11 FACTS: Social health is all about our relationships to other people. It is important to our well-being that we feel connected, that we receive acknowledgement and that we belong to a community. Meeting and interacting with others is crucial to our sense of social community at the workplace, and this also has other benefits beyond good social health. Research shows, among other things, that social support and community have a positive effect on our health – and especially our mental health. In addition to building social community, interacting with others also promotes the transfer of knowledge and information, and it fosters both creativity and innovation. References: Cohen & Syme, 1985; Sailer, K., & McCulloh, I. ,2012; Wineman, J. D. et al., 2009 The strategies used to boost the appeal of the office vary greatly between the organisations. Now that many of us have grown comfortable working from home, it is difficult to turn back the clock. There is therefore a need for various different carrots to lure people back to the office. While many are quite inventive, there is also a level of frustration and uncertainty around how this should be done. The circumstances vary as well. Coercive measures (sticks) are not typically used. The most successful organisations have attendance rates of 60–80% and actively deploy different strategies, primarily within three areas: (a) organisation culture, (b) social activities and (c) the physical office environment. The office is described as central to the future-proofing of the organisation culture – which is something that is formed and nurtured through human encounters within an organisation. All employees form part of a psychosocial work climate and the office plays an important role here in terms of being the place where ‘real’ meetings between people take place. A number of organisations in the study have tried a slightly different approach by boosting the well-being factor and thus the office’s appeal via events, lectures, seminars and get-togethers. One organisation even introduced a position for this which they call their ‘office mood manager’. Others offer better quality and healthier food at the office, and some subsidise lunches, buy in fruit juice or have a barista at the office. Promoting good health is also important. The organisations take different approaches towards this. The most active deploy both social and health-promoting activities in order to strengthen the organisation culture and sense of community, and they link this to the appeal of the office (see fact box). Carrot or stick?
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