Wellbeing In The Workplace

Light has been shed on the importance of promoting Wellbeing in the workplace and is the spotlight topic of our next event.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if your employees are happy and healthy in the workplace then it will lead to a more motivated, enjoyable and productive workspace. It is a win-win right? While it is such a hot issue, many employers still find the importance of mental health wellbeing and the promotion of it hard to grasp. Many employers and institutions such as universities have attempted to put schemes in place or one-off events that never get repeated and think that is enough. It isn’t. Ensuring wellbeing in the workplace needs to be engrained in everyone’s work culture.

So what can you do?

Know your values. 

Your company culture is highly important and so are your values. I am currently part of a start-up agency, with a small team and luckily have been able to be part of creating those values. These values aren’t written in stone, we are constantly reviewing them and whether they still reflect who we are.

Collaboration leads to a general wellness in the office, this doesn’t just have to be related to the creation of values and a list of must-haves it can be about the architecture of your office.

Gone are the days where CEOs and Senior management are hidden away in their own private offices with the only collaboration happening over a boardroom table. The rise of organising desks into an island is very effective, it means everyone is involved in the conversation and can often lead to idea sharing over a cup of tea and a shared motivational playlist.

Being the boss and being a friend. 

Employers are often on a spectrum. At one end you have the boss who is strict, and I mean really strict. There is to be no laughing or communication in the office, as that’s wasting money and time. This leads to employees working late evenings and sometimes even on their days off, as they have to meet impossible deadlines, causing overworked, overstressed and undervalued employees. While as an employee, your workforce appears dedicated to the outside eye and your productivity numbers are up, you are actually increasing the risk of employees having to take time off work in order to face mental health issues.

At the other end, you have the over-friendly boss that allows you to do what you want. This may seem like the perfect boss for an employee, I mean why wouldn’t it? But it isn’t productive and can lead to problems when work-related issues need to be raised such as performance indicators.

You need to find a balance. A workplace of equal respect, be a boss that people want to work hard for, produce high quality work for and most of all are happy.

Recognise milestones and achievements. 

Work is a learning process, everyday there is something new to learn, something valuable to give back and something else to achieve. It should be an environment that knows your strengths, weaknesses and can easily recognise your achievements. It should be an environment where knowing your worth and value is extremely encouraged, this can be through recognising simple milestones such as work anniversaries or noticing when they have learnt to do something for the first time. A year ago I had no idea what PHP was, nor how to compose a newsletter that fits into a client’s branding and granted I still don’t know everything that gets discussed on our crafted island of tables, but I know a lot more and this is appreciated and recognised by those around me.

Not everyday you are at work is going to be pleasant, everyone has bad days, it’s life, right? But, it doesn’t mean that everyday an employee comes into work, they dread walking through the door, or are thinking about the time they will actually be able to get out on the morning commute. Works a culture of give and take, one of appreciation and motivation.