How to Boost Employee Engagement; Through Organisational Health Practices

Key Ingredients That Foster a Thriving Organisational Culture

Are you a manager, leader or executive looking to improve the organisational health of your business? It can be difficult to recognise whether the overall health of your organisation is struggling and how to implement the right strategies for improvement.  

Striving to keep your concern healthy does not need to be complicated, but a long-term commitment is essential! 

Achieving this aim involves more than just having healthy teams with good morale. It requires ongoing, dedicated efforts from all levels within the establishment to ensure all stakeholders, from employees and customers to vendors and shareholders feel respected and valued.  

It is an essential foundation for any successful business. To ensure success, leaders need to understand the various aspects of organisational health that contribute to overall performance and well-being; as well as what strategies they can use to lead their teams in continuous improvement. In this article, we will look at how you can identify when your organisation needs improvements and what actions you can take. 

The Current State of Organisational Health in the United Kingdom  

With rising stress levels and decreased job satisfaction, the UK’s workforce is facing an uphill battle when it comes to improving their overall organisation's health. 

The overall well-being of an organisation’s employees – has been a growing concern in the UK over recent years. The current state of organisations/companies' health in the United Kingdom is an extremely prominent issue that needs to be addressed. The importance of organisational health to a company’s success cannot be underestimated. It is not only related to staff engagement and productivity but also to workplace morale, job satisfaction and ultimately business results.  

Understanding these issues and finding solutions will go a long way towards creating healthier workplaces nationwide. 

Organisational Health

A short definition as outlined in a Forbes article summarises that "Organisational Health is the ability of an organisation to cope with change and continue to function with a high-performance culture" Another stance could be - Health Wellbeing at work is the measure of the institution. 

 

It's the measure of a company's overall well-being and performance. It encompasses many aspects, including organisational culture, management practices, long-term health, and career development. A company that is considered to have good organisational health is well-run, effective, and sustainable in all areas. To assess an organisation's performance, researchers look at factors such as its business model, evidence review, safety climate tool and continuous improvement efforts. 

John Wiley (the DiSC publisher) conducted research internationally (early 2024) on how employees felt about working within their organisations and the key to surviving in the digital age. Makes for interesting reading.  

What is an organisational health assessment? 

This approach is a comprehensive strategy for improving performance. It begins with assessing the current state of the organisation, which includes examining its culture, management practices, and overall health. This assessment will provide valuable insights into areas for improvement and informs the development of a business model that can achieve long-term health and sustainability. Additionally, this approach should include evidence reviews, and continuous improvement strategies to ensure progress towards goals.

What is an Organisational health check? 

An assessment of the overall state of an organisation. Looks at how it is functioning in all areas, from its management practices to its culture and overall performance. During this process, a range of metrics is examined including customer service, product quality and safety compliance. A health check can help identify any areas that need improvement or maybe cause systemic issues such as low morale or high turnover. Additionally, it can provide valuable insights into new opportunities for growth and development. The results of an organisational health check should be used to drive positive change within the organisation and ensure that it remains healthy and successful in the long term. 

Additionally, this checking process leads to invaluable insights into how well your company is performing and can help to identify areas for improvement. By taking the time to assess your organisation, you are ensuring that it remains healthy and successful in the long term. So what's next? How do you measure? Stay tuned to find out! 

How do you measure organisational health? 

Organisational health can be measured in different ways. One effective approach is conducting an evidence review. To gather and analyse data from sources like customer feedback, employee surveys, safety climate tools, and financial statements. This helps identify key themes or areas for improvement. Additionally, organisations can examine their business model and performance metrics to gain insight into their overall performance.

Checks should also include assessments of culture and morale, as well as any living crisis initiatives that have been implemented. As the 21st century brings new challenges such as cyber security threats, it is important to ensure that staff have access to up-to-date training on topics like secure storage of credit card details and email address protection. Furthermore, organisations should ensure that all national governing bodies are kept informed of relevant developments in their area of expertise, such as mental health or social care services. 

To achieve success, staying up-to-date on the latest developments in organisational health is vital. Proactively gathering evidence, analysing performance metrics, and assessing culture and morale can create an accurate picture of an organisation's current state. Armed with this information, well-informed decisions can be made to drive positive growth in the future.

