“We put warning labels on smoking packs; maybe we should put warnings on companies that have low social support” Shawn Achor
”It’s a matter of “National Interest” Safe Work Australia
“Nearly 90% of employers offer wellness incentives…. They feel that if they pay more they’ll get a better result….But is that true?” Wall Street Journal
These statements paint a picture of the degree to which depression, mental stress, anxiety and mental disorders have become more common in the modern workplace, impacting employees both in and outside of work.
Many leaders, already stretched for time and resources, find themselves caught between trying to ensure legal compliance, minimise risk and avoid stress claims and at the same time build highly engaging and productive workplaces.
Some, however, view the current situation not so much as a threat, but an opportunity to build a competitive advantage and a culture that attracts, grows and retains the best people.
The emergence of DDO’s (Deliberately Developmental Organisations) bears testimony to this with the Harvard Business Review observing that “Companies that turn employees’ struggles into growth opportunities are discovering a new kind of competitive advantage.”
Whether the motivation is legal compliance or competitive advantage, the most common questions we hear from leaders are:
- Where do you start?
- How do you know if it’s working?
- How do you know if what you’re doing is enough?
With 15 years experience in leadership development, culture transformation and behavioural safety leadership, we believe that the key to building a psychologically safe, fit and thriving workplace can be found at the intersection of best practise safety and best practise culture.
The sweet spot of this intersection amounts to leveraging true ‘social support’.
Global experts in their respective fields both talk about the importance of social support. Safety guru Patrick Hudson’s defines Generative safety cultures where , “ peers take care of peers”, and Harvard’s Shawn Achor presents the premise that “It’s not about managers providing social support, but rather , about switching team members on to the benefits they receive in providing social support to their peers.”
At Larsen Jensen we believe that real Psychological Safety requires a specific standalone strategy, without which it runs the risk of becoming lost or diluted in a fog of well intended yet sometimes ad hoc wellbeing initiatives and incentives as suggested by the Wall Street Journal report quoted above.
We understand what it takes to create a competitive advantage from a Leadership, Safety and Cultural perspective, and the resulting increase in productivity, engagement and your bottom line that flows from a culture where:
“Leaders operate with purpose, care and consequence”
“Team members provide active social support to their peers”
“Individuals take ownership with increased inspiration, energy and focus”
