Building a positive work culture helps promote workplace wellness

This article was originally posted by Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS).

What’s the best way to manage employee health and wellness in these changing times of COVID? Focus less on wellness programs, and more on work culture. That’s because work culture plays the biggest role in enhancing overall well-being, team success and job performance.

Positive and respectful work cultures produce so many positive benefits. They help employers recruit higher-quality employees who are productive and loyal. These cultures produce happier, more successful, creative, and innovative workers who are much less likely to engage in negative behaviour. The result is a better bottom line.

A positive work culture is also a primary defence against sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment directly affects one in five Alberta workers. This is not the kind of issue that goes away with remote workplaces. Sexual harassment can happen in any setting, including in-person and online. Still, only a minority are reaching out for help. According to Alberta research conducted for us by Leger, just over one-third of workers (36 percent) would report an incident of sexual harassment to a leader or manager. Even fewer (15 percent) would report to human resources. These data suggest serious health and safety risks for individuals and organizations.

Alberta workers rank leaders and managers who promote a positive work culture as the most important influence on work environments, productivity, and psychological health and safety.

That’s why the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) is leading a new, ground-breaking Alberta-wide campaign called #momentsmatter. This three-year campaign celebrates leaders who are taking a personal role in strengthening and growing positive workplace cultures that help people feel safe and supported, help them grow and succeed — and help stop sexual harassment.

Most people understand the value of a positive work culture. How to build and grow one can be a bit of a mystery. But, according to research, it can be easier than you might think. Through simple, relatable stories, the #momentsmatter campaign models workplace cultures that are positive, inclusive, respectful and free of sexual harassment. Sharing good work stories is the best way to create more of them — one moment at a time. Since people are influenced by their peers, sharing positive stories can help workers be intentional about creating more of them, leading to better work environments.

Sexual harassment training typically shows people what sexual harassment is and warns them not to do it. Unfortunately, this approach hasn’t had the effect we had hoped for. Sexual harassment rates have not changed in decades, and research points to a variety of issues with traditional training approaches that may be contributing to the problem.

At a time when Albertans are addressing big issues related to the economy, inclusion and well-being, #momentsmatter offers tangible and practical help. The campaign is free, easy and more important than ever. Through the month of October and November, AASAS will be hosting short info sessions to provide more details on how to participate. We hope you’ll join us in believing that, when it comes to workplace wellness, little moments can make the biggest difference of all.

Corinne Ofstie is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services which provides leadership, coordination, and collaboration of sexual assault services in Alberta.