A Cure for the Common Company

A Cure for the Common Company Plot Summary

Introduction

Imagine walking into a workplace where you feel energized rather than drained, where your health is valued as much as your productivity, and where the culture actively supports your well-being. This isn't a fantasy but a achievable reality that forward-thinking organizations are creating today. The challenge many leaders face isn't understanding why workplace well-being matters—it's knowing how to systematically transform their culture to support it. The path to creating a thriving workplace requires more than wellness programs or occasional initiatives. It demands a comprehensive approach that addresses the fundamental building blocks of organizational culture. When these elements work together harmoniously, they create an environment where healthy choices become easier and more natural for everyone. By understanding and implementing these six essential building blocks, you can transform your workplace into one where employees flourish physically, mentally, and emotionally—while simultaneously improving organizational performance.

Chapter 1: Assess Your Current Workplace Culture

Workplace culture profoundly impacts employee well-being and performance, yet many organizations struggle to accurately assess their current cultural landscape. Understanding where you stand is the essential first step toward meaningful transformation. This assessment phase requires honest evaluation of both formal policies and informal norms that shape daily experiences. Johns Hopkins Medicine exemplifies this approach through their comprehensive cultural assessment. When Richard Safeer joined Hopkins, he spent significant time observing the organization's environment before taking action. He noticed contradictions between the institution's health-focused mission and certain workplace practices—like bake sales raising money for the American Diabetes Association while simultaneously promoting sugary foods that contribute to diabetes. This observation highlighted a disconnect between stated values and actual practices. This assessment revealed what Safeer calls "culture connection points"—touchpoints where organizational practices either support or undermine well-being. At Hopkins, these included communication channels, physical environments, rewards systems, and leadership behaviors. By mapping these connection points, Safeer could identify where the organization's health promotion efforts were inconsistent with its daily practices. The assessment phase should examine multiple dimensions of your workplace culture. Start by reviewing formal policies related to work hours, breaks, and benefits. Then observe informal norms—how meetings are conducted, whether people take lunch breaks, and how stress is discussed. Gather data through surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations to understand employee perceptions. Pay particular attention to subcultures within different departments or teams, as practices often vary significantly across an organization. For maximum effectiveness, involve employees from all levels in this assessment process. Their perspectives will reveal blind spots that leadership might miss. At Hopkins, Safeer created a dashboard that visually represented each affiliate's progress on healthy beverage initiatives, using color coding to highlight areas of success and those needing improvement. This transparent assessment created healthy competition and accountability across the organization. Remember that assessment isn't about finding fault but establishing a baseline for improvement. Approach this process with curiosity rather than judgment, and be prepared for some uncomfortable truths about the gap between your organization's stated values and daily practices.

Chapter 2: Align Values with Well-Being Priorities

Creating a well-being culture begins with establishing shared values that align organizational priorities with employee needs. These values serve as the foundation for all subsequent culture-building efforts and provide a framework for decision-making at every level. When well-being becomes a core value rather than just a program, it transforms from a peripheral initiative to a central aspect of organizational identity. Companies like REI demonstrate how shared values drive organizational culture. REI's commitment to outdoor recreation isn't just marketing—it's embedded in their benefits structure through "Yay Days," which are paid days off specifically for outdoor activities. This benefit directly connects the company's outdoor-focused mission with employee well-being, creating alignment between business objectives and personal fulfillment. Similarly, HUB International Limited built their wellness program around their core value of caring. Their "H3 - HUB Healthy Habits" initiative wasn't developed in isolation but emerged from their existing organizational values. As a result, employees perceive well-being initiatives not as disconnected programs but as natural extensions of the company's identity. To establish shared well-being values in your organization, begin by examining your existing mission and values statements. Look for connections between your organizational purpose and employee well-being. At IBM, their Responsibility Report explicitly states that "employee well-being is essential to IBM's success," directly connecting business outcomes with employee health. This clarity helps employees understand that their personal well-being matters to the organization's future. Next, involve employees in articulating what well-being means in your specific context. Different organizations will emphasize different aspects of well-being based on their industry, workforce demographics, and business challenges. For example, manufacturing companies might prioritize physical safety and ergonomics, while technology firms might focus on mental health and work-life boundaries. The key is ensuring these values reflect both organizational needs and employee priorities. Once established, these shared values must be communicated consistently and reinforced through multiple channels. Dell Technologies declared health a priority for both employees and customers, setting a "moonshot goal" to advance health initiatives that would impact one billion people by 2030. This ambitious public commitment signals to employees that well-being isn't just an internal program but central to the company's future direction.

