Addressing the Root Causes of Poor Wellbeing

By Rosie Ward, Ph.D., MPH, CHES

Most health management programs tend to focus on changing behaviors – frequently relying on health assessments (which are limited to physical wellbeing and health behaviors) and using incentives to try to get people to change. However, what ultimately drives behaviors is more complex.

Research from the Gallup Organization consistently shows the importance of focusing on all areas of wellbeing (career, social, financial, physical and community), not just physical. Experts in motivation state that it is more important to get underneath the surface of behaviors to identify and address values and attitudes. Despite these findings, most health management tools and programs continue to focus on assessing and trying to change health behaviors, and often fail after a few years.

Only focusing on behaviors is like putting a Band-Aid on a cancerous tumor; it will temporarily be covered, but underneath the disease grows and more tumors emerge in other areas. Therefore, if companies want to impact the causes of poor wellbeing, it is imperative that they focus on how people think about their choices and strengthening judgment.

MEASURING AND STRENGTHENING JUDGMENT

Robert S. Hartman, Ph.D., believed our value system is the lens through which we view the world, formulate choices and make decisions. He taught that values are not in our mind or heart, but are manifested in the judgments we make. 

Hartman developed the Judgment Index™ (JI™), a measurable, quantifiable assessment of a person’s value system and capacity for good judgment in more than 70 indicators, including decision-making ability and style, stress coping skills, engagement, morale, work ethic and trainability.

During more than 40 years of research and work using the JI™, C. Stephen Byrum, Ph.D., has found that 75 percent of all workplace injuries and wellness issues can be attributed to weak judgment. Luckily, he also found that it is possible to influence and change the way people think about their values and thus, improve judgment skills.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACHIEVE

Combining a tool like the JI™ with thoughtful initiatives in human resources, safety and health management channels allows leaders to foster engagement; align employees’ thinking with wellbeing best practices; manage safety risks; improve overall wellbeing; determine and improve individual job fit; improve succession planning; develop current employees, leadership and teams; reduce turnover and retain key employees. These efforts will provide lasting results.