Getting a job, especially for the first time is all fun until you spend the next few months and realise that it is not daily merriment and joy as you dreamt. As a newbie to the multiple tasks, and the regular (only known internally) conflicts among fellow colleagues, one discerns that it is often a platform for toxic relationships, grapevine and rumours, unhealthy (especially eating) habits, and unending conflicts that put one’s life on the brink of (sometimes into) health issues.

Even the least considered aspects of organisational behaviour and team dynamics like conflict have a strong impact on employees’ health and wellness. For instance, when conflict is not handled so that it does not exceed certain thresholds, it may foster unhealthy habits among employees like fight-and-flight at the workplace. At the managerial level, leaders in all spheres of business ought to understand that poor health leads to poor productivity, and thus should set up relevant strategies to address these health issues and emphasise good health in their realms.

However, the good news is that these are issues that can be handled by anyone at any organisational level, from the individual team member to the senior management.

Job searching, interviews, and being new at the workplace are dreadful stages of life that almost all of us pass through. Once, I applied for a job, passed through the screening and interview phases, and was later given the offer, but it came with unsolicited lessons. First, the way the boss talked to our manager was a big red flag— angrily and in front of all of us—he asked him why he hadn’t delegated a certain task and warned him that there were a lot of people who could replace him. Then, as if that was not enough, the job description was far from reality, it indicated that I will work for five days a week for eight hours per day, but in reality we had to work throughout the week, even on weekends for 12 hours. Luckily, I had experience with such toxic work environments and immediately resigned.

What is health?

Health is not the absence of disease, but the physical, emotional, environmental, and social well-being of an individual. Thence, good health includes having a good standing in all those spheres. It can be emphasised by workplace health programmes which increase employee overall well-being and productivity. The notion is that healthier employees not only increase productivity but also transcend wellness to their families, including providing nutritious and balanced diets, physical activities, and emotional support. It also reduces employee burnout, thus reducing employee turnover and absences due to sickness.

At the decision-making level, policy adjustments should be made to foster employee health improvement whilst meeting business expectations. This should be prioritised among organisations. Setting up feedback loops to report any health hazards at the workplace can mitigate health issues and improve employee well-being. Additionally, proactively setting strategies for handling conflicts like having a conflict management plan can boost employees’ well-being.

Most companies assume that employees are solely motivated by monetary rewards but it is a myth. Employees needs differ and it is vital for leaders to understand individual needs and how they can be met while contributing to the needs of the business. According to Indeed, an American worldwide employment website, some of the employee needs include; career growth, fair wages/salaries, job security, belonging, work-life balance, recognition, respect, to mention but a few. Therefore, employees should incorporate non-monetary rewards among the benefits of their customers to boost their health, motivation and productivity. For instance, paid sick leave or recognition can boost employee morale and welfare than a high salary coupled with rudeness or not recognising one’s efforts.

Another strategy employers can incorporate is creating an environment for employee engagement and building relationships like team celebrations for certain achievements or end of the year parties.

Some of the most common health issues at the workplace and their remedies include the following;

• Mental health which is equally important as physical health is caused by abuse at the workplace, high stress levels, etc. It can be solved by setting policies and guidelines that hinder abuse of employees, and mental health wellness training.

• Headaches due to stress, solved by taking breaks and daily physical activity.

• Back pain due to inadequate equipment that puts a lot of pressure around the hips and back leading to backache, thus purchasing the right office furniture as well as encouraging physical activity is the right remedy.

• Eyestrains especially for those who work on computers, and can be avoided by proper lighting in the room, and teaching how to adjust to the right screen light.

• Obesity/overweight which is caused by physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and stress and sedentary lifestyle -- can be solved by providing nutritious meals, opening an office gym.

Therefore, health is an important aspect of organisational behaviour and performance that most companies tend to ignore by focusing only on profits and productivity, but which in the long run affects employees and leads to increased turnover and burnout. Every organisation, whether government bodies, NPOs, private organisations, family businesses, sole proprietorships, should ensure that their employees are fit, healthy, satisfied, and happy.

In Australia alone in 2005, the financial cost of poor health and wellbeing to businesses was estimated at over $7 billion a year, and healthy employees were three times more productive than those with poor health, per Medibank.

Studies indicate that good health of employees is correlated with more productivity and hard work, and every leader should understand that they ought to invest in ergonomics and other health programmes at the workplace to avoid related issues including work-life bipolar disorder, and other malignant health issues. The government as well, starting from local governments, can set up policies and regulations at the systematic level and implement and enforce them at all levels to ensure that public health and well-being is promoted, and reduce the cumbersome national health expenditure.

The writer is in healthcare management, with concentration in Global Health Perspectives.

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