Just over one year ago, I told all of you about this very cool project that was sponsored by my colleagues at The Globe & Mail – a Canada-wide survey that is investigating what companies are doing to foster a working environment that creates engaged AND healthy employees. The definition of “healthy” doesn’t just mean physical health, but also mental, work and life health. This year-long project culminated with nine companies receiving the inaugural annual Employee Recommended Workplace Awards last month in Toronto. Winners were announced in three categories (private, public, and not-for-profit/government) in the small, mid-sized and large groupings, and you can see them here (scroll down to find the list).
What creates healthy employees?
A follow-up story in The Globe on engaged and healthy employees titled The winning formulas for workplace wellness offered an opportunity for each of these companies to list the single factor that they believe caused their employees to rank them so highly. You can read the entire article at the link I’ve given you, but I’ve listed the nine factors for you below:
- A family first philosophy
- Full engagement from employees
- Importance of communication
- Whole-person development
- Empathy towards individuals
- Promoting physical wellness
- Celebrating people
- Openness to new ideas
- Wide-ranging options in health and wellness programs
Last year I encouraged you to push your organization to participate in this survey. I mean, what a great way to get some truthful data about how your employees feel about your company! Remember, the results in this survey were aggregated from honest confidential responses from your employees. Well, it’s never too late. The Globe & Mail is already taking registrations for the second year of the Employee Recommended Workplace Award. You can find out more by going to the award website at www.employeerecommended.com. Registrations will close on November 17, but don’t put it off until later – November will be here before you know it – and if you work in a large company, you may have to reach out to other decision-makers to persuade them to participate in this initiative (which can sometimes take a while). So get started now!
I made this offer last year (and only a couple of you took me up on it) and I’ll make it again. I am happy to brainstorm with you to help you make the case for participation within your company. Do let me know if you’ve already decided to get involved, and as always, share your thoughts on this subject by adding your comment below.