Life today is such a non-stop scramble that too many of us end the day feeling overwhelmed and exhausted – but there are solutions says certified life coach, motivational speaker and founder of holistic wellness company Rise & Shine Jo van der Walle
We let our well-being fall through the cracks simply keeping our heads above water and it’s taking a huge toll.
Sleep deprivation is an epidemic, physical activity is at an all-time low, and the number of health issues tied to obesity, stress, depression and chronic disease has skyrocketed.
Arianna Huffington highlights the consequences of our modern lifestyles in her recent book Thrive. As she points out:
- UK prescriptions for antidepressants have risen 495 per cent since 1991
- Germany lost 55 million workdays to psychological illness in 2011, up over 80 per cent in 15 years
- the ex-Minister of Labour in Germany estimated that burnout is costing the country up to 10 billion euros per year
- a Harvard Medical School study found that an astounding 96 per cent of leaders said they felt burned out
- according to the American Psychological Association, the millennial generation is at the top of the chart for stress levels – ahead of baby boomers and matures.
These figures only reinforce that the way we are living and working is not working.
Arianna’s message is that the long-term health of a company’s bottom line and the health of its employees are very much aligned, and when we treat them as separate we pay a heavy price – both personally and collectively.
For businesses, the costs are exacted in dollars and cents, talent retention and diminished productivity.
The approach we should be taking instead is “what is good for our employees is also good for business.”
It’s time we discovered a better way of working and followed the lead of progressive organisations worldwide such as Nike, Google, Kraft, Apple, Facebook and Coca Cola.
They invest heavily in the health of their staff – and create real benefits for the business.
A whole-person approach
Over the last few years we have seen a shift in the concept of employee wellness as organisations move towards a more holistic definition of wellness that encompasses an employee’s total well-being.
People are more than physical; they are four dimensional – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. In order to increase an individual’s capacity to work to their full capability we need to educate them on how to recharge each of these four dimensions.
In the past, health and well-being programmes generally only supported physical parameters such as exercise, nutrition and stress management.
While these programmes are still in place and highly valuable when it comes making employees feel healthy and appreciated, employers are beginning to supplement these with social/emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.
In fact, a recent survey by Virgin Pulse found that 78 per cent of employers in the US have expanded beyond physical wellness programmes to overall well-being.
It may be easy to list all the initiatives your organisation has in place to support physical well-being – such as fruit bowls, subsidised gym memberships, sessions with a nutritionist and health checks – but what initiatives are in place to support the other three dimensions?
Mental wellness
Let’s start with the mental dimension. By neglecting to educate individuals on how to enhance their mental capacity we limit their ability to generate fresh ideas, produce more work and be more positive in the workplace.
By educating individuals on how to break negative thought patterns they take positive action and feel calmer and more in control.
Rise and Shine Coaching is currently delivering this four-dimensional programme to Russell McVeagh Law Firm, following which the Mental Agility workshop participants commented: “I have felt more switched on and motivated at work” and I have been “more positive at work and about work.”
Imagine the result of having more positive, proactive individuals operating from a growth mindset and influencing others in the organisation? It is important to ask yourself what your workplace is currently doing to support mental well-being.
Social/emotional wellness
Often clients question what social/emotional means? Could this equate to people challenges they experience in the workplace?
Charging the emotional dimension happens more organically and is in two parts. Social – how to develop strong relationships with those around us; and emotional – how to develop a strong relationship and effectively manage ourselves.
These days many of us work independently but the problem with this is we live in an interdependent world so it benefits us and the workplace to focus on this dimension. It’s often when we learn the art of giving and taking that we develop strong interpersonal relationships.
When we are emotionally secure we work better in a team environment without feeling threatened by others. Our workshops educate individuals on how to manage their feelings throughout the day so they stop reacting to stimuli and feel more in control of themselves.
What is your workplace currently doing to support emotional well-being?
Spiritual wellness
We don’t mean spiritual in the religious sense – in fact we refer to this as the ‘Internal dimension’ and focus on the individual deep within, including their values, interests, strengths and knowledge of who they really are.
