Heigh Ho — Work and Wellbeing

Is employee engagement a sinking ship?According to Gallup, engagement is taking on water, with the firm’s frequently repeated survey findings showing an engagement rate of 31% — a 10-year low. But a closer look surfaces insights that lead us to believe employee engagement may be very much afloat.We break it down in this AI-assisted conversation, based on the original Heigh Ho article Employee Engagement SOS? (See the article for links and references.)Subscribe to Heigh Ho — Work and Working Life: https://heighho.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

 “How do we do an evidence-based wellness program when there is no evidence?”This was a question asked of me by a distinguished wellness director. She also happened to be a physician who understood better than most the meaning of evidence-based practice. You may agree or disagree that there is no evidence supporting specific employee wellness interventions, but for now, the more important questions are: How do you decide? And what is evidence anyway? I've come to realize that most wellness leaders, as well as HR directors and CEOs, don't care about evidence and aren't even persuaded by it when it's presented to them. So be it. But as today's episode makes clear, you'll be better equipped for wellness success if you understand what scientific evidence is; what its hallmarks are; and why — and this piece often gets lost — wellness programs should not be directed exclusively by evidence. Wellness program leaders are especially likely to benefit from today's AI-assisted deep dive into evidence, as the conversation is shaped with your needs in mind. To keep it tight, I had to omit some things I would have liked to include. But only the nerdiest listeners will object to their absence: The difference between prospective and retrospective studies; the definition and value of cluster randomized controlled studies, which are an important part of the scientific literature on wellness; more details about bias, systematic review, and meta-analysis; and the role of gray literature, like those white papers produced by commercial enterprises and nonprofit agencies.Be that as it may, in an era when we all get drawn into conversations, especially around science, regarding what's true and what isn't, anyone willing to spend a few minutes with some attention on this lively, practical dialog will learn something relevant to your everyday life. Off we go![Subscribe to Bob Merberg’s Heigh Ho newsletter at https://heighho.substack.com] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

A conversation (AI-assisted) about an employee wellbeing topic a lot of people never think about: Delaying bathroom use because of lack of scheduling flexibility, lack of access, or excessive job demands. This has serious physical and mental health consequences, and you’ll be shocked at the range of workers affected, including — in addition to warehouse and poultry processing workers, who’ve been in the news — nurses, teachers, women working in predominantly male jobs, professional drivers and transit operators, bankers, call center reps, and even work-from-home employees.This conversation counters the prevailing commodification of employee wellbeing, emphasizing instead the importance of meeting workers’ basic needs. It also summarizes OSHA regulation regarding bathroom breaks, while outlining solutions.Today’s “deep dive” is based on Bob Merberg’s Heigh Ho article, “Let Your People Go: As leaders evangelize wellbeing, workers are deprived of decent bathroom breaks.”Subscribe to Bob Merberg’s newsletter, Heigh Ho — Work and Working Life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

A quick, AI-assisted conversation describing the heroic actions of Joseph Zito, hero of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.This episode is based on Bob Merberg’s web page, The Story of Joseph Zito.Learn more about the fire, and how it became an inflection point in the arc of employee wellbeing, in the previous podcast episode — or read about it in Bob Merberg’s free Heigh Ho newsletter article, A Nation that Catches Workers Before They Fall. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Today’s AI-assisted conversation is based on my post, "A Nation that Catches Workers Before They Fall," about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which was an inflection point in the arc of American worker wellbeing. In this episode, the AI took some liberties, expanding the scope of the original article. I agreed with 99% of what was being said, and it was generally accurate and added to the story and its application in modern life, so I left it in. See what you think.In an upcoming short episode, we’ll explain how my company, Jozito, was named after a hero of the Triangle Factory Fire.— Bob Merberg This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

