Organisational culture, or 'the way things are done' at a workplace, can have huge and lasting impacts on health and wellbeing. In addition to being a big driver of staff retention (or lack thereof), organisational culture can influence whether workers feel comfortable to speak up about unsafe or unhealthy working conditions; safe to report incidents or near misses should they occur; and can also have long and enduring impacts on physical and psychological wellbeing that can potentially be felt for years to come. 

Strong, positive workplace cultures have the ability to empower workers to be and feel their best, by showing they're a valued and integral member of the team. In contrast, poor cultures, driven by factors such as control, lack of respect, inequality, fear, lack of leadership, judgement, or lack of empathy (to name a few), can lead to stress, dysfunctional thinking, poor health, safety incidents, lowered performance, burnout, anxiety and distress.

Individual jobs come with their own stressors, such as the busy Christmas period for retail workers; being exposed to confronting scenes as a first responder; or performing safety critical work such as flying a plane, operating on a patient, or working with explosives. But, a worker must also deal with organisational stressors: red tape, unrealistic role demands, job creep, micro-managing bosses, absent leadership, competing corporate demands, or lack of consideration for workers as individual people - these stressors (all elements of workplace culture) can compound to make what was once an enjoyable job absolutely unbearable. 

When considering occupational health and workplace wellness, safety culture and workplace culture need to be reviewed. You can have a fun, welcoming workplace, but no regard for safety (we've been to cool silicon-valley-type workplaces with games rooms and bring-your-dog-to-work days, but that also fail to consider issues such as industrial hygiene, fitness for work or working alone in unsafe situations) and you can have workplaces with a 'great' safety culture, but where workers are expected to compete or work around the clock, in exchange for huge pay or the perception of some 'elite' corporate status. We've also been to workplaces that prioritise neither safety, nor health, and frankly, they shouldn't be operational. Health is safety and safety is health and every worker has the right to work each day knowing their health wellbeing is valued and respected.

Organisational culture comes from the top. It's driven by what senior management think and by what senior management do. Culture is created by values, commitment to those values, and by leading by example. To create a safe workplace, a workplace that values individuals just as much as it values the bottom line, then safety and health need to be incorporated into how you work at your organisation. It means fostering an environment of trust, respect and open communication and not just doing the safety or health stuff on designated R U OK Days. It's also about creating an environment where health is valued just as much as output, and appreciating that work impacts health, and health impacts work, with potentially lasting effects for all involved. The success of your business relies on your workforce. Make the health (and safety) of your people just as important as your bottom line and achieving your organisations end goal.