Wellbeing has become an increasing focus for occupational health practitioners, yet no clear definition or assessment methodology exist in this field.
Enhancing well-being skills takes long-term dedication. Just like eating healthily, its effects will take time to become apparent. Activities which foster meaning, purpose, and community should be prioritized when looking to increase well-being skills.
Employee engagement
Engagement can be difficult; employees require more than a fleeting sense of happiness and an adequate paycheck in order to remain dedicated and invested in their jobs. A disengaged workforce could compromise not only productivity, but also the quality of the work that your employees produce.
Employee engagement as defined by benefits consultancy Watson Wyatt can be defined as the intersection between commitment (i.e. the motivation your employees feel to help the organization succeed) and line of sight (the knowledge your employees possess about what their role entails, why it contributes to success, and its significance).
Many strategies designed to boost employee engagement also positively influence employee wellbeing, helping your staff feel connected and supported at work. Take for instance ifeel: an innovative platform offering users access to mental well-being support via over 600 psychologists from 30+ countries; giving users immediate emotional crisis intervention as soon as they occur; as well as professional development training courses designed to enhance leadership and teamwork capabilities.
Health and safety
People tend to emphasize “safety first” and “safety always”, yet while this should always be taken into consideration when discussing workplace hazards and health needs must also be considered.
Everyone deserves to work in an environment which promotes health and safety, whether or not there are legal requirements to do so. No one wishes for themselves or anyone else in their employment to get hurt or sick through their job; harming others is simply wrong on a human level.
ICMM’s Psychological Health and Safety Tools assist workplaces to implement strong practices to promote employee wellbeing. These measures include psychological safety measures like the Impact Wellbeing Guide which offers a step-by-step system approach for improving professional wellbeing in hospitals with the aim of building trust between leaders and healthcare workers. It was put through real world testing in three virtual workshop series led by Center Director Erika Sabbath and Associate Director Susan Peters with Glorian Sorensen as support staff.
Work-life balance
Maintaining a balanced work-life balance involves allocating enough time for personal interests, family, and friends. Spending this time investing in relationships and self-care supports mental health while alleviating stress levels; additionally it builds resilience when life events threaten performance.
Work-life balance can also be addressed through wellness solutions such as mindfulness, ergonomics and stress management. Utilizing these tools will enable employees to feel more capable and confident when handling high workloads without succumbing to burnout.
Professional counseling or therapy sessions may help those struggling to strike a good work-life balance find relief. Sometimes they find more efficient ways of performing tasks, leading to reduced stress levels and increased productivity levels.
Community engagement
Community engagement refers to the collaborative practice of working closely with groups of people (whether geographically or through shared interests) to identify and address any issues impacting their well-being. It stems from democratic ideals which posit that everyone should have their say on decisions which affect them directly.
Community engagement also fosters a sense of ownership over one’s environment and promotes trust between residents and local government entities, thus contributing to healthy, supportive environments that can last into the future.
Community engagement is a complex process encompassing clear objectives, continual learning and feedback loops, relationship building efforts and public reporting as a way of sharing outcomes and lessons learned with the public. Reports should be accessible and transparent so as to communicate outcomes as well as any challenges experienced. Ideally they should meet community needs while meeting each engagement initiative’s specific context and goals.
