The Workplace Wellbeing Landscape in the U.S. with Jen Arnold
In this episode of The Work Well Podcast, we are joined by Jen Arnold. Jen is the founder of Redesigning Wellness, a company and podcast that aims to improve traditional wellness programmes by supporting other companies' wellbeing through training, writing, and speaking.
Her podcast, Redesigning Wellness, was one of the first independent podcasts discussing workplace wellbeing and was a huge influence on the creation of this podcast. Jen is a TEDx speaker and storytelling fanatic who uses humor to keep people engaged episode after episode.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Jen and her family have embraced the digital nomad lifestyle by traveling around the US in an RV while also managing her business!
What is it like working and living on the road and having a business?
After many years working in corporate America and founding her own business, Jen and her family decided, in early 2020, that they were going to sell their house and travel the country in an RV. So, when the COVID pandemic hit, what began as a simple relocation, became a journey, and the perfect opportunity for Jen to prove that she could run a company remotely.
One of the clear benefits of COVID is the fact that everything can now be done virtually, which has helped Jen balance her work and her life on the road. Although she admits it isn’t an easy task.
The workplace wellbeing landscape in the U.S.
Even before the pandemic, “the wellbeing space in America was starting to gear more towards mental health”, says Jen, and COVID only accelerated the process of including mental health into the conversation of organisational wellbeing.
Employees are mentally and emotionally exhausted and CEOs are eager to bring people back into workplaces. Everyone seems to want to go back to normal, but the reality is that normal doesn’t exist anymore, and we have to create an environment that responds to the changing needs of employees.
Implementing ISO45003 in the workplace
ISO45003 is still very new to most organisations and we need industry professionals and wellbeing leaders to spread the word about it so companies can properly promote mental wellbeing in their workplaces.
Brian and Jen agree that senior leadership commitment is required to properly implement ISO45003 in an organisation and it is by no means a quick fix. Once leadership support is in place, the best way for organisations to get started with ISO45003, is to focus on psychosocial hazard identification and prevention. This can be achieved by conducting risk assessments, talking to colleagues, understanding what their problems are and then implementing small changes. All of the above are steps that companies of all sizes can take towards creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, which is what ISO45003 is all about.
Is there an equivalent to ISO45003 in the US?
Aside from ISO45003, Canada, has its own national standard on mental health in the workplace (2013) and in the UK there are the management standards that help promote psychological health and safety in the workplace (2017), but Jen comments that there aren’t any official national standards in the U.S.
Even though there isn’t a standard, Jen acknowledges that companies and leaders are taking steps towards improving wellness in the workplace. Particularly during COVID, psychological health has become more important amongst employees, which shows the increasing need for wellness programmes and standards.
What’s next for the Redesigning Wellness Podcast
Redesigning Wellness has been going for more than 5 years and Jen is taking a break from recording to think about the future of the podcast.
Jen is considering coming back to podcasting in the new year, focusing primarily on hearing personal stories as people overcome challenges and difficult times. Her plan is to dig deeper into the mental and psychological health of individuals while still keeping that workplace focus.
“We're all going through some really tough times. Even without COVID, we've all lost loved ones. We've had sick parents. We've had sick friends, we've had hard kids to deal with and how can I help people get through some of those really hard times?”, says Jen regarding her professional goals.
The future of workplace wellbeing according to Jen Arnold
Jen believes that the COVID pandemic has shone the spotlight on the need for standardised measurements that protect and support workers’ psychological wellbeing. In the post-pandemic era, research is needed to provide guidelines companies can implement to support employees in and out of the office.
Jen’s forecast leans towards a more flexible approach to work. “I think people do need that flexibility to take care of their personal lives and to be able to work from home when they want to.”. Not every company has embraced flexible working arrangements but Jen believes that workers who have not been given that flexibility will vote with their feet and lead the changes they want to see in the workplaces of the future.
If you’d prefer to watch our conversation, you can view it on YouTube through this link.
If you liked this episode and want to know more about Jen Arnold, you can visit Redesigning Wellness and follow on Facebook and Twitter.
Our Partners
This episode is brought to you in partnership with AJ Products who are leading the way in Ergonomic and Active workplace furniture solutions at ajproducts.ie
About Your Host
Brian Crooke is a wellbeing educator, speaker and adviser, empowering organisations to promote and sustain wellbeing within their workplaces.
He is the founder of The Work Well Institute and the Work Well Community and is Course Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Workplace Wellness at Tangent, Trinity College Dublin. He is the host of The Work Well Podcast.
If you’re looking to bring sustainable wellbeing to your workplace then check out The Work Well Institute’s flagship programme, Developing a Workplace Wellness Programme that Lasts.
In his spare time, Brian is bringing free resistance training to every county and community in Ireland through his parkHIIT social enterprise.
If you have any suggestions for future topics you'd like to hear on the show, email Brian directly, brian@workwellpodcast.com