Workplace in the new normal heightened the focus on employees’ health and safety to prevent sickness and help curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Employers adapt work-from-home or hybrid arrangements to minimize employees’ exposure outside, installed means such as alcohol or hand sanitizers to promote personal hygiene, implement regular cleaning and sanitation, and make more ventilation, among other measures, to make the workplace safe and healthy during a public health crisis.

But even as the new normal stipulated physical distance, the culture at work still has to be present by maintaining connections among employees to provide support, engagement, and empathy, especially as the pandemic did not only put physical health as a top priority but mental health as well. Several employers implemented programs focused on helping to deal with issues concerning their employees’ mental well-being.

Now, as many employees are coming back to the offices whether in full or hybrid, having a workplace culture that puts safety and health as an utmost priority should be maintained. After all, people’s well-being should have always been focused on, even before the pandemic.

But even as the world moves past the pandemic, occupational safety and health (OSH) are still faced with concerns. These include climate change and the rise in extreme weather events, which are already impacting OSH and would likely keep on growing in the future, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Mental health at the workplace is further gaining significance as well, said ILO, as psychological well-being is seen to be undermined by unsafe or unhealthy conditions or environments at work.

For a better normal at the workplace moving forward, how should a safe and healthy work culture be cultivated? Just as the new normal has emphasized, physical and mental well-being are important. But more than that, fostering a work environment that is safe for everyone should also mind inclusiveness.

Prioritizing healthy and safety should already be given. But aside from that, a safe and healthy workplace is also good for the business and the work towards sustainable development, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. These could improve productivity in the workplace and attract customers, investors, and partnerships.

Employees are more likely to perceive their workplace culture as good if they have a sense of safety at work, as seen in a survey by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) that was released in 2022.

Among the respondents from 12 countries that were studied, 86% said they feel physically safe at work. Additionally, since the pandemic started, more workers (88%) have suggested that safety in the workplace has gone better or stayed unchanged.

“Organizations must have critical elements in place for safety to become a reality, including buy-in from management, employee involvement, intra-organizational communication, analyses of potential hazards in the workplace, procedures to prevent and control those hazards, and organization-wide training,” SHRM noted in the report.

But safety goes beyond the physical. Employees also need to feel that the work culture is safe enough to air their side on matters at work. Companies, therefore, must cultivate a safe environment for communication, wherein employees are empowered to speak up, said SHRM. Of the workers surveyed by the organization, over four of five said they feel safe in conveying their opinions on work-related issues.

“Candidness and transparency — in good faith — breed a strong workplace culture. Workers need to feel comfortable with supervisors, and supervisors must be able to have tough conversations with their subordinates,” SHRM said.

Having a belief that one would not be humiliated or rejected for expressing their ideas, questions, or concerns is defined as psychological safety, as conceptualized by Professor Amy C. Edmondson of Harvard Business School.

Psychological safety is perceived as valuable for inclusion and diversity at work. And at the same time, the importance of diversity and inclusivity for employees’ well-being is also seen.

However, according to a survey from ILO’s Transforming Enterprises through Diversity and Inclusion report published in 2022, only half of the respondents said that diversity and inclusion were adequately recognized and resourced in the culture and strategy in their workplaces. Furthermore, one in four people does not sense being valued at work.

Why should organizations also have to consider inclusion in fostering a culture of safety in their workplaces? “Inclusion reduces stress induced by experiences of bias, harassment, and discrimination,” ILO said in the report. “It promotes high self-esteem and a positive sense of self through the experience of social connection and belonging with others at work and in an environment that is understanding and supportive of individual needs, whether they are linked to health, disability, religion, family or caring responsibilities.”

Aside from benefiting the well-being of the workforce, ILO considered that high levels of diversity, inclusion, and equality could also be related to greater innovation; productivity and performance; as well as talent recruitment and retention at work. — Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio

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