"Organizational solutions" are gaining traction in conversations about employee wellbeing. Organizational solutions entail changing how work is done. Enjoy this AI-assisted conversation about one example of an organizational solution, health circles, which includes a lively discussion of a specific case study.The conversation is based on my article, Is It Time to Revisit Health Circles to Redesign Jobs for Better Work and Health? (and the resources I cite in that article). My thanks to subscriber Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD, Director of the Healthy Work Campaign, who reminds me that the case for organizational solutions was recently laid out, in no uncertain terms, by a team of researchers and leaders associated with the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). In An Urgent Call to Address Work-Related Psychosocial Hazards and Improve Worker Well-Being, they write:...the extensive and cumulative impacts of these exposures represent an alarming public health problem that merits immediate and increased attention.Dr. Dobson and a sizeable group of co-authors published a response to the NIOSH article, with 3 specific recommendations (read them here), including a public education campaign:This is especially important in light of occupational health inequities. Low-wage jobs and those disproportionately occupied by racialized minority groups have greater psychosocial stressors on average. These factors — including job instability/insecurity, work-life imbalance and work-related discrimination and harassment — could contribute to disparities in physical as well as mental health outcomes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

This AI-assisted conversation takes a deep dive into Bob Merberg’s excerpted presentation, given to a group of employees around the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, about mental health stigma.Unfortunately, for all the preoccupation with mental health stigma the last few years, many people presenting as mental health advocates haven’t studied the topic at all. As a result, they may do more to perpetuate stigma than to raise awareness of it.Especially valuable in this discussion is the relationship between public stigma and self-stigmaThe video (an audio recording with slides) the podcast presenters refer to is available on YouTube: Mental Health Stigma — Explained by Bob Merberg.If you’re struggling, call or text 988 for immediate help from a caring, skilled counselor. Visit 988lifeline.org for information and online chat. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Change the work, not the worker.This lively AI-assisted conversation takes a deep dive into the basics of job characteristics, motivating job potential, job design, and job crafting. It’s based on a recorded practice session for one of Bob Merberg’s presentations — the rough cut is available on YouTube.The AI makes a few minor flawed connections and inferences — no more than a live interviewee might make — but the content still offers an ideal primer for HR, wellness, and management professionals who understand that progress with worker wellbeing depends on, among other things, understanding what makes work… work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

This experimental AI-assisted two-person conversation is based on the Heigh Ho article, Teenage Workland: Taking stock of teenage worker wellbeing (in words, numbers, and music), which includes the chart the podcast speakers refer to. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Something different: This episode is a conversation that dives deep into a mash-up of two Heigh Ho articles...When Civility Policies Run Amok-accinoandAmbiguous Civility Policy Burns WorkersThe episode is AI-assisted, but don’t let that put you off. It’s a polished dialogue that sounds like a conversation between two curious speakers who share enthusiasm for labor and employee wellbeing. Give it a listen!Of course, for complete details, read the articles linked above. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

(Subscribe to the Heigh Ho newsletter at heighho.substack.com.)Get a look from "the seat" as Muni driver Mc Allen describes why he loves his job and San Francisco and public transportation in general.Mc also shares sides of the role we rarely see: a bus driver’s schedule, time off, pay, and the levels of autonomy, job demands, and social support known to define job stress.Though we don’t use these words, listeners familiar with employee wellbeing principles will note Mc’s sense of purpose and belonging, as well as how he uses his skills as a poet to exemplify job crafting.Learn more about Mc on his website, mc-allen.com, where you can read the poem he describes in the interview, The Bee of Moffitt Street. Mc is on X (formerly Twitter) at @that_mc and on Mastodon (where he and interviewer Bob Merberg first crossed paths) at @[email protected] mentioned in this episode:* Mc’s appearance at Muni Diaries (video).* Mc’s anecdote in A Bus Driver's Story of Connection, Kindness, and Trust, posted in Heigh Ho.* The second post in this series: Steering Thru Stress: What Bus Drivers' Working Lives Teach Us About Wellbeing. Learn the science that confirms, and is confirmed by, everything Mc shares regarding bus drivers’ working life.About Mc AllenMc Allen believes that high quality public transportation is a powerful and essential part of the city. In 2021 he became a transit operator for the “Municipal Railway” (Muni) in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife and kids. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

The job stress of city transit operators, especially bus drivers, has probably been studied more than any other occupation. Along with other jobs in the transportation industry, bus driving is often cited as one of the most stressful jobs.Though it may seem esoteric to office workers, the lessons we’ve learned about bus driver stress are relevant to almost everyone. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Gazing out over Lake Erie from the Cleveland waterfront, you’re likely to see commercial and recreational watercraft. You’ll see white-capped waves and, in winter, some ice floes. But you may be in the dark about what lies beneath — not underwater, not on the lakebed, but 1800 feet further down, where people are busy at work.Under Lake Erie lies Cargill’s Whiskey Island salt mine, actively worked by about 250 miners in round-the-clock shifts, extracting salt used largely for de-icing wintry roads.When Heigh Ho returns in January, I’ll feature an exclusive Q&A with a salt miner who works 10-hour shifts in a 2400-foot vertical mine shaft.Reflecting on those doing one of society’s least visible jobs unearths our own deep-seated values about work and working life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

