Culture shock: Work and health in Silicon Valley
Culture shock: Work and health in Silicon Valley
This week I was visiting the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, home to established technology companies, technology start ups and the Stanford University campus. The innovation, serendipity and unique workplace culture of Silicon Valley is notable in conversations with people working here.
GDP of the San Francisco Bay Area has climbed from around $340 billion to $580 billion in the last decade. The share of jobs in tech has increased more that five times in that period, now making up almost 20% of jobs in San Francisco. Unemployment rates remain low despite recent tech layoffs. In November 2022, unemployment was at 2.8% in San Francisco compared to 4.2% in London.
People and talent are key to growth in Bay Area tech companies. Employers recognise this and invest in employee health and wellbeing. Employee health and wellbeing initiatives are a reason to be in work, given that the majority of people living in the US access healthcare through private insurance plans offered by their employers.
Pay is not the only working condition of interest in Silicon Valley. There are various industry surveys that ask tech workers about their working conditions. Reports are published on the healthiest companies to work for. Jobs advertised include a section on company culture and a list of employee health and wellbeing benefits. It is well understood here that healthy employees are more productive, keep down healthcare costs and are more likely to stay in post. The value investment in supporting employee health and wellbeing holds true right now for smaller start ups as well as big tech companies, even in the current economic climate.
One key limitation of employee wellness programmes driven by Human Resources or People Operations is that the bottom line for the employer will always be workforce productivity. HR and People Ops ultimately serve to protect the organisation, not the employee. This could create a hot bed of conflicts of interest regarding fitness for work and the risk and safety aspects inherent to occupational health issues in the workplace, particularly as employers become a bigger stakeholder in their employees’ health and wellbeing.
Similar to in the UK, the provision of occupational health services is not mandated by law in the US, and only 35% of the US workforce has coverage. As employers invest in employee health and wellbeing it will make increasing strategic and financial sense for companies funding employee health insurance and employee wellbeing initiatives to close the loop by offering occupational health support to those who need it. It will be interesting to watch whether tech companies will lead on this. Organisations bolstering their investment in employee health and wellbeing with occupational health services will add value through supporting workers, managers, HR and People Ops in navigating the complex relationship between work and health.