How do you Promote Wellbeing in the Workplace?
Image: Sprout Daily
Words: Aaron Bell
Workplace wellbeing is a topic filled with buzzwords and clichés. But what does it really mean to promote workplace wellbeing?
Research tells us that 1 in 5 colleagues are experiencing a mental health condition. When we come to work, most of us want to feel engaged, satisfied and be part of a genuine workplace culture that supports psychological wellbeing. Those in charge want this too - after all, being in a mentally healthy workplace increases staff satisfaction, retention and performance.
Employee engagement is proven to be 5 times higher in businesses that focus on wellbeing.
Employee wellbeing encompasses:
Physical wellness
Mental/emotional wellness
Financial wellness
But how do we promote wellbeing in the workplace?
Here are 5 simple ways a business can put more wellness into their workplace:
Take real breaks
Research from The Australian institute shows full-time employees work an estimated 7.1 hours a week of unpaid overtime. How many of us are guilty of reading emails or answering our phones during our “lunch break?”
As hard as it can be to step away from the tools or computers at lunch time, a real physical break is a way to reset our minds and can actually help increase productivity when returning to work.
And for employers, encouraging staff to take breaks away from their desk or job-site can greatly help staff feel mentally and physically refreshed.
2. Encourage a meaningful work-life-balance
With many workplaces offering hybrid or work-from-home opportunities, it’s important for Aussies who WFH to get out of the house or away from their computer both during the day, and after close of business.
Setting up a dedicated home office space can help separate work from home life, and when you log off for the day, resist that temptation to check your work emails before bed.
COVID-19 has blurred the lines of work time and personal time. When working from your couch or bedroom, you can easily overwork yourself as there’s no mental separation from work and personal tasks.
3. Find time for physical activity and socialising
This tip goes hand in hand with having a healthy work-life-balance. Prioritise your physical and mental wellbeing by finding time to exercise and socialise during your day.
For those working from home, it’s easy to roll out of bed and start working, but whether you are working at home or not, exercise is proven to help your physical and mental wellbeing.
For some, it might mean getting up earlier to go to the gym (or for a surf!) before you start work, or taking a walk on your lunch break with a co-worker.
Evidence shows exercising helps not only your physical wellbeing but improves mental and emotional wellbeing and improves your ability to fall to sleep at night.
4. Ask your staff how you can promote wellbeing at your workplace
It’s all well and good for workplaces to implement wellness strategies, but these strategies should be informed by the staff.
Finding the ways you can help staff improve their workplace wellbeing through benefits, or changes will ultimately benefit the wellbeing of the workplace.
Some workplace wellness ideas might be:
Career counselling services - Understanding what an individual’s long-term career goals are and helping provide a pathway to those goals can improve the mental wellbeing of staff.
Social functions - Scheduling end of month/quarter functions like lawn bowls, paint and sip, office drinks, or a surf day can be a simple way to build culture, and celebrate success as a team.
Professional development - Allowing staff to continue to learn and develop their skill set in new areas is a great way to promote wellness in the workplace and invest in your staff.
Employee benefits - Discounted gym or fitness class memberships, access to subscriptions to meditation or mindfulness courses/apps.
5. Invest in workplace wellbeing programs
Programs like Waves of Wellness offer evidence based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSD) techniques, led by our clinically-trained facilitators.
WOW changes the environment, to change the conversation. We take people into blue and green spaces to meet them where they’re at.
Plus it’s good for your bottom line. Research suggests that for every $1 a business spends on mental health, they receive on average a positive result on investment (ROI) of 2.3. Not to mention you’ll be hitting those workplace ESG targets (the environmental, social and governance impacts of an organisation's activities) and instilling a wider sense of morality through your approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). It really is win-win.
So, are you ready to revolutionise the way your workplace addresses wellbeing?
It’s time to go surfing!
Find out more about WOW’s evidence-based Workplace Wellbeing Programs here.