Chapter 3: Create a Supportive Social Environment

A positive social climate forms the emotional foundation of workplace well-being. It encompasses the collective feeling of inclusivity, positivity, and shared vision that employees experience daily. This climate determines whether people feel safe, valued, and connected—essential prerequisites for both personal well-being and organizational performance. Southwest Airlines exemplifies how communication shapes social climate. Their approach goes beyond formal policies to create a genuine sense of community. When a Southwest employee experienced a family tragedy, the company not only provided standard bereavement leave but organized meal deliveries and created a support network. This response demonstrated that Southwest's caring culture wasn't just a slogan but a lived reality, strengthening the social bonds that sustain employee well-being during difficult times. Trust forms another crucial element of positive social climate. At Aetna, CEO Mark Bertolini took the remarkable step of sharing his personal mental health struggles following a skiing accident. By revealing his own vulnerability, Bertolini made it safer for employees to acknowledge their challenges. This openness transformed Aetna's approach to mental health, reducing stigma and encouraging employees to seek support rather than suffering in silence. To cultivate a positive social climate in your organization, start by examining how people connect during their workday. Create opportunities for meaningful interaction beyond task-focused meetings. Zoom Video Communications formed a dedicated "happiness crew" responsible for organizing activities that foster connection. These aren't frivolous distractions but strategic investments in the social fabric that sustains organizational resilience. Pay particular attention to onboarding processes, as first impressions significantly impact how employees perceive the social environment. When Twitter revamped their onboarding, they created a "Yes to Desk" program that ensures new hires feel welcomed and connected from their first day. This program includes assigning a peer mentor, organizing team lunches, and scheduling regular check-ins to help newcomers build relationships quickly. Remember that social climate is shaped by everyday interactions, not just formal programs. Encourage expressions of appreciation, celebrate achievements, and model respectful communication. At HubSpot, managers are trained to recognize team members' contributions publicly and provide specific, meaningful feedback. These small but consistent actions create an atmosphere where people feel valued and motivated to support each other's well-being.

Chapter 4: Transform Workplace Norms

Workplace norms—the unwritten rules governing behavior—powerfully influence employee well-being, often more than formal policies. These collective expectations shape daily decisions about everything from taking breaks to expressing stress. Transforming these norms is essential for creating a sustainable culture of well-being that supports healthier choices. The Motley Fool provides an instructive example of how organizations can intentionally shape health-supporting norms. When they noticed employees skipping breaks and eating lunch at their desks, they didn't simply create a policy mandating breaks. Instead, they addressed the underlying social dynamics by having leaders model the desired behavior. Their Chief Wellness Fool, Sam Whiteside, began organizing impromptu wellness activities during the workday, pulling employees from different departments to participate in brief movement sessions. This approach made taking breaks for well-being not just acceptable but socially rewarded. Changing entrenched norms requires understanding the psychological principles that drive conformity. David Rock's SCARF model (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness) explains why people resist changing behaviors that provide social belonging. At Johns Hopkins Medicine, leaders recognized that their beverage initiative wouldn't succeed by simply removing unhealthy options. They needed to address the social dynamics around beverage choices by making water less expensive than sugary drinks and using green leaf symbols to designate healthy choices, making the healthier option both economically and socially advantageous. To develop health-supporting norms in your organization, start by identifying which current norms undermine well-being. Common examples include working through lunch, responding to emails during off-hours, or celebrating achievements with unhealthy foods. Then select specific norms to change, focusing on those with the greatest impact on daily well-being. For instance, if after-hours email creates stress, establish a norm of scheduling messages to be delivered during work hours. Building infrastructure to support new norms is crucial for their adoption. When Vermont Public School System wanted to create a norm of starting the day with mindfulness practices, they provided teachers with training, classroom materials, and a supportive peer network. This comprehensive approach made the new practice sustainable rather than a short-lived initiative. Remember that norm changes should be meaningful to employees, not imposed from above. Involve team members in identifying which norms matter most to their well-being, and recognize that different teams may need different approaches based on their specific work demands and existing subcultures.

