The latest trend and buzz word all round is "wellness', and this includes wellness in the workplace.
Wellness programmes have been around a number of years but have only gained traction more recently as employers around the globe are looking for ways to support their workforce with ever increasing demands being placed on them.
Longer working hours, greater targets, commission based pay, restricted break times with no movement from your desk or workstation for hours on end, journeys made in cars, trains or planes in economy class are more common than ever even in a world where we are seeing more people being able to work from home and conference call meetings the pressures of work life mean that the top reason for long and short term sickness absence are fairly similar. Musculoskeletal (backs, necks, muscles and joints) and mental health (ranging from stress through to severe depression and anxiety disorders) are becoming more prevalent.
So, what is in it for the employer who decides to invest in their employee’s wellbeing? Evidence is plentiful, there are several research documents which identify the return on your wellness investment showing that the bottom line increases through decreased sickness absence savings on temporary staff and sickness pay. You will also see a rise in productivity how this is measured may vary but having your staff happier at work means that more work will get done, and staff morale helps everyone get along. Being an employer with employee welfare at heart makes you stand out from the competitors an ethical company attracts business nowadays, clients want to know that they are investing in companies where there are fair standards for the staff, and wellness programmes can tick a lot of boxes when people are choosing where to work as well. Attracting top talent also means that the perks may be what sets you apart from the competitor and what better way to show your potential staff that they should work for you by saying you care about their health and wellness.
Wellness is different to health, although both are often used interchangeably and are connected. When we think of health we think of fitness, absence of illness, we think of your physical or mental condition. Health is a state which is achieved through exercise and good food. Wellness however is about balance balance in all aspects of your life. From your physical, emotional and spiritual self, through to your work-life balance, your social self and your occupational self. These are all interlinked, which is why balance throughout is essential as a discrepancy in one area means a problem in another.
Think about self-esteem part of your emotional self, how does this affect your social and occupational self, or prevent you from achieving your goals or dreams? Think about a chronic health condition part of your physical self, the impact that this has on the social and emotional aspects of you? Think about a heavy work load or long hours at your desk how does this impact on your physical, emotional, occupational and social wellbeing and how do all of these affect how you see yourself in the bigger picture your place in the workplace, your family, and even your purpose in life your spiritual self.
So, choosing to work on a wellness programme with your staff should be a deep consideration. If you want to explore the positive impact that a variety of different programmes or interventions may have, we at Back to Balance can help you. By looking at the individual issues that your company faces we can help you deliver a programme to your workforce that will have maximum impact. We are happy to meet you for a free discussion of your company’s needs.
We are offering a series of articles over the next few issues which will look in more detail at different aspects of wellness in the workplace. Next time our hot topic will be: Mindfulness in the workplace
