workplace

Despite formal recommendations (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2022) and evidence supporting the effectiveness of organisational change and work redesign on improving worker well-being (Fox et al., 2022; Lovejoy et al., 2021), interventions that target the individual worker are most common.

Asking people to change themselves instead of changing the work environment around them is a strategy that not only wastes resources but may also infuriate employees, who feel like all the responsibility for dealing with a toxic work environment and unrealistic demands rests on their shoulders alone.

“You've heard of people calling in sick. You may have called in sick a few times yourself. But have you ever thought about calling in well?

It'd go like this: You'd get the boss on the line and say, "Listen, I've been sick ever since I started working here, but today I'm well and I won't be in anymore." Call in well.”