Campaigning for employee well-being

Is a harsh tone of voice just a part of the culture in the restaurant kitchen, at the construction site or at the hospital? Or could it be categorised as bullying, gaslighting, or harassment?

If you are not able to tell the difference, it can be hard to know if you are experiencing signs of a toxic work environment and an unhealthy work culture.

A toxic work environment is directly linked to burnout and stress as well as a decrease in employee loyalty and performance. For this reason Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation, a Danish umbrella organisation for trade unions, made it their priority in 2019 to make a positive change for their members by creating awareness about the type behaviour that contributes to toxic work environments.

In close collaboration with the internal training unit at Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation (FUI) and psychologist Mille Mortensen, Workz designed an awareness campaign with user friendly dialogue tools and a motion graphic video to be introduced throughout the organisation.

This material was especially targeted at union representatives working with employee well-being, and the goal was to support them to start a conversation about feeling safe and feeling a sense of belonging at work.

One of the key messages of the campaign film is that we are all at risk, and we all bear responsibility.

‘How can you deliver one message for preventing harassment and violating behavior that reaches an audience across industries, gender and age? You take your starting point in the feeling that emerges when your colleagues question your professionalism or don’t want you on the team. Workz helped us convey this message. We are very pleased with the film and how it demonstrates the importance of standing up to this kind of behaviour, especially if we see others suffering.”
– Lone Grønhøj Frandsen, FH Internal Training Unit

“We were looking to create a universe that spoke to the heart more so than the head. For this reason, we aimed to recreate the underlying toxic atmosphere that some people are experiencing on a daily basis. This also meant dialing down the infographics and stats and instead, focusing on the people, the attitudes and the emotions while striking a balance between the individual and the community.”
– Ane Bang, Graphic Designer at Workz

If you would like to know more about changing organisational culture with communication efforts and dialogue tools please reach out to Senior Consultant Kristin Staveli or have a look at MINDStrain the game, our initiative for supporting employee well-being with a gamification approach.