Healthy workplaces in 5 steps

Every HRM professional will immediately agree: a healthy work environment is important. Because healthy employees feel more comfortable, enjoy their work more and therefore perform better.

Moreover, as an employer you have an important responsibility. NOf course, as an employer, you can’t control everything. Toch you can do a lot.

TNO ontrolled the Physical Load Guide. This will take you to a healthy work environment in 5 steps. A useful tool, we think. In this blog we will tell you more about it.

Five steps to a healthy work environment

1. Is there a reason?

High absenteeism, grumbling among employees, high staff turnover. All kinds of situations can indicate a lack of a healthy working environment. It may also be that the RI&E indicates that it is necessary to take action.

1. What are the bottlenecks?

Make an inventory of all the bottlenecks within your organisation. It may involve physical underload or physical overload. Physical underload occurs in employees who sit a lot. Think of office workers and drivers. They have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancers and depression. In case of physical overbeYou can think of heavy lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling. But also think about repetitive work. This can lead to complaints of muscles, joints and tendons. It is important to be aware of this, because musculoskeletal complaints account for a third of all sick leave!

1. What can you do?

Have insight into the bottlenecks? Then determine the possible solutions. TNO distinguishes three types of solution: technical, organisational and individual. Technical solutions are about for example ergonomic improvements and tools that make work easier. Organizational solutions include improving work processes, variety of work and breaks. At the individual level, this may involve, for example, providing information about safe working practices and training in the correct use of work equipment and aids.

Is there any physical underload? Then you have to think of encouraging cycling to work, lunch walks and a sit-stand. And, in the case of physical overloading, solutions such as information and training on unfavourable working postures, good aids and sufficient variety of tasks. Other solutions are more breaks and an optimal indoor climate (temperature, good ventilation, sufficient oxygen, etc.). In short, there’s usually a lot of opportunity.

It is important to make the right choice. De Wegwijzer Fysitax provides guidance. Start with solutions that address the most important bottlenecks. Also ask yourself which solutions are expected to be most effective. In doing so, look at the cost/benefit. Moreover, the chosen solution must fit in with the company culture.

1. How do you enter the solutions?

You know what bottlenecks exist and what solutions are needed. The next step is to convince the decision makers – the management or the board – that the approach is necessary and delivers results. You will identify the risks and find a solution.splan with the desired result and the expected saving. Support is of course essential, also among employees. So inform them well.

Then is the question: how do you implement these solutions? That depends on the nature of the solution and of the processes within your organization. It is important that the solution is given a place in the day-to-day affairs of the organisation. Make sure that physical load becomes a fixed topic in team meetings and performance interviews. Make appointments with the occupational health physician. And have an eye for possible opponents of the solution.

1. Evaluate the approach

Does the chosen solution indeed have the desired effect? Evaluate the approach regularly. For example by means of the employeessatisfactionssurvey. And ask managers and employees about it. Does the physical load increase again? Then go back to step 2 of the signpost. This is how you work on continuous improvement.

Involve employees

In our opinion, the Fysieke Belastingwijzer (Physical Load Guide) is a good tool to work on a sustainable personnel policy. A tip: Involve employees in formulating and implementing the solutions. Because they often know best what can be done more efficiently and effectively. Moreover, in this way you keep your employees involved and you realize your goals better. And then this: find the solutions close by. You don’t have to set up a complete gym right away. Small improvements will help. Such as: not sitting too long and enough variety in the work.

Physical Tax Checklist

TNO also developed a Physical load checklist. This will give you a quick indication of the potential risks associated with a task. This concerns risks for all aspects of physical load. If there is a particular risk, you click through to a follow-up tool that allows you to do a detailed risk assessment. You will then know better how this risk arises and how you can remedy or reduce it. You can find the Physical Tax Checklist here.

Read more about sustainable personnel policy

Physical load is one of the points of attention in an sustainable personnel policy. Would you like to know how you can contribute to the continuity of your organisation with the sustainable deployment of (older) employees? You can read it in our free e-book ‘Wise with grey’.

