How do you take care of your workplace? 
I have just got back from a 3 days course in Advanced Social Insurance Medicine. In Sweden there is a social security system that guarantees you payment for some time if you are ill and can’t work. The rules for this are complicated and sometimes the patients need an extra certificate to see if they can get money from this insurance. This is where to use the knowledge from this course. I know it doesn’t function the same way in all countries. But the best is to make the conditions at work so good that you and your coworkers don’t get ill.
This course was more concerning patients who have been ill for a long time. We discussed a lot around the cause of the illness and the consequences for the person him/herself, for their family and friends, for the workplace and for the society. The consequences can be very extensive.
Therefor today’s tip will be: Do everything in your power to prevent yourself or anyone else to get sick equals not able to work. And if you or someone close to you get ill; do everything in your power to help yourself or them as soon as possible.
Yes I know – a lot of things making people ill are not due to work. A lot is personal stuff – people don’t take care of them as they should to stay healthy. And still some gets diseases that can’t be prevented. But the fact remains that it is costly for both the employer and the employee whatever the cause is.
As director and leader you can do a lot to prevent your employees from getting ill and there is also a lot you can do to stay healthy yourself. It is not uncommon for leaders of any kind that they get squeezed between different levels in the organization and that is an easy way to get into “the famous wall”. It is worth a fortune not to get there – I promise you.
How to avoid? In Sweden we have something called “Systematic work”. Making good structure in the organization, implementing health promoting rules, making inspections to avoid accidents and of course work with the social climate. I don’t know if you have information on this in your country but here is a short guide “Systematic work environment Management” from the Swedish work environment authority. The document gives a good basic insight in what is needed. This is for the organizational level.
Working with Systematic work does not only help people stay healthy, it also makes work easier for everyone since you get a structure in the workplace and the organization. That makes fewer mistakes, more done and in the end more profit! Do you want help with these issues feel free to ask for more information.
When talking about your individual risk for overload I want to get back to the same as I always do. Back to basics. Treat your body and mind like it is designed for. Regularity in exercise, food intake and sleep. Do one thing at a time. Be nice to one another. Get an overview of what your biggest problem is. Make health strategies. If you need help with this I will be glad to help. Send a note for more information about my Health Strategy Program.
Until next week – keep smiling!