What are the nine elements of organisational health?

Organisational health refers to how well an organisation functions as a whole, and is impacted by various components such as culture, management practices, and structure. To ensure long-term health, organisations must have a well-run business model with effective and sustainable operations. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has identified nine key elements of organisational health that are crucial for success.

 

1. Leadership: Effective leaders create an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
2. People Management: Organisations should provide career development opportunities and nurture employee engagement through open communication and recognition.
3. Culture: A positive culture promotes creativity, problem-solving, customer satisfaction and teamwork.
4. Processes & Systems: Establishing good processes helps ensure consistency and quality across all areas of the business.
5. Evidence Review: Regularly reviewing evidence helps organizations stay up to date on best practices in their industry.
6. Safety Climate Tool: Measuring safety climate provides valuable feedback about current practices and possible improvements needed for better risk management strategies.
7. Communication: Open lines of communication between staff members encourage a sense of shared responsibility for success in the organisation 
8. Governance & Regulation: Organisations should adhere to relevant laws and regulations while also considering ethical principles when making decisions.
9. Continuous Improvement: Organisations should strive to make changes that improve efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability over time. 

Organisational health is the foundation for a successful business, and understanding the nine essential components can help organisations make informed decisions about their operations and strategies. With these in mind, organisations can then take the next step towards bettering themselves by conducting a health assessment.

 

What should an organisation's health goals be? 

• Job Satisfaction 
• Pay 
• Benefits (employees) 
• Workplace culture (optimistic) 
• Work-life balance  
• Opportunities for advancement  

According to a survey recently carried out by CIPD, 67% of organisations are suffering from low organisational health and see this as being detrimental to their performance. 

 

Start measuring! Benchmark your health – align your goals for long-term performance!
Improving emotional welfare in the workplace should be one of the top priorities for employers when looking to promote better organisational health. Fostering an environment that allows open communication and understanding between workers is essential for ensuring everyone feels respected in their roles.

 

 

Organisational health is based on creating an environment where employees feel included, respected, and supported. It, therefore, follows that one of the key ways for organisations to improve employee emotional welfare is through communication and providing opportunities for meaningful dialogue between leaders and employees about sensitive issues such as work-life balance.  

Investing in well-being initiatives can also help employees reduce stress levels at work which can impact overall mental health. For example, offering incentives such as gym membership, flexible working hours or remote working options could contribute towards helping employees better manage their time and increase their self-care opportunities.  

Leaders need to prioritise making sure everyone has a voice at work by cultivating an inclusive environment where everyone’s opinions matter equally. This means not only involving everybody in decision-making but also taking the time out to check in on how everyone is doing from time to time. 

There should also be tangible progress made towards creating a working environment free from discrimination, with colleagues feeling safe to express diverse opinions and share ideas without fear or judgement. 

My thoughts: 

For individuals with traits similar to mine (antroverts) considering introverts too. I implemented a well-being initiative to encourage all individuals to speak up at team meetings. Management offered a fair playing field by giving everyone a chance to voice their opinions and judgments. Designed to incorporate all personality types not just those who are able to speak without hesitation. This initiative promoted inclusivity and equal participation among team members.

How Communication and Transparency Help  

For individuals in any organisation to feel appreciated there need to be open communication channels between staff members with clear lines of reporting. So that the management team knows how best to support any grievances raised by personal issues faced by someone within the organisation. Or general requests for better organisational permissioning systems (i.e., more holidays).  

Remember communication encompasses listening, the lack of which can bring about misunderstandings, potentially plunging the employer and employee into dubious cyclic traps down the line. Potentially, not listening attentively to someone who could potentially help you solve current conundrums would be counterproductive. 

The consequences of poor communication include but are not limited to: 

• Decreased customer service satisfaction. 
• Poor team morale and performance due to lack of trust. 
• Mistakes and decision-making delays due to a lack of information sharing and clarity. 
• Increased risk of misunderstandings, errors, conflicts, and litigation. 
• Failures in following protocol. 
• Poor decision-making due to incorrect information. 
• Reduced collaboration between teams. 
• Decreased job satisfaction resulting in lower quality of work and decreased productivity....worse still high staff turnover.