When an individual is spiritually/internally well they jump out of bed every day, excited about life, they are fulfilled, content and working towards their personal and professional goals. What is your workplace currently doing to support spiritual/Internal well-being?
Why recommend a programme incorporating all four dimensions? The answer is simple. Picture Johnny. He is physically healthy, runs for 30 minutes, at least five times a week, does weights and yoga, but he is very stressed out, lonely and unhappy.
Would you consider Johnny to be healthy? Not totally, he may be physically fit he but doesn’t have complete well-being for several key reasons:
- he is regularly feeling stressed out (lack of mental well-being), which affects him physiologically by causing sleepless nights and leads to addictions such as caffeine, smoking and drinking (lack of physical well-being)
- he feels resentment toward his employer for working long hours – affecting his mental, emotional and spiritual well-being
- it affects his relationships at home and at work by making him irritable and withdrawn— “Go away! Leave me alone!” (lack of emotional well-being)
- it affects his spiritual dimension by making him not enjoy activities that previously inspired him, preventing him from thinking clearly about where he is going and the goals he is working towards.
In short, imbalance in one area affects the entire system. Hence the importance of the holistic approach.
Intrinsically motivating
To get real benefits from any programme, you need to focus on developing intrinsic motivation.
Don’t get me wrong – pedometer challenges are great but people are smart and it doesn’t take them long to realise that by tapping their foot a few times when sitting at their desk their step intake increases and their team is more likely to win the challenge and get the prize.
This is extrinsic motivation, where people are motivated by the prize and happy to bend the rules to win.
We have had discussions with clients who strongly believe that wellness is the responsibility of the individual and we absolutely agree – but what if they have never considered the four dimensions of wellness before?
Do they limit their ability to work to their full capacity because they don’t know, what they don’t know? Do they know what activities or behaviours they can adopt to help them be their best selves at work and at home?
A good place to start is to introduce a programme that educates individuals on the four dimensions of wellness, how each dimension is intertwined and how by recharging each dimension they will feel happier, more energised, productive and motivated.
In the process, why not let them set their own goals? It may be 5,000 steps to start with then progress to 10,000. Allow them to start from their current lifestyle and build new healthy habits from there.
Top-down support
It’s important this approach is kept alive throughout the organisation. Staff at all levels should participate to ensure everyone speaks the same language.
Taking lunch breaks or finishing work on time to go to the gym are actions that should be celebrated and encouraged.
After all, the organisation benefits when individuals are able to come up with creative ideas, are less reactive, less stressed and more positive to be around.
Best results are achieved when an organisation aligns its values to the four dimensions of an individual, keeping it top of mind for employees.
Creating a culture of wellness must be an authentic move and not a means of showing senior leadership are ‘doing the right thing’. If it’s a box-ticking exercise you are going to get limited results.
You can have the best well-being programme in the world, but if the culture isn’t changed you’re not going to be able to change employees’ habits on an ongoing basis. Why not get the whole organisation involved, from the top down?
It’s a long-term priority
The bread and butter is that the programme is focused on changing habits, not making small changes that fade.
For example, at Rise and Shine Coaching our programme is in four parts.
Each two-hour workshop focuses on a different dimension and is scheduled independently, giving individuals time to embed new habits in each area before returning to the next workshop. It’s all about seeking long-term sustainable results.
Each participant is assigned an accountability partner to support and encourage them throughout the programme. Participants are encouraged to share their successes and challenges on the assigned Facebook page.
We recommend if you want to change the culture, you should do it properly and take on Stephen Covey’s attitude – ‘Fast is Slow and Slow is Fast’.
The proof is clearly evident. According to the results of a recent study by Virgin Pulse and Workforce Magazine, 64 per cent of employees said they feel appreciated when their employers offer a wellness programme.
Some 58 per cent felt more engaged and loyal, 75 per cent felt more energetic and productive and 88 per cent felt more positive about their work culture.
Investing in workplace well-being programmes also helps organisations get a leg up on recruitment, enhances their workplace reputation and supports company success.
Do you want your employees to bring their best selves to work each day? If so, it’s time to ignite behavioural change and transport your organisation to a new stratosphere.
Holistic wellness is a proven all-round approach for better workplace health and safety and a more positive, productive culture.
