders for your employer brand and, in turn, your employees will benefit.
http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/
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employee engagement, health, Productivity, reward and recognition | Tagged: employers attitude to flexible working, Flexible Working, flexible working initiatives, mental capital and wellbeing, productivity adn flexible working, rewards of productivity and efficiency, The Working Families charity, Top Employers for Working Families award, work-life balance, working longer | 
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Posted by Cary Cooper
June 29, 2010
I recently read a short article about a new role that has been created at Elmbridge Borough Council in a bid to reduce the number of days lost to sickness absence – that of the ‘well-being officer’. The job description, although apparently not yet set in stone, will require the officer to tell workers to go for walks, take breaks, to generally provide a ‘calming vibe’ and make sure workers are happy in their jobs…..
Now, on the face of it, I can already hear a lot of you scoffing at this ‘non-job’, something which I believe was the intention of the article’s author. The salary ranges up to a healthy £35K per annum, too, by the way. But looking a bit closer, it’s not as ludicrous as some might think. The article suggested that the role would centre around reminding people to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce their chocolate intake – a ‘well-being champion’ if you will. However, closer inspection of the Council’s website reveals that the job is plainly advertised as a Health and Safety and Well-Being Adviser, which, as we all know, is a common role – requiring the NEBOSH diploma and IOSH membership. The adviser will be expected to “manage health & safety issues, raise the awareness of our managers and staff, develop our risk assessment activities, policies and procedures and co-ordinate the health & safety training programme”. So what we have here is a reframing or updating of a familiar role – is that a bad thing?
Certainly from my perspective it is a very important role in any organisation – and I’m sure the members of my University spin-off company’s Business Well-Being Network would agree because many of them hold similar roles. If designed and properly implemented in an integrated manner, the role can actually act as a lynchpin for an organisation’s overall well-being strategy. The best organisations I’ve come across take such roles seriously and those employed in them are empowered to make change happen across the board. By ensuring that well-being activities are co-ordinated and that all employees are aware of them, well-being professionals help organisations to realise the business, group and individual level benefits that investment in this area brings. I say long live the well-being adviser!
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/831374-35-000-job-to-say-drink-some-tea
1 Comment | health, job satisfaction, Productivity, Well-being | Tagged: Business Well-Being Network, chocolate, Elmbridge Borough Council, health and safety, healthy lifestyle, IOSH, NEBOSH, risk assessment, training programme, university, well-being officer, well-being professionals, well-being strategy | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
June 18, 2010
After 7 hours of testimony at a House Committee yesterday, Tony Hayward looked drained and gaunt – like he’d reached the outer limits of his ability to cope. This was a 21st Century witch-hunt, whose purpose was to punish BP rather than to collaboratively come up with solutions to stopping the leak and minimising the environmental damage. The spectacle of the committee in Washington yesterday brought to mind the Salem witch trials and I was shocked at the personal venom displayed by the representatives in the name of ‘discovering the truth’.
But you don’t discover the truth by haranguing an individual to the point of exhaustion. It is not in the interest of BP to keep the leak spewing oil, so this Committee were politically posturing because they felt they needed to be seen to name, blame and shame. The feelings of Mr Hayward as an individual were irrelevant – this unfortunately highlighted a dark side of human beings when events aren’t in their control. It was very noticeable that one representative made this point and in doing so actually supported the CEO of BP, but after a recession he apologised for these ‘inappropriate’ comments and towed the party line again.
This happens in the workplace all the time – when a crisis event or circumstance arises that individuals feel they have no control over they tend to want to blame somebody, to project their frustrations outward. But does this solve problems? Not really. Indeed, it tends to create additional problems as in this case where we are now reaching a political hiatus in US-UK relations, particularly at a time when the UK has put its proverbial ‘neck on the line’ for the US in Afghanistan.
The committee’s treatment of Tony Hayward is regrettable. We seem to have very short term memories in relation to the results of putting excessive pressure on people who find themselves in the firing line. It’s not so long ago that this happened in relation to David Kelly over WMD in Iraq. Yes, naming and shaming might make politicians and the media feel better, but it doesn’t resolve problems and can damage individuals and institutions alike. In the workplace, it’s important to keep this in mind, particularly as we are entering difficult economic times, where naming and blaming when things go wrong and the going gets tough is all too easy an option to take.
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Posted by Cary Cooper
May 26, 2010
What’s your incentive for choosing a healthy lifestyle?
NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) is putting forward a new initiative to encourage healthier lifestyles – using financial incentives to change behaviour. Rewards are set to include groceries for quitting smoking, sports tickets for participating in healthy activities and shopping vouchers for staying drug-free. Already, several NHS Trusts have started their own schemes – for example Tayside in Scotland are offering weekly grocery vouchers of £12.50 to pregnant women if they haven’t smoked that week.
