Cultivating a positive work environment: a different approach to employee wellness.

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Cultivating a positive work environment a
different approach to employee wellness. by Dr
Renalde Huysamen
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HE challenges
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Individual performance
Quality
Accountability
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Internal environment
Pressure on employees are often aggravated by
high levels of specialist expertise as they
generally bring a form of tunnel vision with them
- Experts become prisoners of their own
disciplines, limiting them from seeing the big
picture.
The accountant /economist sees only the
bottom-line
The IR specialist /HR sees only formulised
relationships
The industrial psychologist/humanities sees only
people issues
The strategist sees only transformation
And the institution sees only its .. ?
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We see the institution as a living system similar
to the human system. If almost all parts are
working well, but a single part is defected,
the complete system suffers..
6 x Faculty
CHESD
HR
Financial admin
Student services
Top management
Marketing
Inter- dependency
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The US-THEM syndrome
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Problem solving
AT THE BEHAVIOURIAL LEVEL
EVENTS
Very busy- meetings with no solutions
Blunt saw syndrome- Deny problem exists
Crisis management-bottlenecks /registration/exam
papers
Busy fools-dont Discuss work problems
REACTIVE
Symptoms
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR
RESPONSIVE
STRUCTURE
GENERATIVE
POLICIES, PROCEDURES, MANAGEMENT ATTITUDES,
DECISION MAKING
Root causes
EVENT LEVEL
Peter Senge
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Organisational culture
Reactive
EVENTS
Rainmaker Spirit
Hunter Spirit
External Influences
Devinition Spirit
Responsive
Clan Spirit
INFLUENCING ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
War Spirit
Wandering Spirit
Avenging Spirit
Witch Spirit
(Mbigi)
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR
(Senge)
STRUCTURE,POLICIES,PROCEDURES, MANAGEMENT
ATTITUDES, ETC.
Generitive
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Negative
Positive
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• John Gardner said the following Most ailing
  organizations have developed a functional
  blindness to their own defects. They are not
  suffering because they can not resolve problems
  but because they cannot see their problems.

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wellness report
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PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED IN HE CONTEXT

• Problem solving, decision making.
• Policy guidelines.
• Work overload
• Opportunities for professional growth and
  developmental opportunities
• Consistent implementation of policies
• Planning of resources e.g. parking
• Student profile
• Administrative load

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motivated????????????
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Healthy?
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For centuries large organisations have modeled
themselves after the pyramid...
...the structure used by ancient Egyptians to
entomb their dead leaders. Robert
M. Tomasko
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Brain-Dead but breathing
I am different
Stumbling along the roads others have walked
before
It is critical to redefine the managers role no
intervention sustains momentum without
changing the managers role
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• THIS IMPLIES KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EMPLOYEE NEEDS,
  PERCEPTIONS, EXPECTATIONS.

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Work Environment Elements
Trust
Leadership
Decision making
Procedures
mentoring
sense of belonging
Face to face contact
Career planning
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CAR WITHOUT INSTRUMENT PANEL
WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH INDIVIDUALS
IN ORDER TO DO THIS WE NEED A FORMAL INSTRUMENT
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WORK ENVIRONMENT INSTRUMENT.
Example
No Work environment factor IMPORTANCE EFFECTIVENESS SATISFACTION
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Overall Work Environment Effectiveness Indicator
x
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conclusion

• A positive work environment created by management
  leads to improved employee wellness and
  performance.

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Thank you
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