In 1955 British naval historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson published in The Economist an article about bloated government bureaucracies, stating:“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”He dubbed this Parkinson’s Law. Unfortunately, Parkinson’s Law is commonly misinterpreted to be an assertion about procrastination and personal ineffectiveness. It’s nothing of the sort.Links mentioned can all be found in the Heigh Ho article the episode is based on. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

You'll have a new world opened for you as you listen to comments by Dustin — a Texas-based long-haul driver — about pay, work schedules, and life on the road.Dustin also shares his perspective on work/life balance, 4-day workweeks, work-from-home, and the public's perception of truck drivers during peak pandemic.Catch the original article, and/or — if you like content like this — subscribe to Heigh Ho at http://heighho.substack.com.Leave a voice message about your job — for possible use in the newsletter or podcast — at https://www.speakpipe.com/Bob_Merbergs_Heigh_Ho_podcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Rob Baker, author of Personalization at Work, and Bob Merberg explore job crafting, where a worker tailors their job-related tasks, relationships, and thoughts to optimize how it fits to their strengths. The conversation uses the allegory of Snow White’s and the forest animals’ job crafting in the Whistle While You Work scene to help listeners understand how job crafting can increase productivity, innovation, and wellbeing… and where things can go awry.It’s not required, but if you have a chance, check out the scene before listening:(If the video player, above, doesn’t work, you can find the scene on YouTube.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Have you noticed business media banging the drum about workers’ willingness to accept less pay in exchange for certain benefits?The business world’s insistence that satisfying jobs can only come at a financial cost to workers serves primarily to defend and reinforce a flawed status quo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

You’re invited to eavesdrop as Nikki Reynolds of Inspired Wellbeing Solutions and I have a no-holds-barred conversation about unpaid domestic work — which includes tasks like caretaking, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and mental load — and the disproportionate burden it places on women.In the conversation, we refer to a previous Heigh Ho post, Domestic Work — Unpaid and Unseen, which delves more into research on unpaid domestic work (aka unpaid domestic labor) and its affect on women’s mental health, financial wellbeing, and return-to-office. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Unpaid domestic labor, also called unpaid work, is time and energy expended within a household or family for the benefit of its members. It places disproportionate burden on women, with implications for emotional, financial, and occupational wellbeing.Find the original Heigh Ho post, with all related links, here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

I asked dishwashers in an online forum…“What's your reaction when you hear people talk about doing what you love, finding meaning in your work, following your passion?”Listen to their answers, which are sure to surprise you.For lending their voices to this episode, my sincerest thanks to  —  Tara McMullen | Tara’s Substack: What Works —  James Richardson | James’ Substack: Homo Imaginari —  Colin Bullen, one of the first and foremost Heigh Ho supporters, generously shared an audio clip I was unable to use due to a technical glitch. Learn more about Colin and his work at Virtuositeam. My thanks, of course, also go to the dishwashers who freely shared their thoughts and feelings for this Heigh Ho post and podcast.Heigh Ho wants to amplify the voices of workers, especially those employed in non-desk jobs like retail, food service, manufacturing, agriculture, health care, mining, and construction. Leave a voice recording here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

A Surprise AppearanceA mistreated newsboy becomes a titan of industry. This episode reveals a unique connection between Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and working life, especially as it relates to the jobs we hold in our youth.What seems like character-building experience to the beholder may be more like trauma to those in the path of that beholder’s unkindness. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

This episodes includes 3 ways sabbaticals enhance employee wellbeing while creating opportunities and the 3 pillars of good sabbatical policies. When first awakened to the sabbatical idea, I reacted skeptically. I’ve since seen that most medium and large companies can offer sabbaticals — longer, paid sabbaticals. Some advocates hail sabbatical as a solution for burnout. But time off, in the absence of a broader strategy, is just an anti-burnout placebo. That’s probably why Kira Schabram, Matt Bloom, and DJ DiDonna advise employers:"If you facilitate sabbaticals before employees are pushed to the brink, most will return with renewed energy and greater clarity… Listen to and work with returnees pitching you new projects, requesting transfers, or embracing leadership opportunities." This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

