Optimising opportunities for wellbeing at work
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In this blog I explore some of the key concepts of wellbeing at work that can be used to inform policy around psycho-social safety at work.
Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. It's a complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors It is strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction. In short, wellbeing could be described as how people feel about themselves and their life quality.
Social Capital at work - A positive workplace social culture is usually not accidental, and can be conceptualised in non-financial terms as the combined value of people, their networks and their interactions. Social capital contributes to lower absenteeism, better performance, innovation, inclusivity and lower staff turnover. Building collaborative relationships (formally and informally) increases access to support, resources, knowledge and opportunities. It is easy to see how effective work flow can stem from this when communication is effective and open and people feel a sense of trust and support.
For new workers, emersion into the workplace through personal guidance, conversation, opportunities to absorb and observe can be vital to effective professional development. For leaders, identifying and enacting opportunities for encouraging connection (especially in hybrid or WFH workplaces) can bring well-being to the forefront of inducting and maintaining effective and inclusive and safe teams. See https://hbr.org/2021/03/what-a-year-of-wfh-has-done-to-our-relationships-at-work
Self-care includes the multitude of things we can do to restore or improve our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Self-care is really important - but is not the answer for preventing psychological harm at work by the way - read on for a bigger picture
Workplace Health and Wellbeing - The concept and scope of workplace health and wellbeing has broadened over the years from being focussed on the individual to considering the workplace as a whole / community setting with interdependent dimensions including physical, financial, occupational, psychological, social, intellectual and environmental factors. Each area ( or pillar as they are commonly called) constitutes a shared responsibility between individuals and leaders where health, safety and wellbeing must be embedded into the way we think about and design work, business practices and workplace culture to truly reflect an integrated strategy that to be successful, will likely need to be nuanced and multi-faceted. It is important to recognise that that a single intervention is not likely to meet the needs of diverse workforces. A focus on individual wellbeing is limited if we don’t address the broader social or organisational context and the systems that are embedded in work practices and demands.
Collective well-being at work considers the overall health and functioning of the group as a whole and fosters self-determination for people and groups to define their own sense of well-being. Every individual or group will have a different sense of what it means to thrive and to be able to withstand the challenges that work can present.
I believe that the most positive impact on wellbeing occurs when we shift not only to a better balance between work and personal life, but when organisational strategies, systems, policies, culture and practices embrace a people-centric approach, integrating and embedding wellbeing and diversity considerations into all aspects of business. It is the same in community - our collective wellbeing is contingent on understanding the broader context of our social responsibility to each other, recognising and valuing our differences and not just working toward our personal wellness.
Keeping well and happy at work is not a given. We all face professional or personal challenges in our life journey that impact on our well being and on our level or work engagement or enjoyment. Similarly managers who are responsible for fostering the safety and wellbeing of their teams can face complex or even chromic challenges around optimising workers wellbeing.There are choices, options and better ways of doing things that make coping and thriving at work possible. Speaking up about what is not supporting wellbeing in your workplace is an important first step. Connection with others and the sharing of experiences can foster the realisation that we are not in this alone.There are a wealth of resources available on the web that can inform and inspire your ideas. It doesn’t have to be limited to the fruit bowl or gym membership but can hinge on engaging with workers on what wellness means to them and on carefully considering wellness and the impact of job design on individual workers including identifying and building strengths and supporting weaker areas for foster resilisience.
Tailoring a workplace wellbeing program for yourself or for your organisation doesn’t need to be daunting. It can start with simple concepts around promoting healthy work practices (including rest and time off), encouraging access to nourishing food, hydration and body movement. It can include education and awareness raising about mental health. Your workplace can support this by providing ergonomic workstations or tools, encouraging comfortable clothing and provide opportunities for upskilling and training to do your job effectively. Likewise socialising and connecting with others at work can increase engagement and sense of belonging.
While having a documented wellbeing and safety policy is important, it is essential to communicate that wellbeing at work is everyone’s responsibility, it should not rest on individual motivation or uptake of programs. An approach that relies on“self care” has the potential to disengage workers if they like they might fail or not be well enough or resilient enough to cope with the rigours of work or meet the standards being espoused. It could result in dis-engagement or competitive behaviours that are inimical to wellbeing.
Collectively aware organisations, take the time to observe, reflect and make adjustments to dysfunctional systems, practices and cultures that jeopardise wellbeing Such an approach does not view vulnerability as a weakness, but as a necessary part of collective functioning, where there is acknowledgement of the growth potential of learning through imperfection or error, where jobs deliberately designed for sustainability and the encouragement of human potential but grounded in the reality of human needs. Get in touch if you would like a hand.