| If you were to take the people out of an organisation | | | | the measurement of employee wellbeing. Ironically they |
| you would be left with some stock and machinery that | | | | find that a health and wellbeing index is higher on the |
| would be of little value, and possibly some property. It is | | | | agenda of the financial and managing directors' than it |
| the people that make an organisation function, so | | | | is for the HR director.The current UK Labour |
| having the people functioning to the best of their ability | | | | Government is also on the health and wellbeing |
| must surely be best for an organisation. Yet much of | | | | bandwagon with its current white paper 'Choosing |
| what is undertaken in the field of HRM actually serves | | | | Health' devoting a whole chapter to workplace health |
| to detract from people functioning at their best. | | | | and wellbeing. They claim that stress-related conditions |
| Evidence from studies of wellbeing in the workplace | | | | and musculoskeletal disorders are now the |
| reveal some interesting findings that raise questions as | | | | commonest reported causes of work-related sickness |
| to whether the current focus of HRM will adapt to the | | | | absence, and that 3.74 million workers clock up more |
| evolving future workplace, or whether it will need to be | | | | than the 48 hour limit under the Working Time |
| redrawn along different lines, focussing on maintaining | | | | Directive, which is 423,000 more than in 1992 when |
| wellbeing above all else in the workplace to enable | | | | there was no long hours protection.Work in this area |
| people to be successful for their organisations.Much of | | | | by the CIPD and The Tomorrow Project has identified |
| the literature on wellbeing focuses on work-life balance | | | | what appear to be four key characteristics that |
| (WLB) as potentially the most important element that | | | | contribute to an individual's wellbeing: autonomy, |
| affects people and their behaviour at work. Hence it is | | | | relationships, the physical environment and the |
| the most high profile and most highly legislated area in | | | | individual's disposition. This remodels HRM away from |
| consideration. However, the evidence in this area is | | | | the traditional relations, resourcing, development and |
| mixed and far from conclusive.While a measure of | | | | reward model which is functional and outcome based, |
| organisational health is being heralded by the likes of | | | | to one where the individual becomes the central |
| Henderson Fund Management to allow investors to | | | | concern. Does the individual have the appropriate level |
| make more informed decisions about the companies | | | | of autonomy to allow them to function best? Are the |
| they are investing in, quite how this will be calculated, or | | | | significant relationships in their work enhancing rather |
| what its value will be are yet to be determined. City | | | | than detracting from their performance? Is the physical |
| analysts already take a keen interest in voluntary staff | | | | environment contributing to their productivity, or is it |
| turnover rates, especially in service/consulting | | | | making them sick? How can the work environment be |
| businesses where valuation is contingent on the ability | | | | managed to ensure that it is a positive experience for |
| of a business to scale quickly and in high growth | | | | people, contributing to a positive rather than negative |
| periods. They see voluntary turnover as a good but | | | | disposition? Arguably any activity which does not |
| crude indicator of employee satisfaction and | | | | contribute to any of these four is not contributing to the |
| engagement. They also look to indices such as Gallup | | | | success of the individual, and hence the success of |
| Q12 scores that measure engagement. Other | | | | the organisation, and the organisation should therefore |
| measures are emerging in the marketplace. Vielife, for | | | | question abandoning them. If you were to ask these |
| example, has a range of organisational health audits | | | | questions with regard to the policies and practices that |
| both at the whole organisation and individual employee | | | | HRM currently employs, it would be interesting to see |
| level, and aim to develop the standardised metric for | | | | how many passed the test and remained. |