As an old saying goes… “ Health is Wealth”, is catching up amongst employees these days.

Gone are those days when an employee used to be happy with his/her salary alone, when an employee used to treat his boss like a God, who had done a divine favour on him by giving him a job.

A perfect, God- devotee relation, looks like an old traditional movie. Today, an employee not only expects but considers it as his right and an employer’s duty to take care of his needs. According to him, “it’s not just I anymore who wants a job but he (the employer) equally NEEDS my SERVICES in his business”. And, the feeling is mutual here, where in an employer understands his employees, his needs, and vice-versa. Nobody is enslaved. And to take care of all this, so that everything goes well, comes, Workplace Health.

Workplace Health or Occupational health as International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) puts it:

“Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their
employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job“.
In simpler words, Workplace Health means making your Organisation another home for your employee. The employee should feel so safe, so protected and taken care of that, he/she:

• Wishes to come to office
• Is well assured that he is in safe hands
• Has his full concentration on work and,
• Has constant adrenaline running to do better.

Every Organisation needs to understand that health and safety of the employees is an important aspect of a company’s smooth and successful functioning. It is a decisive factor in organizational effectiveness. It should be so well realised that, it becomes the basis of Organisational Culture.

Warning Signs:

So when do you know that there is some “Workplace Health” related concern in your organisation?

How can you know when it’s “the” time? You know it when there is:

• High attrition
• Very low Referral
• Employee Burnout
• Anger, sarcasm, or being argumentative
• Absenteeism
• Persistent irritability

Government Initiatives…

The Constitution of India has specified provisions for ensuring occupational health and safety of workers in the form of three Articles i.e. 24, 39(e and f) and 42. The regulation of labour and safety in mines and oil fields is under the Union list, while the welfare of labour including conditions of work, provident funds, employers’ invalidity and old age pension and maternity benefit are in the Concurrent list.

The major legislations are:-

• The Factories Act, 1948
• Mines Act, 1952
• Dock Workers (Safety, Health & Welfare) Act, 1986

Apart from the Laws/ Acts, we also have an organisation called the National Safety Council of India (NSCI), whose sole mission is to take care of employee wellbeing. The National Safety Council of India (NSCI) was set up to promote safety consciousness among workers to prevent accidents, minimize dangers and mitigate human suffering, arrange programmes, lectures and conferences on safety, conduct educational campaigns to arouse consciousness among employers and workers and
collect educational and information data, etc. It has launched new initiatives in three sectors:-

• Road Transportation Safety
• Safety of Health in Construction Sector
• Safety, Health and Environment in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises(SMEs).

Recommendations:

* Relationship between managers, employees & companies:

According to the Gallup survey:
 

- A bad manager can scare away talented employees, hence, draining the company of its power and value. The top executives are often unaware of what is happening down at the bottom of the pyramid.

- An individual achiever may not necessarily be a good manager; companies should take care not to over-promote.

Comfortable environment:

In today’s competitive corporate world, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on the appearance of the workplace. With an increasing number of people spending more time in their offices, the physical comfort, visual appeal and accessibility of their workplace has gained ever more importance. Wouldn’t it make far better sense to retain valuable employees by making small, yet meaningful, aesthetic adjustments to their work environments? Inspired employees are more diligent, responsible and eventually, more industrious.

Well lit, airy & clean:

At least 8 to 10 hours of one’s day is spent in the workplace, which means almost half of the time a person is awake and most productive is spent in office. It is up to the employers to see and make sure that the office is fully facilitated and in good working order. It must be well lit and well ventilated with the right amount of lights, fans and air-conditioning. Cleanliness is of utmost mportance regardless of the number of people at the workplace. The offices, cubicles, rest area, ashrooms, pantry & serving area must be neat and clean. The more comfortable the working nvironment is more productive will be the employees.

Safety measures:

An employer must make sure that he provides a safe environment to his/her employee. The security easures outside the office include security guards and parking facility. While inside the office, a safe environment must be introduced for both male and female employees to work so in case an employee has to work late hours she/he should feel safe and comfortable working in his/her office.

There must be no discrimination or harassment practices and the employees should be given equal opportunity to grow as an individual despite being male or female.

The power of praise:

A pat on the shoulder can work wonders. For effective management, a manager must recognize that fairness and leadership alone cannot inspire people to work hard. Deep inside all of us is present a need to be appreciated for our work. An environment of mutual admiration between, across and
within grades inspires everyone.

To conclude, an employer should always remember that, it is because of proper attention to the safety and welfare of the employees, that an organisation can yield valuable returns. A healthy workplace is a short cut to improved employee morale, reduced absenteeism and thus, enhanced
productivity.

Hope you are taking care well !

About the Author:
Mansi Madan has done her Bachelor’s in Engineering in Computer Sciences and is also a Masters in Business Administration from Goa Institute of Management. With excellent track record, ever enthusiastic to do big things and very passionate in whatever she does, believes in making a new path in area of HR. She can be reached at mansi.madaan@gmail.com