Fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes wellbeing can increase productivity, lower employee turnover rates, spur innovation, retain customers and boost revenues.
Identification of targeted policy areas becomes easier as well. Examining individual dimensions allows one to gain a comprehensive view of how societal indicators such as income and education affect well-being by weakening or strengthening various aspects.
1. Health
Health encompasses more than simply absence of disease; it encompasses all aspects of physical, mental and social wellbeing. Healthy lifestyle choices are essential in order to achieve and sustain wellness.
Health supports include healthy diet, exercise and sleeping patterns as well as the avoidance of harmful behaviors like smoking and unprotected sexual encounters. Furthermore, spiritual practices contribute to holistic well-being for better overall health.
Encourage employees to participate in wellbeing initiatives and involve them as much as possible, knowing it will improve their own well-being. It is also essential for leaders to play their part by setting aside time for themselves to address wellbeing, discussing personal experiences openly and leading by example.
2. Relationships
Healthy relationships are vital to overall wellbeing. This could include friendships, coworkers, romantic partnerships or even therapy services; having people to count on during both good times and difficult ones helps build resilience and resilience in yourself and those around you.
Studies have proven the emotional and physical advantages of having a supportive network are invaluable in improving overall well-being. Multiple studies demonstrate how social support reduces allostatic load (the accumulation of stress-induced wear-and-tear damage to our bodies), by lowering blood pressure and heart rate, while increasing positive arousal and improving emotional well-being.
Sibling relationships have also been shown to influence health outcomes; however, this area needs further exploration. Research suggests that higher quality sibling relationships tend to create feelings of belonging while lower quality relationships may even have adverse effects on one’s wellbeing.
3. Work
Work is an integral component of well-being support as it provides employees with meaning and purpose in life and gives them a sense of achievement.
An optimal work culture can increase productivity, lower employee turnover, foster innovation and foster customer retention; not to mention its effects on your bottom line.
However, if a company fails to include mental health support into its work-oriented culture, it could actually do more damage than good for its workers. Poor mental health can force employees out with illness and hinder productivity within an organization; placing more focus on mental well-being may help lower absenteeism leading to increased productivity as well as create a happier workplace environment.
4. Spirituality
Spirituality refers to an awareness of something greater than yourself and involves connecting to something bigger than yourself – whether through religion, belief in a higher power, meditation or nature exploration.
Studies demonstrate the protective benefits of spirituality against mental illness, with people who are more spiritual generally living healthier lives overall. Studies even reveal that people who are more spiritual are less likely to commit suicide.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are studying the relationship between religion, spirituality and mental health. Through the MIDUS study they are taking detailed measures of religion and spirituality, along with health behaviors, life stressors, biomarkers to better understand spirituality’s link to well-being.
5. Finances
Financial wellbeing (also referred to as financial health) means different things for each of us, but generally speaking it means feeling contented, secure and comfortable with your current financial situation. This involves budgeting, savings, investing and planning for the future as well as being prepared for unexpected expenses as well as creating a buffer in case there are changes to income or job security.
Companies can support employees financially through providing financial advice and education as part of a well-being programme, including seminars, online resources or hotlines to speak to a financial professional; additionally it may include access to services like 401(k)s or Health Savings Accounts which help alleviate financial stress while improving employee satisfaction.
