Dr. Adele Grazi
Assistant Professor in Psychology, Trinity College Dublin
Organisational culture does not always necessarily include wellbeing norms, and it is up to organisational leaders to foster a culture of wellbeing.
A wellbeing culture ingrains a number of wellbeing organisational norms such as psychological safety, organisational justice and organisational identity, to name a few. It goes beyond practical wellbeing actions such as offering healthy snacks and meals to employees or free gym memberships.
Leaders play a crucial role in wellbeing culture
Leaders, due to their role within organisations, are central to creating a wellbeing culture. Employees will look up to their leaders to understand what behaviours are acceptable within the organisation.
Leaders are important role models, and it is up to them to show that, for instance, the ‘always on’ culture (working outside set hours) is not an acceptable work behaviour as it might have detrimental effects on employee wellbeing.
We are also entering a hybrid working era, which is a revolutionary conceptualisation of work. Hybrid work can bring a number of advantages to diverse groups that might be struggling with personal issues. Leaders might use hybrid work to adjust to diverse employee needs, enhancing their work-life balance and overall wellbeing.
Ethical leadership styles are generally beneficial in creating such a wellbeing culture. Ethical leaders understand that each, individual employee within the organisation has unique needs and strengths and use these differences to each employee’s advantage, keeping their wellbeing at bay.
Hybrid work can bring a number of
advantages to diverse groups that
might be struggling with personal issues.
Professional development course
Engaging in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course can be valuable to an organisation. CPD is open to anyone interested in creating a wellbeing culture. It is an online course, delivered in seven sessions over seven weeks.
The course focuses on understanding how to create a wellbeing culture and the role that policies, leadership styles and organisational norms have in the creation of such a culture.
Study material is recorded, and it is a flexible course, ensuring students are able to fit in learning when it suits them. In a progressive workplace, it’s vital to have leaders equipped with wellbeing culture knowledge.