Wellness Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

April 1, 2018 By Sharon Weinstein

Culture drives performance…engagement

Employees are unhappy at work, and companies are paying for it! Results matter and to survive and thrive in today’s economy, companies need an engaged workforce. The bottom line, in companies large and small, is a concern that can be managed through culture and hiring practices.

If you were to rewrite the future of your organization, what might that look like? What changes could you make in your company’s culture that would drive performance, enhance the bottom line, and generate an engaged workforce that ensures your success and theirs?

As a master of work/life balance, I’ve spoken and written about the impact of the environment on behavior, productivity, relationships, and yes- health! What I know is that CULTURE DRIVES PERFORMANCE…and a culture of success is the first step in communicating your goals, your vision, and your mission. Employees can and should be ambassadors for your organization; they will do so if you set expectations with them, communicate those expectations, and hold them accountable.

Reward your superstars by recognizing and cloning them. Author Seth Godin has often referenced past culture (follow instruction, be on time, work hard, suck it up), with current culture (be remarkable, be generous, be creative and connect people and ideas). What I know is that CULTURE DRIVES PERFORMANCE, and a culture of recognition and replication will lead to success.

You are familiar with the Good to Great philosophy of “having the right people in the right seats on your bus.” Take it a step further with the right fit credo. Hire for values! What I know is that CULTURE DRIVES PERFORMANCE, and a value-driven culture will attract and retain the right people.

In the words of John Ruskin, “In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.”

Ruskin says in a simple quote what I know to be true: CULTURE DRIVES PERFORMANCE, and a culture of success, recognition and fit will drive your future!

February 9, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

E is for Engagement…

Nurses are the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and they are at the core of care delivery, safety, and outcomes. In today’s environment, we hear much about the patient experience but think about it – you cannot deliver a great patient experience without great employee engagement.

Are those responsible for providing care in your organization treated as well as those they serve? Engaged employees are energized, committed, action-oriented, problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and innovators. They have a voice, and their voices drive change within the organization. They see, touch, and feel it each and every day. Engagement is woven within the vision, mission, and goals of the institution, and your staff knows it.

A crisis exists today…and that crisis is stress. Regarding of the professional role, stress is usually work-related. We all have the same requisite number of hours in a day – only 24. And yet, we try to extend those hours and make them equal 36 or more. It is virtually impossible, and our productivity demonstrates our failure to adhere to the ‘work day’ as a somewhat normal work day.

A workplace is only as good as how it treats its workers. Today’s employers are constantly seeking ways to assist their workers in managing their job responsibilities and their personal responsibilities and needs. Strategies for work/life balance help create supportive, healthy work environments; strengthen employee commitment and loyalty, and result in more productive workplaces and improved patient outcomes. Nurses are at the heart and soul of healthcare, and yet, they sometimes do not have time for self-care and renewal activities – activities what would make them whole, enhance their well-being, and allow them to celebrate themselves.

Think about what drives engagement! “An analysis of Press Ganey’s national nurse engagement database Dempsey et al, 2015 identified drivers of nurse engagement. Key drivers of nurse engagement in 2015 included:

The organization provides high-quality care and service.
The organization treats employees with respect.
I like the work I do.
The environment makes employees in my work unit want to go above and beyond what’s expected of them.
My pay is fair compared to other health care employers in this area.
My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
I get the tools and resources I need to provide the best care/service for our clients/patients.
The organization provides career development opportunities.
This organization conducts business in an ethical manner.
Patient safety is a priority in this organization.”

By giving nurses a voice; by providing a healthy work environment, including opportunities for professional advancement and personal growth, today’s health systems will put the E in Engagement – enhancing retention, empowering staff, and enriching the workplace.

January 8, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

Are You Managing Human Resources or Human Lives?

Do you want to be valued as a product or as a human being? Chances are that you have thought about this concept during an especially frustrating day at work, or after a long sequence of stressful experiences. Why does it matter? It matters because today, more than ever before, employees are feeling undervalued, less recognized, and overwhelmed. Employees are stressed, and at the core of much of this stress is the work environment. Within many industries, we have mastered the importance of a healing environment. How much attention do we give to lighting, lack of clutter, better views, privacy, HVAC, healthy plants, and art? Can the work environment be supportive and human-centered? Can it be less overwhelming?

Overwhelmed Employees

The concepts of work-life balance have been lost, thanks to a proliferation of technology and the breakdown in barriers between work and life. When your work life and personal life blend together under the guise of “multi-tasking,” both suffer. When you are at work, focus on the job to be done. When you are finished with work, don’t bring it home with you. Make time for your personal life. If your work materials are dispersed throughout nearly every room of your house, you have no place for a real retreat. You’re not spending high-quality time with friends or family members if you’re talking on your cell phone or checking your e-mail when you’re with family. The sheer complexity of our lives creates internal distress and can wreak havoc on our bodies. And, we do it in the name of being the ‘loyal employee’ also known as ‘human capital.’ It has become so intense that the focus on human capital management (HCM) has intensified.

Human Capital Management: the new HR

HCM is an approach to employee staffing that perceives people as assets whose current value can be measured and whose future value can be enhanced through investment. Have you given much thought to investing in your people, because according to master people manager, Sam Walton, “The way management treats associates is exactly how the associates will treat the customers.”

Think about HCM as a responsibility for attracting, developing and managing the firm’s biggest asset: people. Are you managing human capital/resources or human lives in your organization? An organization that supports HCM provides employees with clearly defined and consistently communicated performance expectations. Managers are responsible for rating, rewarding, and holding employees accountable for achieving specific business goals, creating innovation and supporting improvement. An organization that supports and manages human lives puts its people first and creates an experience for them. Let’s talk about your own expectations!