Opinions vary on whether this is a worthwhile initiative. In support, you might argue that people respond to incentives and anything that encourages people to adopt a healthier lifestyle is a good idea. In contrast, you consider this to be bribing people to do something that should already do, or even encouragement for people to start smoking a few cigarettes in order to qualify for the scheme. Critics argue that public money should not be spent in this way – pregnant women should give up smoking for the sake of their unborn children rather than for financial gain.
As with most initiatives, the evaluation process is going to be critical in determining whether it is successful and sustainable. The Tayside scheme was seen as a success by the NHS because of the 450 women that have taken part, half had given up smoking a month after enrolling and one-fifth (21%) had still quit after a year. This is twice the success rate of standard stop smoking services.
To answer the sceptics, the evaluation research will need to be broader than measuring drop-out rates for participants. The cost-benefits for large numbers of people becoming more active and giving up smoking will be reflected in personal health implications and the subsequent effects on NHS services. Long term savings can be made by reducing levels of obesity and smoking, for example parents who stop smoking will be healthier themselves, and will also reduce their children’s chances of developing asthma. Only when measuring these wider outcomes can the initiative properly be assessed on whether it is successful, sustainable and value for money.
Of course in an ideal world, everyone would make healthy lifestyle choices without the need for financial incentives. However, this is frequently not the case. So realistically, the use of incentives may need to be part of the longer-term solution by embedding healthier behaviours. If these in turn become the ‘norm’ we could quite quickly see sustained and broader improvements in the overall health of large numbers of people.
Leave a Comment » | citizenship, Community, economy, Guest Blog Spots, health, NHS, Well-being | Tagged: children, cigarettes, drop-out rates, embedding, evaluation, healthier behaviours, healthier lifestyles, improvements, incentives, initiatives, long term savings, National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, NHS, NHS Trusts, NICE, obesity, pregnant, quit, scheme, Scotland, smoking, smoking related illness, sports tickets, successful, sustainable, Tayside, vouchers | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
May 21, 2010
A recent study of 6,000 UK civil servants in the European Heart Journal has again shown a direct link between long overtime hours and levels of heart disease. This relationship between long working hours and health risks is a well-documented area, and one in which I have been personally interested in for many years. The particularly interesting thing about this new research is the use of the word ‘overtime’.
Previous studies, including the ones that I have been involved in, have looked at how the length of working days is linked to a number of health risks, both physical and psychological in nature. These studies show how important work-life balance can be for reducing stress and hence improving health. However one sticking point is the differences that exist between countries.
The UK has some of the highest levels of heart disease in the world, and yet the average working hours in the UK are not nearly as high as some other countries – particularly developed countries in Eastern and Southern Asia. Countries such as Japan and Hong Kong regularly top working hours charts, but they also have some of the lowest levels of heart disease in the world.
Obviously there will be mediating factors that have an impact here. For example, it’s no secret that levels of smoking and drinking are lower in developed parts of Asia than they are in Europe and the USA, plus there are other lifestyle factors such as diet that will also have an effect. However, I would like to see more research into how overtime in particular, and not simply the length of working day, is related to heart disease.
I say this because expectation may play a part in this relationship. Although working hours in Japan and Hong Kong may seem excessive to many in the West, they are simply part of a long working hours culture that has existed for decades in that part of the world. Therefore workers in Japan and Hong Kong may not be as stressed by the long hours, simply because they expect them and are used to them.
Contrast this with the UK, where working hours seem to be increasing year-on-year. Where once a more laid-back culture existed, nowadays people are expected to work for longer, and this often includes working overtime. The UK lifestyle has dramatically changed over the last few decades. Perhaps UK workers feel aggrieved when they have to work overtime, and as a result become more stressed about it?
Now, I’m not saying that we should all just ‘expect’ long hours at work and live with it! But I think there is an interesting point here. Employers need to manage expectations about what the job entails and those responsible for job design need to take this into account. It is also important that we actively manage our own expectations – taking responsibility for finding out what a particular job or career entails and if it’s right for you could save a lot of (possibly literal!) heartache further down the line.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8674372.stm
1 Comment | health, Stress, Well-being | Tagged: career, civil servants, culture, diet, drinking, European Heart Journal, expectation, health risks, heart disease, Hong Kong, Japan, job design, manage expectations, overtime, research, smoking, Stress, UK, USA, working hours | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
May 6, 2010
So election day finally came! The talking is done – the nation processed it all and each individual has cast his or her vote (or not!).