Chapter 5: Design Meaningful Connection Points

Culture connection points are the tangible levers organizations can use to influence employee behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs about well-being. These touchpoints—including communication channels, physical environments, rewards systems, and organizational traditions—provide practical ways to reinforce your well-being values and norms throughout the employee experience. Johns Hopkins Medicine transformed their beverage culture by strategically using multiple connection points. They didn't simply remove unhealthy drinks but implemented a comprehensive approach that included communication, pricing, visual cues, and leadership messaging. They created cards for their home-visiting nurses to attach to car sun visors, showing sugar content in popular drinks. They placed green stickers in front of healthy drink choices and red ones for unhealthy options. They made water less expensive than sugary alternatives. And perhaps most importantly, the School of Medicine dean dedicated his monthly column to explaining the health impacts of sugary beverages, signaling institutional commitment to the change. Physical workspace design represents another powerful connection point. USAA created "Energize Zones" throughout their buildings—designated areas where employees can take brief breaks for light exercise or quiet reflection. These spaces serve as visual reminders of the organization's commitment to well-being and make healthy behaviors more accessible during the workday. Similarly, UC Davis demonstrated leadership commitment by moving senior executives' parking spots farther from building entrances, encouraging more walking and modeling the importance of physical activity. To effectively leverage connection points in your organization, start by mapping all the ways your workplace communicates values to employees. Consider orientation materials, meeting structures, recognition programs, physical spaces, and leadership behaviors. Then identify which points have the greatest influence on daily experience and target those for alignment with your well-being goals. Stories and narratives provide particularly effective connection points for shaping culture. Unilever created storytelling films featuring leaders' personal well-being journeys, including Chief Learning Officer Tim Munden's experience with post-traumatic stress disorder. These narratives humanize well-being challenges and demonstrate that vulnerability is acceptable within the organization, even at leadership levels. Remember that connection points must work together coherently to be effective. If your wellness program encourages healthy eating but your cafeteria primarily offers unhealthy options, these contradictory messages undermine your culture-building efforts. Audit your connection points regularly to ensure they consistently support your well-being values rather than sending mixed signals.

Chapter 6: Build Effective Peer Support Networks

Peer support networks harness the profound influence that colleagues have on each other's well-being behaviors and attitudes. These networks create structures for employees to encourage healthy habits, provide emotional support, and share practical strategies for navigating workplace challenges. When effectively facilitated, peer support becomes one of the most sustainable drivers of well-being culture. Massachusetts General Hospital demonstrated the power of peer support during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating the MGH Buddy Program. As healthcare workers faced unprecedented stress, isolation, and trauma, the hospital paired employees to check in on each other regularly. According to Kerrie Palamara, who leads the hospital's Center for Physical Well-Being, "There was a sense of loneliness and disconnect between people, and people were really seeking human connection." The buddy system provided a structured way for employees to support each other through an extraordinarily difficult period, preventing burnout and promoting resilience. Union Pacific Railroad incorporated peer support into their safety culture through their "Courage to Care" pledge. This program trains employees to address unsafe behaviors directly but positively with their peers and to recognize colleagues for safety-conscious actions. The result has been remarkably effective—less than one injury for every 200,000 employee work hours. This approach recognizes that peers often have more immediate influence on daily behaviors than formal policies or leadership directives. To encourage peer support networks in your organization, start by creating structured opportunities for employees to connect around well-being goals. Johns Hopkins Medicine's "Race the Globe Steps Challenge" forms teams of eight employees who encourage each other to increase physical activity. This team-based approach leverages social connection to sustain motivation and creates accountability without managerial oversight. Training is essential for effective peer support. Google trains employees to become mental health allies, who then wear a blue dot on their ID badges signaling they're available for supportive conversations. This training ensures that peer supporters have the skills to listen effectively, maintain appropriate boundaries, and connect colleagues with professional resources when needed. Remember that peer support extends beyond the workplace to include family connections. Intel expanded their paid leave benefits to support employees through difficult personal circumstances, recognizing that family support is crucial for well-being. Similarly, companies like Progressive Insurance and Nicklaus Children's Hospital host farmers markets at their workplaces, helping employees access healthy food options without an extra stop on their way home—a simple way to support both employee and family well-being.

