This is the first in a short series of blogs around Wellbeing in the Workplace. Why a series of blogs? Because it is a large subject, and deserves to be explored properly.
Wellbeing in the workplace has been around a while, but any discussion about Wellbeing must start with a definition.
This definition comes directly from the CIPD 2016 Policy Report (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development):
‘Well-being is more than an avoidance of becoming physically sick. It represents a broader bio-psycho-social construct that includes physical, mental and social health. Well employees are physically and mentally able, willing to contribute in the workplace and likely to be more engaged at work.’
‘Well-being at work, therefore, is not merely about managing a physical and cultural environment with the limited aim of not causing harm to employees. It requires organisations to actively assist people to maximise their physical and mental health. The well-being approach also brings benefits for people at all levels inside and outside the workplace. It makes the workplace a more productive, attractive and corporately responsible place to work. Positive well-being can also benefit the local community and, more broadly, the country as a whole because of well people requiring less support from the health services.’
If you haven’t heard of the CIPD before, it is the controlling body that governs and monitors Human Resources in Britain. Most employers insist on their HR Mangers and staff having CIPD qualifications. They set policy, enforce standards and have a high expectation of professionalism from their members. I am still a member of the CIPD because I am a qualified HR manager, and also because I set my own professional standards to their level.
As a therapist and coach, I work with people, and NO BUSINESS can function, grow or even survive without the support of its staff. A good Wellbeing process will help to create a workforce of what I like to call Thinking Performers.
A Thinking Performer will:
- Go out of their way to understand the needs of the business and actively contribute to those needs.
- Realise that just doing the basics is not enough.
- Take pride in their job no matter what it is.
- Challenge the way things are done and look for solutions.
- Look to improve their own knowledge and skills.
- Understand and support the needs of customers and other departments.
In other words, as a line manager, if you had a thinking performer working for you, they would:
- Push themselves and their staff to produce top quality results.
- Ask questions rather than just blindly follow orders.
- Identify problems and deal with them when they are small before they become.
- Anticipate the needs of others and provide support before it is asked for
- Never be satisfied with ‘That’s good enough’.
- Help others even when they don’t need to, because it is right to do so.
- Reduce your stress because they are solving your problems, providing top quality service, following procedures, making valuable suggestions, and adding value to the business.
Now a Wellbeing programme won’t do this all by itself, but it is an integral part of the whole employee engagement strategy of a business that takes its people responsibilities seriously.
Wellbeing is an INVESTMENT in the future. It is EVIDENCE that a company takes the welfare of its employees seriously. You will attract and keep better quality staff, who will perform their tasks with enthusiasm and care.