Improve the work, not the worker

Mental wellbeing at work can be a perplexing area for directors. Growing awareness of the impact it can have on people and business performance has led many boards to re-evaluate their approach to the issue.

But directors are often unsure of what role they should be playing. In fact, I'm often asked  how much of this problem is mine to fix? And where should I be focusing my attention? Fortunately, new research commissioned by the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum helps answer these questions.

The research identifies several approaches businesses can take to looking after the wellbeing of their people. Most of these approaches focus on helping individuals, and include things like fostering resilience or supporting people when they are struggling.  

But the research singles out the 'Protect’ approach as the one that boards and senior leaders really need to focus on. This approach is different from the others because its goal is to improve the work, not the worker. It is about identifying risks created by the work, and eliminating or controlling them.

The research also highlights a broad range of work-related risks to mental wellbeing that can exist in every organisation. These include unrealistic targets, poor work-life balance, destructive work relationships, etc.

It makes the point that many things can influence a person’s mental wellbeing – including what’s going on at home. Obviously, directors have limited influence over these personal factors. But they do have a strong influence over what a person experiences while they are at work. This includes whether the conditions they work in are harmful or supportive to their mental wellbeing.

In fact, protecting workers from mental, as well as physical, risks at work is actually a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The Forum’s research has been summarised in a guide called Protecting mental wellbeing at work - A guide for CEOs and their organisations.

The research and guide are the work of organisational psychologist Dr Hillary Bennett, from Leading Safety. Helpfully, Dr Bennett was involved with an international working group that recently developed new ISO guidelines on managing psycho-social risks in the workplace.

The Forum’s guide is closely aligned to the new ISO 45003 guidelines, offering guidance to organisations as to how well they might be performing against the new ISO guidelines.

See the guide and workbook on the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum website.

Also, see ISO 45003: Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psycho-social risks. For more information email enquiries@standards.govt.nz.

Francois Barton will present on the new Protecting mental wellbeing guide as part of a discussion on how organisations need to go beyond their health and safety obligations to design workplaces which enable people to thrive. Register for IoD events in Dunedin and  Invercargill in October 2021.