HR - bridging the gap between employee engagement and health

Upon reviewing the recent 2023 Employee Engagement Trends Report, Michelle Safely, General Manager Phoenix Occupational Medicine, reflected on the second trend - to focus on employee wellbeing as the heart of engagement.  Michelle and the team at Phoenix Occupational Medicine, place wellbeing at the heart of what they do - not only for each other, but for their clients.  Supporting employers to improve, maintain and sustain employee health is central to the services provided by Phoenix Occupational Medicine.

The C-Suite gap

Michelle knows that the HR team is integral to supporting employees directly, but she sees a gap in many organisations. That gap?  For HR to support the C-Suite in ensuring employee health is at the heart of strategic planning, and all decision making.  The C-Suite have a wide range of obligations, but it seems that other factors hold greater influence on strategy, such as stakeholder priorities, accelerated growth, and increasing business costs.  

The need for trusted advisors

HR, and health and safety teams can support the C-Suite by ensuring duty of care for the health and safety of their employees is not only met, but it is considered within strategic planning. With the advent of industrial manslaughter legislation, and new codes of practice relating to psychosocial safety coming into force there is a legislative and moral imperative to take action.

It seems like an onerous task, especially for those white-collar industries not historically involved in ‘health and safety’, but Phoenix Occupational Medicine has the right tools, knowledge, and people to support the C-Suite.  

This article first appeared in the March 2023 newsletter for Leaders Lounge.