How must the party leaders have been feeling on the day? It must have been like going back to school at exam time for them – did they put enough work in over the last month? Will they get the result they’ve been striving for and move on to the next stage in their careers? But just like at the end of a school test – ‘time’s up’ and there’s nothing any of them can do to change the result now.
Like many students who ‘cram’ all night before an exam because they’re determined to succeed, all of the candidates have been putting in the hours leading up to election day. While work-life balance is always important I think this kind of intensity is ok in special circumstances – it’s a once in a lifetime moment for all of them and they have to make every second count. The key, though, is respite – the research shows that the best results come from short bursts of intense effort followed by a period of rest and recovery.
Of course, at least one of them will be able to get as much respite as they want or need after today. By stark contrast another will become Prime Minister and may find rest and relaxation very hard to come by in the coming years!
David Cameron, for example, has almost certainly had no more than a couple of hours sleep over the last two nights – and certainly won’t be getting any more tonight. Maybe we should consider having a 24 hour cooling off period after results are announced so all candidates can recover and process the results before the post-mortems and trying to form a government begin in earnest? It’s been an intense election this time round – but the next stage is governing the country and we need the winner(s) to be on good form for that!!
1 Comment | health, Personal Resilience, pressure, Stress, Uncategorized, Well-being | Tagged: candidates, cooling off period, David Cameron, election, exam, government, nation, once in a lifetime, party leaders, Prime Minister, respite, school, sleep, students, winner | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
May 4, 2010
The ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’, or the ‘fit note’ as it is affectionately known, came into effect on 6 April, as introduced in my previous blog dated 18 February. One month on, what impact has it had so far?
Few people would argue that sickness absence costs employers financially. It also costs other employees, who may face an increased workload as they cover for absent colleagues. When the same person is off work for several weeks or months, then the costs to employers and employees are exacerbated. In addition to the primary illness, there can be other secondary effects for the individual concerned. For example, not working may lead to lower self esteem – which will have a negative impact on overall psychological well-being.
To help address longer-term sickness absence, the ‘fit note’ was introduced to support people to return to work as quickly as possible. Have you encountered any situations where the ‘fit note’ has helped or hindered employers or employees? For example, has the ‘fit note’ helped someone you know with a fractured wrist return to work whilst in plaster, to perform amended duties, when they might otherwise have been signed off from work if the old ‘sick note’ system was still in place? Similarly, has anyone you know been offered more flexible working hours or phased their return to work following illness – and benefitted from doing so? Or, do you think that someone you know has already misused the system and been able to ‘cherry pick’ the duties and responsibilities that suit them, leaving other colleagues to cover the more arduous tasks? Finally, are you a GP who has had to write these notes and, if so, how is the new system affecting you?
Real-case examples will be vital to evaluating the success of the system for everyone involved, and I look forward to hearing your experiences.
For more information about the ‘fit note’ you can read the following:
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2584.aspx
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_184645
5 Comments | Absenteeism, change management, employee engagement, health, Uncategorized, Well-being | Tagged: duties, employee, employer, fit note, GP, physical health, psychological well-being, responsibilities, return to work, Sickness Absence, Statement of Fitness to Work | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
April 8, 2010
I’ve just been reading a fun piece of research that links the intensity of smiles in photographs with living longer. Quite a claim, but sure enough the results of the study are in line with the existing research showing the positive relationship between positive emotions, mental health, physical health and longevity. The research also taught me about the different types of smiles we are capable of – for example, the intense, “Duchenne” smile where both cheeks are raised, the corners of the mouth are raised and crow’s feet can be seen around the eyes.
Interesting stuff – and it set me wondering whether a subsequent piece of research could be conducted to explore whether actually practicing the Duchenne smile can improve psychological and physical well-being. If so, can this be ‘taught’ and should it form part of resilience training and stress management programmes? Would delegates take such a move seriously? Either way, after reading the research, I guarantee that the next photo you look at, you’ll be analysing the smiles!
The full research article can be found here:
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/02/26/0956797610363775.full
1 Comment | health, Stress, Well-being | Tagged: Duchenne smile, mental health, physical health, positive emotions, research, resilience training, smiles, stress management | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 18, 2010
Starting in April this year the traditional ‘sick note’ is to be replaced by a new system which will see GPs completing a ‘fit note’ instead. Under the new arrangement GPs must decide whether a patient is ‘not fit for work’ or ‘fit for some work’. If the GP selects the latter, they must then choose from a list of four actions to assist with the return to the workplace: phased return, amended duties, altered hours or workplace adaptations. The change was a recommendation made in Dame Carol Black’s report ‘Working for a Healthier Tomorrow’ – based on research showing that a return to work is beneficial to both employer, employee and also the wider economy. But the big question is whether this particular approach is likely to be successful?
