The social determinants of health are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, workshop and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes, and they are traditionally grouped into 5 core domains including economic stability, education, health care, neighborhood and social networks.

Yet very limited research exists on how the nature of work, and our working conditions influence employee health and well-being. Fortunately, Dr. Brad Shuck, Co-Founder of Org Vitals developed a potentially new line of research within Human Resource Development called the Workplace Determinants of Health. The WDOH are organizationally attributable employment and related conditions that influence and group differences in health risk and health status.

A few key highlights from this conversation include:

• Why Dr. Shuck set out on researching WDOH and how he and other researchers came up with a potential structure for understanding WDOH, which includes four pillars: stress, capacity, physical and social environment, and meaning in work.

• How we can identify, assess, and address our WDOH, specifically examining these four pillars of stress, capacity, physical and social environment, and meaning in work.

• How Dr. Shuck’s company, Org Vitals helps employers monitor, assess, and address WDOH for a larger workforce, and how his company helps to connect employers with solutions and resources at the right time to overcome poor WDOH.

• How meaning in our work connects to the ingredients of belonging – feeling seen, connected, supported, and a sense of pride in our work, and the opportunity Dr. Shuck recognizes when it comes to supporting employers trying to help their employees become more engaged.

• Why employers ought to consider their own organization’s vitals, and recognizing the costs of failing to address elements of toxic workplace culture.

Savor this insightful talk, and then explore some of the resources shared during this conversation:

• Belonging Membership Community: www.belongingmembershipcommunity.com
• The Social Determinants of Health: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hrdq.21468.
• OrgVitals: https://www.orgvitals.com/