The Chief Well-being Officer: Who are They and Why Do We Need Them?

A dedicated leader and an established strategy

Imagine this: you’re sitting around the table with a group a friends, and a great idea comes to fruition. Everyone is gung-ho to take action therefore a few tasks are divvied up. However, weeks later, when you come together again, no progress has been made.

Why? It’s be because no one was assigned to take the Lead; to establish, own and drive the strategy. I think we can all agree that no matter the setting, every idea needs a strategy and every strategy requires a driver. Without either of them, little progress, if any, is made.

As a tenured workplace well-being professional, I can say with confidence that not having a dedicated leader, with an established strategy, have been the two biggest downfalls in the practice of workplace well-being. There’s good news, however. Companies have an opportunity to right-size how they approach workplace well-being through the hiring of a Chief Well-being Officer (CWO). The success, if approached correctly, can be experienced through an endless list of business metrics that include customer retention, sales wins and losses, medical and pharmacy costs, sick leave and injuries; but on top of it all, the costly expenses of turnover and onboarding.

Before we get to the work of a CWO, let’s define workplace well-being:

First things first, workplace well-being is not new, it actually dates back to post World War II. What’s happened however is that over time, the phrase has become quite muddied. Many think it’s about providing programs such as walking challenges or biometric screenings and/or awarding employees money for participating in these “healthy events.” But that’s not it; not at all. Sure, these activities might find their way in as a support resource, but as standalones, they do not equate to workplace well-being; and if I’m being fully forthright, are a low priority.

Workplace well-being is, and has always been about, creating a healthy culture and climate that:

• Stand on a foundation of employee trust, respect, inclusion and equity;
• Provide an opportunity for professional and economic growth;
• Do not cause and/or exacerbate acute or chronic health condition(s).

Culture versus climate

Workplace culture and climate are two very different things. To keep it simple, culture is when a company says one thing, but the climate says something different. For example:

• The culture at XYZ says: “We want you to take time off and enjoy it!” However, the climate says: “But based on your title/position, you’ll want to make yourself available by text if something urgent comes up while you’re out.” OR
• The culture at BCD says: “Yes, you can schedule a doctor’s appointment during the workday without using a vacation day.” However, the climate says: “But that might not be the case with all managers so check with yours first.”

See the differences? Some might argue that both have the ability to impact the health of an individual, but in my humble opinion, workplace climate is where toxicity, stress, burnout, exclusion, inequality, minimal growth, etc., fester.

Work as a determinant of health

It’s worth the reminder that the workplace has always been a determinant (cause or factor) to a person’s health. Did the pandemic put a spotlight on this? Yes, and for that I’m thankful. But this is not a new concept. Think about it, over the years, we’ve learned about workplace determinants such as smoking and asbestos that cause cancer, hence the reason we have regulations on how and where it’s utilized and/or demolished (asbestos). The same holds true for safety standards and gear for those working with machinery or at high heights. Safety monitors, stands, gloves, harnesses, hard hats, eyewear and ear plugs came about due to some form of on-the-job injury, albeit acute or chronic. However, what’s been ignored are the multitude of additional determinants within the workplace that create a toxic workplace, therefore negatively impact health. For example:

• Ill-equipped employees promoted to leaders and managers
• Micro and/or hostile management
• Minimal to no workplace “rule of engagements” which leaves employees guessing and/or blaming
• Team hierarchy which leave employees afraid to speak up
• Praise for poor behavior
• Backstabbing to get ahead
• Minimal to no employee feedback loops
• Minimal to no clear direction on professional pathways
• Low wages
• Poor time off policies
• Unpredictable work schedules
• Little to no diversity
• Non-existent inclusive practices
• Catered food that doesn’t take into account diet restrictions, allergies, religious beliefs, etc.
• Exempt employees penalized their hourly pay for taking time off for preventive care
• Personal boundaries outside of work hours are disregarded
• Poor staffing which means employees are taking on unsustainable workloads

It’s an endless list, to get to the point reiterated in the U.S Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being, released in 2022: Toxic workplaces cause stress, and stress increase one’s vulnerability to infection, the risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and autoimmune disorders. It can also contribute to smoking, unhealthy dietary habits, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and can have negative impacts on the mental health of the children and families of workers.

The Cheif Well-being Officer

As called out earlier in the article, healthy culture and climate work require a focused Leader. Will this leader work hand in hand with Human Resources (HR)? Yes. Will they also need the hand of every other department with the workplace to commit to collaboration? Yes. Reason being, people (humans) make up every aspect of a workplace. Therefore, the workplace, and its leaders/departments, has to be all in.

Given this role might be “newer” to organizations, it often helps to provide a sneak peek into the evidence-based playbook that influences a CWO’s actions. It includes levers, with specific tactics, highlighted in the following graphic:

Many ask who this person is and/or what skill set this individual needs to bring to the table. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to myself given my goal is to take on this work as a Fractional (e.g. a part-time leader) CWO within as many organizations as I’m able to handle at one time.

All that to say, those of us suited to undertake this work understand one very important key element: a good portion of this work cannot be done from behind a desk; consistent leadership and employee interaction is required. In addition, we (not exclusive):

• Put people first, as a human being, always.
• Understand that trust and partnerships and play a key role in the success of workplace well-being.
• Recognize that workplace well-being is population health management in disguise, therefore have an expertise in this discipline.
• Understand that, in addition to the workplace, a person’s education, income, where they live and many other factors influence health, all of which must be taken into consideration when building the strategy.
• Are an analytical thinker who can utilize data to identify trends and gaps within and across departments populations to inform the strategy.

The So What

It’s time for workplaces to re-evaluate their approach to well-being. Based on my professional experience, far too many are overspending on programs and incentives, which drive little to no return on investment. With the right leader driving the strategy (which I do believe can be done from a part time/fractional standpoint), leveraging the key workplace well-being playbook tactics, organizational and individual health successes can be experienced.

Colleen Saringer, PhD (Follow me here and on LinkedIn)

Throughout my 25-year tenure in workplace well-being, I have helped hundreds of organizations nationwide solve for the transformation of workplace culture (e.g. engagement, inclusion, relationship development, recruitment, retention and productivity) through the lens of health, equity, well-being, diversity, inclusion, safety and several other cross-collaboration opportunities.

I’m available for hire as your Fractional Chief Well-being Officer. Together we can build a healthy, scalable culture which will result in the growth of your employees and business.

Resources

U.S Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being

Health Enhancement Research Organization

HLWF ™ Alliance

No more silos, just solutions! | Interdisciplinary outcomes uniting healthcare and wellness practices.

Our community of women leaders, health heroes and wellness wizards take a holistic view working on the intersections of health and wellbeing — join us at HLWF ™ Alliance.