The importance of a positive health, safety and wellbeing culture

Not too long ago I stumbled across a podcast by Steve Bartlett who was interviewing Matt Hancock, that wasn’t the lightbulb moment! What caught me were two other podcasts, one with Johan Harri and one with Mo Gawdat. Both these podcasts discussed ways in which society are causing us to behave and react in ways that breed anxiety and a stressed response, they drive behaviours that affects others around us and can be damaging to them.

It really got me thinking so I took to reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, through this I have realised many aspects that were out of balance in my life. Reflecting on the pandemic, it was difficult dealing with the constant misinformation, the challenge of working remotely and just simply working too hard which ultimately led to many actions that became a vicious circle of stress and anxiety.

I would constantly scroll Facebook, jump from Teams call to Teams call, scroll emails, send emails and just generally become more and more distracted and intense with my work. I never even realised this was a problem however, until I read Stolen Focus. On reading this there was a realisation that for many years I had been on this path of distraction and anxiety, the period during the pandemic just pulled this into focus.

What is clear to me now is that as a society our cultural attitudes to many work related matters require change if we are to actually address some of these Health issues. We need to address some of the current ideals, that if you go to the gym you will fix your mental health – when in actual fact you probably needed to finish working on time in order to decompress and enjoy the gym.

In the years that have passed our society has seen immense change, at a far greater rate than has previously been seen. Publications such as Safety I, Safety II talk about these changes and demonstrate the impact on how we work today. There has been a shift from obvious tangible risks to obscure complex system risks such as working in isolation and using computers, this places more emphasis on human behaviour and taps into our mental ability rather that our physical ability. However, our bodies have developed with those two elements entwined and both requiring attention if not biased to physical activities.

Human behaviours can be a complex field to work in but with some understanding there are some quick wins that create dramatic positive change. Building on why implementing positive cultures are important I believe that organisations have a pivotal role in helping society adapt its culture, to embrace the future and be able to live in this modern connected world. By implementing a positive H&S workplace culture that focuses on health and wellbeing the positive effects of supporting each other, reducing stress and anxiety reaches back into society. Parents can help their children better for example, who will grow up being shown how to deal with stress and anxiety.

We need to begin to plan for the culture we want to live in and not simply let it run away from us, placing our Health and Wellbeing at the front of this discussion, because a healthy person is a productive person!

Following on from our previous article Denise Hampson continues discussing investment and experience behaviour and why we want to live in the now!

Denise Hampson, CEO of Desire Code, said: Our instinct for nowism, distorts how we perceive the value of something we can get in the future, even if it’s really great. If we have to wait for something, our desire for it and the value we put on it decreases. So even if it’s blatantly clear that your long-term wellness is more valuable than your need to answer that urgent email screaming for your attention, your future wellbeing might be something you have to wait a while for, whereas that email can be dealt with right away.

It’s unfortunate that most of the messages we see about self-care and wellbeing are positioned as investments. We hear that if we eat well today, take time for fitness today and prioritise our sleep today we will reap the benefits one day in the distant future, and those messages largely miss the mark.

A team at Stanford University conducted a study where they found that when we imagine ourselves some time into the future, the same part of our brain is activated as when we think of a well-known stranger, someone like Rihanna or David Beckham. Someone we recognise but don’t know personally. Quite literally your brain does not know that your future self is still you. It thinks ‘future you’ is someone else.

So, it’s easier to see now why it’s so hard to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Largely it’s because we’re told we should stop the things we really want to do right now, and instead put our effort into behaviour that will benefit us in some distant future which is less appealing. Worse, we believe it won’t even be us who reaps the rewards – it’ll be some stranger who looks a bit like us.

My challenge for you this week, is to flip this thinking on its head. Stop thinking that prioritising your wellbeing is something that benefits your future self and instead focus on the here-and-now experience and making it as enjoyable as possible. Pause for a few minutes and enjoy the sensation of switching off. Enjoy letting your mind idle next time you are waiting for a bus or in a queue at the checkout, rather than trying to send a quick email from your phone. Stop work at the end of the work day and take time to do something you enjoy. Or do nothing, guilt-free. Get a coffee, take a walk, meet a friend and enjoy being present. Play ball in the park with your child. Do it for no other reason that it will bring you (and them) joy right now. Go for a swim, take a fitness class, ride your bike, and enjoy the sensation of movement. Eat a nutritious lunch and focus on how good it feels to fuel your body well. Get an early night and indulge yourself in some well-earned rest. Focus on now.

Here’s another little tip from the world of behavioural science… people look to others for clues on what they should be doing. It’s why you can’t help look if you see people in the street pointing at a rooftop. It’s part of our instinct for social connection. The more people who you see around you exhibiting healthy behaviours – drinking more water, stopping work for lunch, clocking off at the right time, not sending emails late in the evening – the easier you will find it too. And vice versa. Embracing self-care and prioritising your wellness won’t just be a great thing for you, but also the people around you.

The Health and Safety at Work Act placed Health first, as I have said before I do not believe this was an accident it was because health is the priority. So perhaps on mental health week you might take some time to consider how your organisation can help to promote a future where we don’t spend all day on TikTok, stay up all night then dose up on caffeine, look out for the email late at night and feel that guilt that you must respond? Instead begin to promote behaviours that will help to establish a culture that makes our health as important as our safety.