World Wellbeing Week began in Jersey in 2019 and is now celebrating both its fifth year and the incredible global reach to the 58 million people who took part around the world last year.  Wellbeing and mental health are intrinsically linked; it is increasingly important for managers to ensure they have support and training to gain the skills and confidence needed to use their voice to challenge mental health stigma and to promote and model positive wellbeing behaviours inclusive mental health  and wellbeing discussions in the workplace.

Poor mental health is linked to lower productivity and an increase in absences from work.  A report from Deloitte 2022 stated that mental ill-health costs UK businesses £56 billion annually. Wellbeing and mental wellness in the workplace has become an imperative focus for employers. (Business ITN Oct 2023 Skills and Work).

World Wellbeing Week offers managers a focused platform to inspire and empower employees to explore their wellbeing; a chance to co-create opportunities in which employees can actively engage in new activities together or individually to improve their wellbeing. It’s a chance to shine a spotlight, to encourage employees to reflect on their wellbeing goals. The focus of this week can be used to foster motivation, curiosity and agency in seeking new ways to boost wellbeing across the psychological, mental, emotional, physical and social aspects of employees lives.

“The workplace is a key setting where transformative action is needed” — a finding reported in the World Health Organisation’s 2022 ‘World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all’.

The Global Wellbeing Week initiative is a great conversation starter for managers, an inspiration for new ways of working,  for individuals to open up about challenges or issues at work that might be negatively impacting their wellbeing, a chance to lead by example and a focussed opportunity to create a safe space for opening up feedback on the culture of the workplace and any issues that may be contributing to poor wellbeing, and therefore negatively impacting mental health.

 

“The leading cause of absence is mental health issues” – Dr Van Ommeron- WHO Mental health expert-(2022 Report World Health Organisation)

 

Employee engagement and wellbeing are closely linked,  stress levels of employees have increased in recent years due to external factors such as the cost of living crisis.  Therefore, employees’ domestic lives are, in general, becoming more challenging.

 

Depression and anxiety have increased 25% since pandemic – WHO 2022 World mental health report.

 

The workplace can be a welcome break and respite from home stress, somewhere that employees can feel their skills and achievements are recognised, where they can experience a sense of satisfaction and an increase in confidence and self-esteem.  Managers are in a unique position to lead by example, to recognise achievements, to promote wellbeing and create an inclusive culture that values and respects all staff members.

Recognition does more than fuel employee wellbeing: It promotes a more positive outlook and mitigates burnout. (Amplifying Wellbeing at Work and Beyond-Through the Power of Recognition) GALLUP/Workhuman Report 2023.

 

It is important that managers have support to engage in training and to develop skills to confidently use their voice to talk positively about mental health and wellbeing to employees, to encourage openness and create a safe space to discuss issues so that employees feel comfortable reaching out when needed.

It is thought that approximately 40% of today’s workforce are neurodiverse.  There is a societal and medical rise in awareness of neurodiversity and therefore diagnosis, particularly amongst women and girls which means that a significant number of the current and future workforce are and will be neurodivergent and may need specific adjustments, more flexibility and diversity aware and inclusive employers. Many neurodiverse people are excellent at “masking” to more easily fit in and function at work in a neurotypical society. (Nerenberg, 2020).  “Masking” can be exhausting and lead to symptoms of burn out, so raising awareness and educating workforces in terms of neurodiversity may support employees to feel able to discuss their needs and any issues.

The majority of human beings are what is termed neurotypical, while research indicates that between 15 and 20% are neurodivergent (Doyle, 2020).

 

Managers who focus on getting to know staff, truly demonstrating care and a genuine interest in staff wellbeing, as well as offering robust organisational wellbeing strategies are increasingly attractive to employees, in particular the Gen Z workforce, who place more value on mental health and wellbeing and a positive work-life balance.

“Generation Z are three times more likely to rank wellbeing at work as important compared to the older workforce”. 2022 Gympass State of Work-Life Wellness report.

Employee wellbeing has emerged as a top priority for organisations seeking to attract and retain top talent. In 2024, companies will place a greater emphasis on holistic wellbeing programs that go beyond physical health. Mental health support, stress management initiatives, and flexible work arrangements that promote work-life balance, will become integral components of the workplace culture.  (Business.itn.co.uk)

 

A report by the CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development) highlighted that employee assistance programmes (EAPs) continue to be the most common wellbeing benefit offered, followed by access to counselling services.