Expectation or Experience

Chances are that at one time you were an ‘employee.’ As an employee, did you want a job or an experience? And, if it was the job you were after, which by the way is often referred to as ‘just over broke,’ did it meet your expectations? Did you feel recognized, valued, appreciated, and were you a part of the team?

If it was the experience you were after, perhaps you joined an organization like Apple, where every day is just that – an experience! Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder, was famous for this statement, “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer had been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I knew I need to change something.”

Today’s human resources departments are so much more than a single representative, handling claims and pushing papers. Today’s human resources departments may be known as ‘Capital Management, or ‘Talent Management.’ And while much of today’s workforce is highly talented, is that talented pool taking up space or actually engaged in the work process? Nearly 40% of the US workforce now works part time. Baby boomers who lost their jobs are often out of work for 18-24 months. Millennials want more creative jobs and they want to work for startups (or for themselves). And everyone wants work to be easier, less punishing, and more meaningful. Yes, everyone, including you, wants something, and often that ‘something’ is to be valued as a person, and treated with respect.

Managing Lives

How do we define the relationship between employers and employees? How do we view the dedicated employee? If we follow the Sam Walton model, we know that how we treat the employee is how the employee will treat the customer or client. For years, in marketing programs across the country, we studied our internal and external customers. We knew that we had to add value to our internal customers if we wanted to succeed.

November 24, 2013 By Sharon Weinstein

Fatigue – how do you know when it affects YOU?

We all experience it at one time or another, but how do we know when it is in control, and when we have lost control? The death of a young nurse from Ohio was a wake-up call to the health professions and others that long hours, lack of sleep, lack of hydration and more is just not working. So, what is your role in dealing with fatigue? What do you do to overcome the challenge, and is it working for you?

May 28, 2013 By Sharon Weinstein

Forest Bathing

So how do you bathe without water? Exactly what is Forest bathing and why don’t you get wet?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we learn that – In Japan, a forest bathing trip, called Shinrinyoku in Japanese, is a short, leisurely visit to a forest and is regarded as being similar to natural aromatherapy. So, what is aromatherapy? Aromatherapy uses volatile plant materials (essential oils), and other compounds to improve one’s mind, mood, cognition and/or health.

So why Forest Bathing? We all seek rest and relaxation; we all seek the good lifestyle. In today’s society, we need to take time for relaxation. We know that being out in the fresh air, in a forest preserve or park, invigorates the body and the cells within that body – enhancing their activity. What we don’t know is that 74% of physician office visits are related to stress-induced symptoms, so if could eliminate some of those stressors, we might start to feel better. Forest bathing could, and should, be the first step.

A seasonal experience…

And, along comes forest bathing – the ideal walk in the woods – and it works any time of the year. But, now is a perfect time to get started. The days are longer and we are spending more time outside than ever before. For many of us, the economy has limited the kinds of activities that we can do solo or as a family or group. Think about it – n the spring and summer, during allergy season, spending more time in nature could have surprising health benefits. In the fall, we get a double bonus – not just a walk in the woods for fresh air and the peace that it brings to us, but the colorful array of leaves and nature. In the winter, the ground is covered with frost or snow, yet the air that we breathe is clean, cool, and invigorating. In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete walls for some time with Mother Nature – forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees – they experience increased immune function.

A family experience…

The entire family can benefit from a walk in the woods. The kids will breathe good air, enjoy the benefits of nature, collect leaves, and scrapbook them when they get home. Parents will enjoy being outside with those nearest and dearest to them. They will enjoy nature through the eyes and ears of a child – as only children can see it.

The Russian forests…

I had the privilege of working in Russia for nearly ten years in the healthcare sector, and while I stayed in the city and used public transportation, I often thought about getting out of town for the weekend and enjoying the natural beauties of the country. My colleagues made it a point to visit their country homes on the weekends – yes, even in the winter – to sit by a fire while inside, but to experience nature in the forest outside. And, I had the joy of joining them on many occasions – walking through the forest – and revisiting nature. What a difference it made in my own life. I was working 100 hour weeks, often traveling between cities and between countries in a week’s time. I needed to relax, and I did not make the time to do so. My ‘forest bathing’ experience restored my own well-being and taught me an important lesson about self-care. You cannot care for others until you take care of yourself!

The studies…

One study published in January 2011 included data on 280 healthy people in Japan. On one day, some people were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours, while others walked through a city area. On the second day, they traded places. The scientists found that being among plants produced “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,” among other things. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17903349)

Although the University of Sussex claims a nature walk reduces stress only by 42% (as determined by pulse rate) while reading just six minutes brings your stress levels down by 68%, the side benefits of walking through the woods are very compelling. So, the next time that you are facing burnout and need to switch gears for awhile, walk away from your desk and/or your wired device, and head out for the nearest forest preserve to enjoy nature.

In addition to mental and emotional well-being, more than half of the most commonly prescribed drugs include compounds derived from nature – for example Taxol, used against ovarian and breast cancer, is derived from yew trees, while Xylitol, which can inhibit dental cavities, is produced from hardwood bark.

Your own experience…

Create your own experience with forest bathing! What can you do if you are not near a forest preserve? Simply remove your shoes and walk barefoot in your own backyard.

Experience the earth and the ground and take time to meditate on your blessings
Be mindful of your life, your health, your body and your being
Make forest bathing a ritual within your family and within your home
Get back to nature…it is easy…it is cost-effective…and the benefits are real

To start the process: