IMPROVE STAFF WELLBEING

Workplace Wellbeing For Mental Health

 

Mental health in the workplace would not have been a topic of conversation just a few years, but these days, having a Mental Health First Aider is as common as having a fire warden or a traditional first aider. What has changed is that just a few years ago, the single most common reason that people were “off sick” from work, was physical: a bad back, a migraine, the flu. Now the single most common reason is mental/emotional: stress accounts for over 53% of all working days lost.

 

Of course, the problem isn’t necessarily that there is more anxiety at work, it is a reflection of the fact that the working population is suffering increasingly with poor mental health. And because we typically spend more time at work than at home, mental health at work has become a board level issue.

 

HR Directors now include workplace wellbeing programmes – also known as workplace wellness – as part of their strategy for attracting and retaining high performance employees. These usually include support to ensure staff have resources on everything from sleep and nutrition to financial and physical health, providing classes of exercise, yoga and meditation at work.

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Staff Mental Wellbeing Activities, London

 

Whether you work at a multinational corporation or a small start up, staff wellbeing activities are an important consideration. We live in increasingly challenging times, with pressures that can sometimes have a negative impact on our happiness, health and performance at work. People are typically critical to an organisation’s success so having the right staff wellbeing programme in place can also be critical to an organisation’s success.

 

Programmes can cover a range of mental wellbeing activities to support staff needs. Larger companies set up on-site gyms or negotiate a discount at a local gym. Staff members themselves often set up running clubs, exercise groups or yoga classes and some companies bring in a sports or shiatsu masseur each week to deal with physical tension.

 

In addition to online EAP (employee assistance programmes), external speakers can be brought in to provide guidance on everything from sleep and nutrition to financial planning and time management.

 

Meditation and mindfulness classes are usually run by external practitioners, but not just in the office: wellbeing for events is now incorporated into the agenda to ensure delegates get the most from the day. It’s easy to become swamped with information at an event, not to mention when you are tired, to become less receptive!