“People are at the centre of it all. If we want the best performance from our organisations, we have to look after our people.” Peter Cheese, Chief Executive CIPD

 

 

Here are some ideas to try in World Wellbeing Week to boost employees wellbeing.

  • Daily Mindful Walk – mindfulness walking encourage employees to build a healthy habit over this summer’s World Wellbeing Week, individually or perhaps as a group so that it becomes easier to continue during the winter months having seen and felt the benefits. Walking and being outside is a fantastic way to boost wellbeing and improve mental and physical health.  Just twenty minutes outside a day boosts our levels of Vitamin D which helps to keep bones, muscles and teeth healthy, and is thought to improve the production of feel good hormones. Mindfulness walking really tunes into the here and now, noticing how we engage with all of our senses, becoming fully present in the world around us, the sounds we hear, the plants, trees and birds, practise being in the moment to alleviate stress and anxiety.

HSBC has noticed a 30% reduction in stress levels amongst staff who have taken their mindfulness programme, and are now running around 40 sessions a week, globally. (Business.itn.co.uk)

  • Meditation and gratitude journaling. Morning or evening are great times to practise a short session of meditation or gratitude journalling. Both these activities are excellent exercises to boost mental health and wellbeing.  Even a few minutes each day can help to reduce stress and improve concentration and mood. There are plenty of apps or online short free meditations – Calm/Headspace Apps. Choosing three things each day to write down that we are grateful for is a great way to begin to more easily notice the glimmers of positivity and to train the brain to tune in more easily to the happy moments in busy days.
  • Noticing our Digital habits. A good exercise to begin with is to consciously notice how often each day we find ourselves reaching for the mobile phone and how easy it is to be unaware of how much time has passed when we have picked it up. Set a personal or group challenge to not pick up the device immediately, and in that moment decide when to engage with it and how long for and schedule that time.  Set a timer on devices or unplug from all digital devices for a set period daily/weekly/monthly.
  • Set up a positive feedback space/system where employees are encouraged to compliment each other and to notice the positives in each other. A positive comment from a colleague can really boost mood and wellbeing and increase self-esteem in individuals as well as boost team morale.
  • Make sure employees have regular meetings with their managers, to talk about any problems they’re having, provide resources to support open conversations about mental health, increase awareness of mental health through training and campaigns and appoint mental health ‘champions’ who are trained to listen and tell staff where to get support. (ACAS – Managing employees Wellbeing)

 

  • Set a team eco-friendly challenge for world wellness week. This could be improving recycling in workplace or doing a local litter pick, encourage eating plant based lunches or bring a plant into the office space.  Perhaps swapping to energy efficient lightbulbs and single use items.  All these activities can support wellbeing by becoming more aware of the environment, more involved in community and increasing our awareness of our daily impact and how easy it is to make small changes that boost our sense of wellbeing and connectedness with our world.

Whatever you decide to do in this wellbeing week you will not be alone.  58+ million people around the globe will be joining together to celebrating wellbeing and raise awareness, sharing ideas and inspiring positive change.  Whatever you do, have a very happy world wellness week!

Here’s a link to 2024-Wellbeing calendar link: https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/

 

The Rise of Gen Z in the workforce: Embracing mental health and wellbeing- Report -Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-gen-z-workforce-embracing-mental-health-well-being. – Source

 

How can PAM Wellness help?

Our comprehensive wellbeing services can help to reduce mental health issues in your organisation with the following support services:

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Access to a 24/7 confidential helpline answered by qualified counsellors for in-the-moment emotional support. As well as wellbeing resources to support a variety of personal and professional issues.

Enhanced Psychological Services: Access to professional counsellors through management referrals, providing employees with proactive support to effectively manage their mental health challenges

Mental Health First Aid: By implementing Mental Health First Aid to support employees, we can help you reduce the prevalence of mental health issues. All our mental health first aid training is delivered by qualified professionals with experience in workplace mental health.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Webinars: Increase awareness of mental health in the workplace by booking our workshops and training on specialist topics relating to mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.