Addressing Avoidable Employee Harm – with Andrew Cooper & Dr Adrian Neal

September 8, 2023

Addressing Avoidable Employee Harm – with Andrew Cooper & Dr Adrian Neal

Avoidable employee harm.

What springs to mind when you hear that term?

I think it sums up brilliantly the damage that processes can have on organisations and individuals when they fail to focus enough on humans at the heart of them.

And let’s be honest, many processes have been shaped historically, or exist simply because that’s what was put in place without much consideration of the big picture.

But is there a better way… One that cares for employees, the organisation as a whole, and their customers ⁉️

Those are some of the points that Andrew Cooper, Head of the ‘Avoidable Employee Harm’ Programme, and Dr Adrian Neal, Head of the Employee Wellbeing Service, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, NHS Wales address in this episode of the podcast.

Hear about the case of Alex, and how responses to his mistake impacted on what happened for him and his organisation.

It’s a question of formal routes vs a compassionate approach.

Which do you revert to❓ And why❓

And does embarrassment about not getting it right YET hinder progress? We need to acknowledge that things could be better in order for us to invest in making the right connections and having the conversations that put the ‘human’ back into business.

If you’re keen to challenge the status quo but feeling overwhelmed about where to start, listen, be inspired and start asking the questions about your practice.

And if you would like someone to walk with you on that journey, reach out.

More about Andrew & Adrian:

Andrew Cooper is head of programmes for the ‘avoidable employee harm’ work within Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and is currently undertaking research exploring the implementation of disciplinary investigations in the NHS and their impact on both individuals and organisations. With a background in healthcare improvement and innovation, he has held senior communications roles across the private, public and voluntary sectors, including director of communications for Public Health Wales and Life Sciences Hub Wales.

Dr Adrian Neal qualified as a clinical psychologist in 2003 and for the first ten years worked within NHS England’s Adult Community and Acute Adult Mental Health Services. Moving to Wales in 2014 to take up the role of Head of Wellbeing within Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, he has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with the Welsh Ambulance Service, Welsh NHS Finance Academy, Gwent Police, Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, London Air Ambulance, Health Education and Innovation Wales, Powys University Health Board, National Academy of Head Teachers (Wales) and Welsh Government.