One thing I learned from this job, and the many warehouse, retail, and food service jobs I had thereafter, is to refrain from assuming that most people's work lives are anything like mine and yours.Workers like little Louie and Old Joe, the bookie, the thieves, the truck drivers… We live and work among them.We also live and work among the women getting harassed on the street; the legions of exhausted commuters; the transportation workers taking flack from those commuters when they can’t stick to schedules they don’t control; tradespeople suffering injury or indignity, whether it’s being stabbed by a pen in their soap or something worse; and the gamblers sacrificing their paychecks to dreams of easy street. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Labor utopia or dystopia?What looks like a degrading portrayal of outcasts has also been framed as an homage to the American worker. In Disney’s Snow White classic, the depiction of the seven dwarfs informs modern perspectives on labor in the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion.Read the original article (with links to source material) here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Despite the fact that leaders seem determined to suppress the meaning of Labor Day, news reports in recent years may leave you with the impression that organized labor is resurgent. Stories abound about workers organizing and/or about work stoppages (or looming strikes) at Amazon, Starbucks, Chipotle, Trader Joe’s, Apple, and UPS, and among members of graduate student organizations, United Auto Workers, SAG-AFTRA, and the Writer’s Guild, to name a few.In this episode, recorded on Labor Day 2023, Bob Merberg chats about whether unions can really be considered resurgent in this era when union membership rates are at an all time low.He also confesses his journey out of union skepticism.CORRECTION: The episode cites 450,000 UAW workers primed to strike. While available numbers vary — UAW reports it has more than 400,000 members — most news sources are reporting that approximately 146,000 are employed by Big 3 automakers.Resources* Labor Unions and the Middle Class; US Department of Treasury; 2023.* Have We Forgotten the True Meaning of Labor Day?; Zagorsky, J; The Conversation; 2017.* Union Busting: What Employers Can and Cannot Legally Do (5-min. video); Bloomberg Law; 2022.* Unionization increased by 200,000 in 2022; Economic Policy Institute; 2023. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Today’s Episode features another installment in our series looking at work through the lens of Disney’s 1937 animated classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has its share of chilling moments, though Disney sanitizes the darkest details of its source material — the 19th century Grimm Brothers’ version. Perpetuating white lies, so to speak, may be inherent to a tale’s retelling: Even the earliest versions of Snow White, arguably based on a true story, apparently glossed over a human tragedy — child labor — that plagues us to this day.(Read the text version of this episode, complete with links.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

This episode is based on one of the most popular posts in the Heigh Ho series looking at work through the lens of Disney’s 1937 classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Here, I use Snow White’s hit song — Whistle While you Work — as a springboard to explore the history of music at work, with tips on the genres that do or don’t make good on-the-job listening based on your likes/dislikes and the task at hand.Links cited in the episode:Sam Kemmis Zapier post on how to choose music for work: https://zapier.com/blog/music-and-productivity/“Whistle While You Work” scene on YouTube: For additional links, see the original Heigh Ho article this episode is based on. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Bob Merberg kicks off a series looking at work and wellbeing through the lens of the 1937 animated Disney classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.In this epidode, we set the stage… examining why the influence of pop culture — including media targeted to kids — shouldn’t be underestimated. Decoding it helps explain how and why we show up at work.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

This is a quick introduction to Bob Merberg’s new Heigh Ho podcast, created in conjunction with the newsletter, Heigh Ho — Work, Workplaces, and Worker Wellbeing. Upcoming episodes feature spunky, evidence-based storytelling about work.Subscribe to the newsletter at https://[email protected] Merberg has set the pace for employee wellbeing in the US for more than 25 years. Learn more about Bob on the website of his consultancy, Jozito LLC. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com

Unpaid domestic labor, also called unpaid work, is time and energy expended within a household or family for the benefit of its members. With a tie-in to Snow White — and references to iconic cultural works like Dina Goldstein’s “Snowy” photo and Emma’s “You Should Have Asked Comic” — this episode explores the disproportionate burden unpaid domestic work places on women, and how this affects their emotional, financial, and occupational wellbeing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heighho.substack.com