By Dr. Amy S. Dufrane, SPHR
Did you know that the ancient Babylonians are attributed with being first to make New Year’s resolutions, over 4,000 years ago? Julius Caesar established January 1 as the beginning of the new year, encouraging Romans to make promises for good conduct in the new year. Fast-forward to modern times and resolutions include gym memberships and promises to reform daily diets.
Although the tradition of celebrating the New Year’s roots involved offering prayers to deities and paying one’s debts, there’s no doubt that it is still the logical time to set goals and strive to do better. In my opinion, it’s also the time for HR professionals to check on the wellbeing of the workforce and ensure the appropriate solutions are in place. Occupational health and safety management have always been the purview of HR; however, the corresponding individual and organizational risks given the range of opportunities for hazards has never been greater.
Numerous studies have been conducted about workplace stressors and the facts are indisputable: organizations and economies lose a trillion dollars due to absenteeism, low productivity, and heathcare attributed to stress. Of that trillion, U.S. entities spend more than $300 billion in costs associated with workplace stress. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, U.S. workers are among the most stressed in the world. It goes without saying that the lasting impact of the global pandemic made this trend escalate, not improve. Consider the numbers:
- Eighty-three percent of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress.
- About one million Americans miss work each day because of stress.
- Depression-induced absenteeism costs U.S. businesses $51 billion a year.
- Companies spend around 75 percent of a worker’s annual salary to cover lost productivity or to replace workers.
This same study goes onto examine the top causes of workplace stress, such as changes in leadership, being unclear about management’s expectations, workload and ineffective company communication. Workplace stress is cited as emotionally draining and over 40 percent of the respondents in the study agreed it was impacting their mental health. Women described their stress levels as 5.1 (on a scale of one to ten) and 62 percent of working women in the U.S. and Canada reported daily feelings of stress compared to 52 percent of men.
No one wins under these circumstances. The quality of work declines. Turnover increases. Disengaged employees frustrate loyal customers. And the employer brand that took years to develop diminishes with each passing day.
There’s good news on the horizon, especially as HR plans for a successful year ahead. Creating awareness and prioritizing workplace wellness are the primary drivers to minimizing stress in the workforce. These factors are within control of the organization and its leadership. ISO 45003:2021 Occupational Health and Safety Management standards provide a comprehensive guide for organizations to assess the risks of workplace stressors. These workplace stressors typically emanate from three sources:
- how work is organized (roles and expectations, autonomy, job demands, organizational change management, remote work, workload/pace, working hours and schedules, job security and precarious work)
- social factors (interpersonal relationships, leadership, organizational culture, recognition/reward, career development, support, supervision, civility/respect, work-life balance, harassment)
- the work, resources, tools, and general environment (work environment, equipment/technology, hazardous tasks)
Now for more good news: HRSI – the Human Resource Standards Institute an organization-level companion to HRCI’s individual certifications – has created a certification in workplace wellness. The purpose of the Workplace Wellness Certification is to validate the organization’s duty of care for its workforce.
Achieving the HRSI Workplace Wellness Certification signals a commitment to current and prospective talent that the organization offers a healthy and supportive work environment. Benefits for this certification are realized by the employees and the organization, including:
- Employee satisfaction and retention
- Productivity and performance
- Corporate image and reputation
- Compliance and legal requirements
- Attracting top talent
- Cost savings
- Increased innovation
- Risk management by identifying and mitigating stressors
The HRSI certification assesses the respective organization’s continual improvement process for identifying and managing the organizational risks and opportunity factors that contribute to an environment positively impacting workforce wellness. Earning it demonstrates the organization’s duty of care to workplace wellness, including the ability to identify signs of explore to psychosocial risks, the monitoring and management of change and the processes for corrective actions.
We’re proud to roll out HRSI’s new Workplace Wellness Certification to our community of HR professionals and their organizations. As HR professionals, leading the wellness of our workforces is one of our most important initiatives and being guided by ISO’s world-class standards through HRSI’s newest certification is the resolution we can all keep.