 

Collaboration improves mood, if everybody feels valued and respected, remember that loyalty extends far beyond the walls of an office. 

It is crucial for Leadership teams to ensure that they are engaging with all members of staff otherwise they risk disconnecting themselves from truly leading. A consequence of which can be poorer decision-making processes due to an eventual lack of input or knowledge. Knowledge gaps can be created too because of a lack of engagement.  

Having leaders that embrace inclusion with teams changing norms regularly is essential--this looks good not just on paper but also offers even better results. When implemented properly by treating all employees as equal members no matter what level they occupy and regardless of if these individuals are full-time or part-time workers will lead to increased staff loyalty and trustworthiness. Think big picture terms ROI orientated gains created in part by having an empowered workforce.  

Leadership teams must ensure transparency when communicating all aspects of management operations including plans/projects underway/initiatives etc., Thus empowering everyone involved to understand why certain decisions have been made or tasks delegated. Furthering to create an atmosphere where inclusion becomes normal practice rather than something that only happens during particular moments or large events (such as project launches). 

"Managers also need to understand the impact their management style has on employees and the wider organisational culture at work"  Source: cipd.co.uk 

Cheeky plug time! A great way to unveil your leadership style is by taking the Everything DiSC for leaders profile

My thoughts: 

As a senior manager, I collaborated with the sales and marketing team to implement their innovative ideas while maintaining productivity, customer satisfaction, organizational guidelines, and budgets. To encourage participation from all team members, I established a "secret votes" process, which led to the submission of many profitable and fresh ideas.

To propose a new idea, team members had to provide solid reasoning, logic, budget, potential ROI, a strategy, and an understanding of why it might not be allowed within the company. As the team became more familiar with operations, this became less of a concern. The person who came up with the winning idea was chosen to lead the project. These were challenging times, but everyone was excited and energized.

The Consequences of Employees Feeling Left Out  

When individuals do not feel included in an organisation’s culture, they often experience dissatisfaction with their job roles and may find themselves emotionally disconnected from colleagues which can lead to lower morale, trust issues or even aggressive behaviour displayed towards those perceived as being “outside” the tribe.  

When employees feel ignored or left out within a company, it can lead to profound consequences such as increased absenteeism, decreased motivation and productivity, and lowered trust among co-workers, not to mention decreased mental health. 

When left unchecked these feelings of exclusion can have long-term consequences. If people are constantly feeling excluded, they may eventually become disengaged from their roles meaning that the organisation does not benefit from deriving full value from them and wasting valuable resources – both financial and human capital resources. 

It is also important for employees to feel like they are being appropriately recognised for their efforts, as this gives them a sense of worth simultaneously promoting higher morale within the company. Additionally, it may be beneficial for companies to introduce mental health days or have programs in place to provide support when needed. 

My Summary

I've found that promoting organisational health isn't necessarily a daunting task. It's important to begin somewhere, even if it's a small step. Encourage and empower your employees to participate in achieving your company's goals by trusting them.

 

Where DiSC helps Employee welfare 

Recent studies suggest that the primary cause of work-related stress can be found in a lack of effective communication and transparency within companies. 

Organisational Culture 

Everything DiSC® behavioural profiling helps with organisational health by providing insight into how team members interact and communicate with each other.  

It looks at four main dimensions of behaviour: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.  

By understanding the communication styles of individuals, teams can better understand how to work together more effectively and productively as a unit. Providing insight into how everyone is likely to behave in each situation, allows teams to identify areas of potential tension or conflict and therefore avoid them. 

DiSC also provides tips for developing better working relationships which lead to improved levels of trust, collaboration, and engagement amongst team members. This leads to increased performance in the organisation since working in a DiSC culture encourages the use of each other's strengths for the collective benefit. 

Profiles can also be used to facilitate more effective team-building activities and provide a basis for setting clear expectations between team members. Take a look at this comprehensive  article outlining How Everything DiSC® can be the key to unlocking behaviours in your team

Are you a trainer or coach and wish to deliver DiSC as part of your learning and development programmes - Drop us a line here

 © Sian