October is Emotional Wellness Month, and while some of you may have kicked into autopilot to navigate the turbulence of a busy fall, your emotional well-being both at home and at work waits for no one. This means taking a break from your hectic schedule, to slow down and finally… BREATHE!
Sometimes we have to take a moment and realise how important it is to pay attention to our physical and emotional health. In a world that is constantly evolving, we often forget to stop, reflect and appreciate. We all know all the constant struggle of obtaining the right work/personal life balance and from time to time we find that the list of tasks we set out to achieve are never-ending or even impossible to complete.
Statistics show that we spend a shockingly high percentage of our lives in work – the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a life time. So it’s safe to say your work can have a huge impact on your life. If people in your business are unhappy, unhealthy or have any other issues surrounding wellness – then it’s time to address this. Failure to establish company cultures that encourage wellness can result in your employees having wondering eyes, becoming a less attractive business to the next generation of workers, who ultimately prefer happiness to high salaries and company benefits.
The Importance of Workplace Wellness
There’s no question that your business will have spent a lot of time and resources on building a strong vision and brand, improving your product/services and investing in new technology. But all these elements often overlook one of the most fundamental components of your business – your people!
A Few Facts & Figures
- Did you know that 10 million adults experience mental health issues each year? That’s 1 in 4 people.
- The Labour Force Survey of 2017/18 identified that 15.4 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
- In 2017/18 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and 57% of all working days lost due to ill health.
Focus on Flexibility
Thanks to advances in technology, employees are now able to fulfil their duties away from the office, in any country and at any time – day or night. It goes without saying that not everyone can work from home effectively, so its important to get to know your employees and learn what works best for them. For those who do work well from home, it can result in a boost in performance while taking a break from the Monday morning commutes or stresses of a noisy office.
Sleep Good, Wake up Feeling Good
If you have a bad day sleep it off.
Another approach to improve well-being is a self reflection exercise that encourages positive thinking. This exercise involves reflecting on your day and thinking of 3 positive things that have happened to you in the past 24 hours. By doing so, it will allow you to scan your memories with a positive filter and start to see the good in things – even if its only for a minute of what felt like a horrible day! Eventually this way of thinking will be engraved in your head and you will start thinking more positively in general.
It’s all about giving, not receiving
By partnering with charities or local environmental groups will allow you and your employees to actively help others and witness how those efforts lead to positive outcomes. This can lead to improvements in staff wellness and happiness, as well as having a sense of purpose, making them proud to work for a business that genuinely cares about real world issues.
Your office is more than just an office
The options are endless. Whether it’s implementing some colour, adjusting the lighting or temperature, adding a little creativity and modernisation or creating sociable areas. Find solutions that align with your budget and culture, then ask your people what changes they want to see. This is a huge step towards creating an environment where people will be excited to come to work.
Get Talking
Communication is key and is at the heart of a healthy and happy workplace. Mental health is not always a issue which is easy to address. Historically, the stigma around mental health has painted those struggling as irrational, weak or even crazy. Support members of staff and provide a compassionate culture that allows employees to be honest when they are struggling.
Create environments that encourage and empower individuals to share their feelings or vent any concerns. You could even implement a flexible feedback programme so employees can voice their concerns and express sentiment. This will ensure that you build on successes and promote a workplace where everyone has a say!
Most importantly, be kind to one another!