Wellbeing in the workplace

The curse of the New Year’s Resolution is well documented but employers would be wise to prioritise making small, manageable changes to improve staff wellbeing in 2020, says Victoria Davidson, Naturopathic Doctor and Wellbeing Lead at healthcare rm.

The stats around failed New Year’s Resolutions have become a self-fulfilling prophecy in recent years, prompting a rise in smarter, more manageable goal-setting.

This ties in nicely with the growing awareness of the importance of staff wellbeing for businesses across the world.

Companies are starting to realise that wellbeing can’t be improved with the odd gesture, as nice as in-office masseuse visits or social get-togethers can be.

To see the benefits of improved wellbeing amongst staff, a culture with wellbeing at its heart needs to be implemented.

This can’t be achieved overnight, so like a New Year’s Resolution, smaller goals are the way forward.

Firstly, you need to think about what wellbeing actually is and how it relates to your business performance.

Put simply, wellbeing is about quality of life, through a combination of positive physical and mental health.

In the working environment, it is about feeling valued and part of a team. 

When all of these factors are considered as a top priority and form the backbone of your decision making, you will discover the benefits this can have.

Improved performance, reduced sickness absence, greater commitment and greater morale are just some of the benefits of introducing a culture of wellbeing in your workplace.

Every business is different, so getting an understanding of how wellbeing relates to yours is a crucial first step.

Then, you should ask yourself what you understand about the current state of wellbeing amongst your team.

Be honest and if you think the answer is ‘not much’ then maybe your next goal should be to learn more.

From there you can prioritise key areas, while starting the process of letting your staff know that their wellbeing is something you are taking a keen interest in going forward.

This will also allow you to be creative and address issues in the right way, rather than a long and potentially damaging trial and error process.

You will notice as you work through these priorities and start planning out next steps that there are endless possibilities when it comes to making improvements.

Hopefully, you should also start to take note of how you can lead the charge on this culture change.

For a shift in culture to really gain momentum, you need to be leading from the front and setting an example for others to follow.

So if one of your business goals for 2020 is to create a happier, healthier, and more productive work environment, start making a change today.  

Remember people can be resistance to change to start with, however making small continuous changes over a period of time make them seem less daunting and becoming part of the everyday routine.  

So, what changes can you start to help shift your business culture to a healthier one?  

The road to change starts with you.