Which came first positive workplace culture or employee well-being?
Culture drives well-being
It is pretty easy to see how culture drives well-being. Just ask anyone who has ever worked for a micro-manager or had to regularly navigate the choppy waters of office politics. Working in these toxic workplace cultures can be stressful and emotionally debilitating.
Culture is defined as the values, norms, beliefs, assumptions and rituals that drive behavior. It is a force that operates in every organization and it’s driven from the top. “Leaders embody the change they want to see,” according to a recent Forbes article. One of the best practices in the field of workplace well-being is leadership support. When senior leaders display commitment to their own personal well-being, it sends that message to the workforce. It becomes not only a norm, but also a value held by the people in the organization. Gallup research shows that there is a 15% greater likelihood that direct reports will be thriving in well-being when their manager is thriving in well-being.
In my recent conversation with author and thought leader, Todd Cherches, we discussed why leaders should care about creating positive workplace cultures. Cherches emphasized, “If you treat people well, you’re going to attract talent, you’re going to engage people, you’re going to retain talent, and people are going to be more willing to jump through hoops to get things done for you and the organization.”
Can well-being drive culture?
With many employees working from home and our social connections diminished, it may seem that workplace culture is nothing more than an abstract concept. However, in many ways, workplace culture has taken on new meaning since the pandemic began.
We have to work intentionally at sharing values and establishing new rituals and norms. Well-being can serve as a basis for this. When managers take time to check in with their employees, it demonstrates a level of caring for employees as individuals. A recent Harvard Business Review article suggests adding more small talk to meetings to, “deliberately create space for more personal, informal interactions.” Taking time to learn about employees’ lives – both personal and professional – can help deepen connections and create a greater sense of belonging.
Using well-being as the focus of team activities can provide another way to reinforce positive workplace culture. Consider virtual wellness challenges as a way to foster a sense of community among employees and to infuse some friendly competition into the workday. Research has shown that 77% of employees agree that “health and wellness programs positively impact the culture at work”.
Back to the chicken/egg question. Perhaps the question is better asked as, ‘can a positive workplace culture exist without employee well-being and vice versa?’ They are so deeply connected and interrelated that culture drives well-being drives culture drives well-being and on and on and on. When employees feel that their leaders care about their well-being, they are more engaged which positively impacts productivity and performance. When productivity and performance are humming, both the employees and the organization thrive.
