68: Well-Being at Work with Sir Cary Cooper

In this podcast, Professor Cary Cooper shares his extensive
experience of working to create healthier and happier workplaces.
Cary shares his belief that in times of rapid social change,
organizational workplaces are more important than ever as sites
that can provide healthy environments that support our
well-being. Cary identifies key turning points that informed his
work; firstly in the 1970s  stress was for the first time
identified as a big challenge, and the response was to support
the individual to cope with their stress better, e.g. stress
management and responses such as today's mindfulness. In the 2008
financial crash and the subsequent 'job restructuring' when
organizations stripped their workforce to the minimum, Cary
observed a change in workplace responses when a manager said to
him that the number one challenge he had was staff retention.
This began a shift whereby organizations weren't so concerned
with managing individual stress but realized they had to provide
workplaces that offered healthy environments where employees
could flourish, in order to ensure their well-being, get the best
performance from them and to retain them.

Cary identifies the line manager as perhaps the key ingredient
for a healthy and productive workplace. Most line managers are
chosen for their technical ability, and yet their role is vital
in terms of people management skills. Reflecting on the UK's
focus on growth, he points to the lack of a policy that focuses
on this key area of people management; improving this he believes
would be vital to increase growth.

Cary reflects on his personal journey and shares that his life
from an Eastern European Jewish working-class background story
continues to impact on him,  citing the constant need to
'prove himself' as the driver of his success.

This is a wonderful podcast with one of the great figures of our
generation, who has contributed to organizational health and
well-being. 

Enjoy the listen!

Bio: Professor Sir Cary Cooper

Cary L. Cooper is the 50th Anniversary Professor of
Organizational Psychology and Health at the Alliance Manchester
Business School, University of Manchester. He is a founding
President of the British Academy of Management, Immediate Past
President of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD), former President of RELATE and President of the Institute
of Welfare. He was the Founding Editor of the Journal of
Organizational Behavior, former Editor of the scholarly journal
Stress and Health and is the Editor-in-Chief of the
Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Management, now in its’ 3rd
Edition.

He has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation, ILO, and
EU in the field of occupational health and wellbeing, was Chair
of the Global Agenda Council on Chronic Disease of the World
Economic Forum (2009-2010), then served for 5 years on the Global
Agenda Council for mental health of the WEF, and was Chair of the
Academy of Social Sciences 2009-2015. He was Chair of the
Sunningdale Institute in the Cabinet Office and National School
of Government 2005-2010. Professor Cooper is currently the Chair
of the National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work
(comprising 40 global companies e.g. BP, Microsoft, NHS
Executive, UK government (wellbeing lead) , Rolls Royce, John
Lewis Partnership, etc.). Professor Cooper is the author/editor
of over 250 books in the field of occupational health psychology,
workplace wellbeing, women at work and occupational stress. He
was awarded the CBE by the Queen for his contributions to
occupational health; and in 2014 he was awarded a Knighthood for
his contribution to the social sciences.