Chapter 7: Lead by Example

Leadership behaviors profoundly shape workplace well-being culture, setting the tone for what's valued and expected throughout the organization. When leaders prioritize well-being in their decisions, communications, and personal practices, they create permission and inspiration for employees to do the same. This leadership commitment transforms well-being from a peripheral program to a central aspect of organizational identity. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson demonstrated this principle during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, he sent a clear message to employees that "No partner should be asked to choose between work and their health." He then backed this statement with action, paying retail employees in the United States and Canada for 30 days even as stores began to close. This decision immediately relieved anxiety about paychecks and demonstrated that employee well-being truly was a priority, not just a talking point. Ellen Derrick, a managing partner at Deloitte Management Consulting, modeled vulnerability by sharing her own well-being challenges while supporting her daughter who has cystic fibrosis and diabetes. When her daughter was hospitalized, Derrick openly discussed on social media how she maintained her own well-being through finding joy with friends, music, and comedy. By sharing her personal struggles, she made it easier for others at Deloitte to acknowledge their own challenges and seek support. To lead with well-being in mind, start by making it a visible priority in your team or organization. Put well-being on meeting agendas, incorporate it into annual events, and address institutional barriers that make healthy choices difficult. At Johnson & Johnson, managers are held accountable for their team members' health and well-being, and they're expected to model healthy behaviors by exercising alongside employees during company time. This accountability ensures that well-being isn't just discussed but actively supported through leadership actions. Be mindful of how your own behaviors influence those around you. If you send emails at night, you're implicitly encouraging others to stay connected after hours, regardless of your stated policies about work-life boundaries. Similarly, if you skip breaks or work while ill, you're establishing these as expected behaviors. Dan, an IT leader at Johns Hopkins, recognized this influence and intentionally maintained his habit of running at lunchtime, making it visible to his team. He then expanded this modeling by introducing walking meetings and encouraging standing during team gatherings. Remember that leading with well-being requires both systemic and personal approaches. Address organizational policies and practices that undermine well-being, while also attending to your own health needs. As Richard Safeer notes, "How you show up to work and how you feel inside greatly impacts the well-being of those you lead. Put your own oxygen mask on first."

Summary

Transforming workplace culture to support well-being requires a comprehensive approach that addresses shared values, social climate, norms, connection points, peer support, and leadership behaviors. These building blocks work together to create an environment where healthy choices become easier and more natural for everyone. As Lydia Campbell, Chief Medical Officer at IBM, wisely observed, "A culture of health requires a fundamental commitment to its possibility—not just through a policy, but in every decision we make." The journey toward a well-being culture is ongoing and evolving. It requires persistent attention to both formal structures and informal interactions that shape daily experience. Start by assessing your current culture honestly, then systematically align your organization's values, social climate, norms, and practices to support employee well-being. Remember that small, consistent actions often have more impact than grand initiatives. Today, take one step toward creating a workplace where well-being is woven into the fabric of daily experience—whether that's starting meetings with a moment of mindfulness, taking a walking break with a colleague, or simply asking team members how they're really doing. Your leadership in this area doesn't just benefit individual employees; it creates the foundation for a more resilient, engaged, and successful organization.

About Author

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Richard Safeer

For the past 20 years, workplace health pioneer and thought leader Richard Safeer, M.D. has assessed cultures, trained leaders, and conducted and explored research on the intersection of individual and organizational behavior.Dr. Safeer currently serves as the Chief Medical Director of Employee Health and Well-Being for Johns Hopkins Medicine where he leads the Healthy at Hopkins employee health and well-being strategy. He is a regular conference speaker on the topic of building a culture of health and well-being and has published numerous journal articles on the topic. He taught the inaugural graduate course, ‘Organizational Health,’ at American University. In addition, he teaches in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.In January 2023, in response to Americans’ health challenges today and based on his experiences driving employee health and well-being strategies, with publisher Wiley, Dr. Safeer will release A Cure for the Common Company: A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient Workforce. Dr Safeer is the first author to provide a step-by-step roadmap for creating a well-being culture that integrates science with practical solutions as demonstrated by the numerous real stories from successful companies.Previously, he was the Medical Director of Preventive Medicine for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been credited for bringing wellness into the responsibilities of the managed care industry and led CareFirst BCBS to be among the first cohort of health plans to be accredited for Wellness by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.Prior to CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Dr. Safeer was the Medical Director of an occupational health center in Baltimore and Wellness Director for the Mid-Atlantic region of the center’s parent company, Concentra Medical Centers. Previously, he was on the faculty at The George Washington University, where he served as residency director of the Family Medicine training program. Dr. Safeer began his career practicing family medicine in Northern Virginia.Dr. Safeer completed his bachelor’s degree in nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University before graduating from medical school at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed his residency in family medicine at Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and completed a faculty development fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is certified in clinical lipidology by the National Lipid Association.He previously served on the board of directors for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and the American College of Preventive Medicine. He serves on the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst Insight Council.

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