A Cure for the Common Company by Richard Safeer

Author:Richard Safeer [Safeer, Richard, MD]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119899983
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2023-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

SYMBOLS AND TRADITIONS

Southwest Airline pilots, as their ritual, touch the heart on the side of the plane before going through the boarding door. There is something wonderful about a symbolic act in that it represents our beliefs. For example, a fitness center can be symbolic of an organization's commitment to health and well‐being. Releasing time for well‐being activities not only helps eliminate a barrier to participation, but also symbolizes the priority being given to well‐being. These are grand gestures. Simpler symbols can be created in the form of water bottles, T‐shirts, pedometers and other wellness paraphernalia. An employee's work anniversary can be acknowledged without a pen! Try a jump rope or a yoga mat.

The UC Davis campus is aware of the impact of well‐being symbols. A number of senior leaders showed their wellness support by moving their designated parking spots farther away from the front entrance, allowing themselves the opportunity to get more steps.31

One of the simplest symbols and yet possibly most powerful is to have and make visible a company well‐being logo. By creating and utilizing a symbol, you can capture and message either the culture you have or the one you want to create. Logos are also easy to disseminate. They can be placed on flyers, book covers, and hand sanitizer and water bottles. In an organization with lots of communications, it is a quick way to allow your health and well‐being program to stand out. The consistent use of a logo is a constant reminder to employees that health and well‐being is important to this organization.

Like symbols, rituals have an influence that go beyond first appearances. For instance, an overhead announcement in a Wegmans store can prompt workers to take a stretch break. This simple act of stretching has become a wellness bond between employees. Other rituals can be seasonal. The annual 5K fun run/walk and the company picnic are rituals. Similarly, you could make it an annual ritual to complete a culture survey. You could transition the office birthday celebration to an occasion for fun (and not just a sugar icing binge). Perhaps the person whose birthday is next must “perform” a short demonstration of a skill, like juggling, singing (or lip synching). Blending well‐being into customs makes it easier for health to be the norm.

It's also important to address unhealthy rituals. Is it possible your company sponsors a happy hour regularly that consists of unhealthy foods and drinks? How about transitioning that ritual into a regularly scheduled healthy program, like a weekly after‐work softball game or Frisbee toss? You can still promote team bonding and support the health and well‐being of your workforce if you take some thoughtful moments to create an inclusive activity that does not damage health. Call on your informal leaders to help you create the ideas and garner buy‐in from some of the more ardent participants of the current unhealthy ritual.

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