Men Vs Women!

Hi folks,

Yesterday I attended a very entertaining seminar revealing how men & women think differently & it turns out that the old stereotypes are actually not far off. Without explaining all the science, its men’s instinct to crave a certain amount of power, be in a feeling of control, or want to ‘fix’ an issue. Women are naturally concerned with avoiding danger, looking after themselves / others, & preventing harm.

So, why do we need to know this in a workplace health setting? Think about the last time you tried to persuade someone. The way we do this may involve taking advantage of their gender. So, if you wanted to convince your boss to free up some of the budget towards those new work place health measures you’ve got planned, then your pledge may go something like this:

“John, I’d like to implement these new well-being measures. We have the potential to really reap the benefits of a healthy workforce in our company. These measures would increase our employee attendance giving us real control over production, & solve gaps in communication.”

Or like this:

“Sue, I’d like to implement these new well-being measures. I’ve noticed that much of our employee’s health is reaching dangerously low levels & recent absence records are terrible. As a safety conscious industry I feel that we have a certain responsibility to our workers, & these measures would also help protect against future issues.”

 

Both paragraphs give the same message but do you see the difference? Think about how you could use this approach in when talking to reluctant employees, trying to involve them to take part in health measures at work. The degree of success does depend on how 'macho' or 'feminine' that male or female is but be a little cheeky & try this out on the next person you speak to today whatever the topic. Have some fun with it – it really works!

Thanks,

James.