Wellbeing is a broad term that encompasses multiple dimensions of life. It has been studied across disciplines such as positive psychology, philosophy and economics.
An essential element of wellbeing is creating an inclusive workplace culture. Managers play a significant part in making sure this happens in their organization.
Workplace wellbeing
Workplace wellbeing encompasses policies, activities, and initiatives designed to promote both physical and psychological health at work. This may involve activities like Employee Resource Groups (ERG), flexible working arrangements and staff wellness events.
As part of an effective workplace wellbeing strategy, it’s key that employees feel their voices are heard – including feeling as though managers, peers and HR are open to listening to their concerns. You can achieve this by offering comfortable yet aesthetically pleasing workspace options like sit-to-stand desks, ergonomic furniture and healthy food offerings.
employees need a sense of belonging in their workplace by participating in social and community events, such as networking opportunities, team lunches, charity walks or volunteering days. Engaged employees tend to stay longer in their roles reducing hiring costs and helping a business create an efficient workforce; for this reason workplace wellbeing must be part of any employee retention strategy.
Mental health
Mental health can be defined as the state of well-being in which emotions, thinking and behaviors contribute to experiencing and managing everyday challenges more successfully. Mental wellbeing may be affected by various factors including physical health issues, social interactions, education/work experiences as well as family/relationship dynamics.
People may require assistance when their mood shifts and becomes more serious, or when they have difficulties functioning at home, school, work or in their community. Prolonged mood or thinking problems that cause distress or interfere with daily functioning are considered mental illnesses.
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) and medications may help alleviate symptoms of mental illnesses. To get optimal results from treatment plans, it’s essential that patients adhere to them even if they begin feeling better. A support network of family and friends may also prove invaluable; other strategies for supporting mental health may include prioritising self-care activities like exercising and engaging in creative outlets or staying engaged with community activities – it is also vitally important that positive people surround you that lift your mood and offer encouragement and inspiration.
Physical health
Physical health is one aspect of wellbeing that focuses on how your body operates, such as cardiovascular system health, muscle strength, balance and flexibility, diet and adequate rest.
Exercise is key to physical well-being, and one way to do it without breaking the bank is through regular physical activity such as walking, jogging, bodyweight exercises like push ups and squats or practicing yoga. All are effective means of keeping the body moving!
Exercise not only benefits cardiovascular health but can also lower stress levels, enhance sleep quality and increase energy. Regular physical activity has even been proven to provide that “runner’s high”, the euphoric feeling experienced during intense physical exercise that releases feel-good chemicals into your system.
Relationships
Relationships are vitally important to overall wellbeing, and can be nurtured in many different ways. Stable partnerships provide emotional support, boost mental wellbeing, reduce the risk of stress and depression and serve as a source of meaning, purpose and social connections.
Relationships are essential to our mental, social, and workplace wellbeing. Empowering your employees with the resources needed to build healthy relationships is immensely beneficial both to themselves and their colleagues. Make sure your employees feel able to discuss work-related or personal concerns freely with you, and that if necessary they can access psychological assistance if required.
Wellbeing goes beyond simply meeting basic needs as illustrated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; rather, it involves an ongoing journey of discovery about what helps us feel balanced and flourish in all areas of our lives. That is why short core measures such as those found in the ESS can be useful: they enable broad assessment while increasing opportunities to identify individual dimensions that may lead to targeted interventions.