The key to the success or failure of the new ‘fit note’ scheme is the quality and effectiveness of a tripartite relationship – between the GP, the employee and the employer. Each has a responsibility and a part to play in making the new system work. Pressure points will occur when GPs fail to understand what’s possible in the workplace; when employers fail to be sufficiently supportive or flexible with returning staff; and if employees don’t really want to return to work and end up ‘playing’ the system. However, if all play their parts positively the new system has the right ethos and components to make a big difference. My hunch is that GPs are the ones who will need the most support because this way of seeing patients and their jobs will be completely new to them and many will be set in their ways after years of issuing sick notes on request.
However, it’s good to see that the government has thought about this aspect of the new system and is taking action to help GPs make the right judgements. The ‘options’ on the new form are a good idea because they will cause GPs to think actively about the advice they dispense regarding return to work. The ‘fit note’ represents a major paradigm shift in terms how we think about illness and work – any process that encourages the ‘operators’ of the system to consider and discuss a range of options for the patient and employer is a positive thing. The absence of an option for ‘occupational assessment’ is also to be welcomed as it places the emphasis firmly on getting people back to work, rather than further diagnosis that could prolong absence. More diagnostic tests may still be required, but they are not seen as a substitute for re-engagement with work – in this sense, the goal of the system is clear.
So the new scheme carries much promise, but in the end two factors that have always been key in absence management will be critical if this culture change is to be successful: trust and communication. All staff need to know the organisation’s expectations regarding attendance and return to work – and this includes the consequences of failing to meet them, plus the support that is available. It’s no good amending your policy, announcing the change and expecting staff and managers to work the rest out for themselves. You will have a head start if a culture of trust already exists to support the change – if not, it’s almost certainly an underlying area that needs development.
Finally, don’t forget the strategic angle. Absence management processes are important, but they are no substitute for creating a business culture that is characterised by high levels of well-being and employee engagement. Over the long-term this is your insurance policy against high levels of absenteeism because if staff are happy and committed they will do their best to perform for the business and are unlikely to betray the trust you invest in them. When your staff actually want to return to work because they enjoy it absence management becomes a whole lot easier.
This post is adapted from a contribution that my university spin-off company, Robertson Cooper made to a People Management article on the subject: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/02/employers-wary-of-new-fit-notes.htm
1 Comment | Absenteeism, Attendance, citizenship, employee engagement, Engagement, health, Management, Motivation, Private Sector, Public Sector, reward and recognition, Well-being | Tagged: absence management, Absenteeism, Attendance, Attendance management, carol black report, Dame Carol Black, employee engagement, Engagement, Fit notes, government, HR, improving well-being, Personal Resilience, Productivity, return to work, Robertson Cooper, sick notes, Sickness Absence, staff, staff retention, support, workforce sustainability, working for a healthier tomorrow | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
January 22, 2010
I’ve posted two blogs so far on the practicalities of keeping New Year’s resolutions, but now we’re well into the New Year I’ve been reflecting on the underlying theme of most resolutions – closing the gap between knowledge and action. We all know we should eat our 5 portions of fruit and veg, plus drink 8 glasses of water each day, do a certain amount of exercise and get 6-8 hours sleep a night – but how many of us actually manage to do all of those things?! It’s like the personal to-do list that never gets ticks against all actions!
And it’s not just home-life – the disparity between knowing and doing is also there in the field of well-being at work. These days few would deny the benefits for staff and businesses, yet so many organisations never turn this knowledge into action. It stays firmly below efficiency savings and monthly targets on the priority list.
Lack of funding; not knowing where to start or where to get help; shortage of human resources with the appropriate skills and difficulty gaining stakeholder agreement and support are among the reasons I come across for not getting to grips with this aspect of working life. For those responsible for well-being in many organisations the task can seem overwhelming even when the decision has been made to address the topic. There are concrete things that need to be done to get into action, but these probably won’t work unless one important pre-requisite is in place.
Ultimately, like any New Year’s resolution, the person responsible and those above him/her have to really want to make the change. It’ll never work or be sustainable if it’s seen as just a tick box exercise in which it’s most important to be seen to be doing the right thing! The core theme that determines all resolutions is ‘readiness for change’ – it doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about individuals or organisations: unless the key people involved are really ready and receptive it is unlikely to ‘stick’. The achievement of this state, itself, takes work.
All of the reports and guidelines that have been produced over the last couple of years provide great support to help organisations to get started with well-being – but they are not the whole story. The first item on your checklist, personal or otherwise, should be ‘Ensure we are ready to make the change’.
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Posted by Cary Cooper
