HSE Community Insights - Christine Di Stasio

Senior independent HSE contractor Christine Di Stasio reflects on the impacts of the COVID pandemic on health and safety and looks ahead to the opportunities available for the profession in 2022.

Watch the video below to learn more, or continue scrolling to read the key take-outs.

Mental health will be a key area of opportunity for improving health, safety and wellbeing in 2022. “Physical safety is something we know well,” says Christine Di Stasio. “But the gap, I believe, is still in mental health and the impact of mental health, where culture plays a large role in how people perform.”

People have mixed feelings about return to the office. A key challenge for 2022, will be successfully transitioning people back into the workplace.

• Flexible work is here to stay. Don’t restrict yourself to a limited vision of your organisation. Embed flexible arrangements.
• Make the office a place where people want to spend time. 
• Building trust and measuring engagement is essential.
• If organisations get wellbeing right, employee engagement comes more easily.

“It's about also building trust through information and consultation, something that health and safety professionals are very good at doing,” Di Stasio believes.

People have mixed feelings about return to the office. A key challenge for 2022, will be successfully transitioning people back into the workplace.

• Flexible work is here to stay. Don’t restrict yourself to a limited vision of your organisation. Embed flexible arrangements.
• Make the office a place where people want to spend time. 
• Building trust and measuring engagement is essential.
• If organisations get wellbeing right, employee engagement comes more easily.

“It's about also building trust through information and consultation, something that health and safety professionals are very good at doing,” Di Stasio believes.

A person’s wellbeing must encompass a total body and mind approach. As well as focussing on getting employees moving and eating well, mindfulness programmes and other mental-health initiatives are aimed at psychological wellbeing.

“One of the nice things that the team organised was to 'pay it forward',” explains Di Stasio. “If someone rings you, then you ring them and you have a care conversation. So it was just really simple connections with people around the ‘mind’.”

• A ‘Move, Mind and Munch’ programme to support of good nutrition, physical and mental health
• Initiatives to lift physical health during lockdown with competitive activities such as STEPtember
• Targeted RU OK? mindfulness sessions for People leaders
• Staff recipe collections to help with nourishment

Be Safe: Listen & look for practical solutions

The COVID pandemic has created a strong platform for health and safety issues. Engagement is high, with people’s own interests sitting at front of mind.

While workplaces and attitudes of workers have changed significantly, the day-to-day requirements of the job will remain largely the same.

“I think the most important thing that we can do is have that care factor with our people, remain highly engaged, listen and look for practical problem-solving with organisations,” says Di Stasio.