Het bericht Healthy workplaces in 5 steps verscheen eerst op Essenburgh.

Motivated to work. How to get your employees involved

Motivation in work is important. Because motivated employees enjoy their work more and work better together. And together they achieve goals. In short, a healthy dose of work motivation is good for the employee, the team and the organisation. It is therefore very important that the working environment contributes to work motivation and commitment. The only question is: how do you create such a stimulating environment?

Almost everyone loves to work. We like to be used for our talents and to be of value. This also applies to older employees. They also like to feel valuable. In short, employees are ready to get the best out of themselves. How fast will they actually run? Partly that depends on them, partly on the organisation. Some points of interest:

1. Work on bonding (with the organization and with the goals)

To what extent do employees feel connected to the organisation and the organisational goals? Very important! The other day – on a Friday – my central heating boiler broke down. We had no hot water. I called the company that had installed the boiler. I got a technician on the line and explained the problem to him. He said, ‘But why are you calling me?’ I replied, ‘Because you installed the boiler.’ He replied: ‘That’s not possible because we only work in Nijkerk’. Anyway, the engineer didn’t come. A day later I called the company again. Then I got another technician on the line. He said, ‘Of course I’m coming, because of course I can’t, no hot water.’ See, this mechanic had the motivation. And then you do customer loyalty. You achieve goals and the whole team performs better.

2. Give attention

But how do you ensure motivated employees? Partly by giving them sincere attention. That’s where it often goes wrong. We tend to forget the people and look at the work that needs to be done. When I come in in the morning, I say, “Good morning, how are you? And I mean that. Because if there’s something wrong at home, someone has to be able to say it. Many people think: ‘My colleagues have nothing to do with my private situation. But I look at it differently. You see, I don’t believe you can separate personal and professional life. You shouldn’t want that. Because although you have other responsibilities at work, you need to be able to be yourself. Then you will enjoy your work.

3. Give appreciation and recognition

It is also important to appreciate each employee for what he or she does. That too is often forgotten. We tend to think: you get paid for it, don’t you? But you can also say thank you and appreciate an employee for what he or she does. Try to give attention to every employee, realizing that everyone has a certain task within the organization and in this world. Every task is of value. Everyone matters.

4. Make mistakes are allowed, celebrate the successes

We live in a society where we make high demands on each other. As a result, many people are afraid to make mistakes in their work. That’s not good. You have to be able to make mistakes without being judged for them. Because that, of course, is very demotivating. And it encourages insecurity. Those who do not make mistakes have not worked and do not develop. And celebrate the successes. For example, if you win a new project or if you have completed a project well.

5. The focus is not on the rules, but on the people

Every organisation has rules; collective labour agreement rules and organisation rules. There is a tendency to strictly adhere to these rules in all situations. But that doesn’t mean the employee is central. In my opinion, rules are there to guide, not to compel. Because in doing so you ignore the context of situations. An example: one person requests care leave for a child who has the flu. Another employee appeals to this scheme because his or her child is terminally ill. Same rule, totally different context. This calls for a different application of this scheme. And it calls for a new leadership method: value-creating leadership.

Bonus tip: Make people aware of the common interest

Why do you work? For whom? And for what purpose? Everyone thinks that’s important to know. So include employees in this. Making them aware of the common interest stimulates their intrinsic motivation. Moreover, this stimulates mutual cooperation. After all, if you work together towards the same goal, this creates a mutual bond.

Read more about sustainable personnel policy

Everyone thrives on attention, appreciation and recognition. And, of course, there are many other things that help increase employee motivation and engagement. Such as good development opportunities, future prospects and employment conditions. All this together ensures a sustainable personnel policy. Would you like to read more about that? Then download our e-book ‘Wijs met grijs’, with tips and background information on utilising the strength of older employees.

Het bericht Motivated to work. How to get your employees involved verscheen eerst op Essenburgh.

Het bericht The 5 elements of a good policy for sustainable employability verscheen eerst op Essenburgh.