Wellbeing is More Than Just One Thing #30 #cong20

 As individuals we need to become more aware of how we are feeling, not just physically but mentally and how we can manage our overall health. We need to take into account that we are responsible for our wellbeing and although we may have supports in place we certainly need to act on them. There is no point having healthy food in your fridge, and then buy a takeaway or have a treadmill and use it as a clothes hangar. Employers are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of ill health and lack of structure while we work remotely. It is made up of Mental, Physical, Nutritional, Financial and this can extend onto many other areas. Creating an awareness is the key and putting strategies or steps in place can help with all that is going on both personally and professionally.

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1. Learning for employers
2.  Our New future is constantly changing, so we need to be adoptable
3. Focus on all elements of your health not just one area
4. Don’t wait until you have to do it. Do it now and factor in your health daily

Jason Kenny & Declan Dore run KD Corporate Wellness.  It has a single mission: to provide your business with a more successful, creative, positive and happy staff. We approach each of our clients with fresh eyes to develop customised and uniquely tailored strategies, to help them cope, look after their wellbeing and bring the joy back into company life.

You can reach Jason  & Declan via email or check out KD Corporate Wellness.

By Jason Kenny & Declan Dore.

Work to life balance has always been a key point of conversation for many of us and how we manage that can be the making or breaking of us. We can often bring our troubles to work from home and from work to home. Minding oneself and recognising our weak areas can help to identify issues before they arise. Covid has forced many to slow down and re-evaluate many aspects of our lives, what is important? who is important? And where we fit time in for our own selfcare.  If we don’t look after ourselves how can we possibly build a better society.

Many Irish businesses are still operating remotely with no sign of heading back to the office and if so, it is on a staggered basis – this means there is a very real risk that employee morale could slip. It is now more than ever the responsibility of employers to ensure they routinely boost the morale of their workforce in order to keep productivity levels up and to retain staff. Many of us are creatures of habits and enjoy routine and following a structured environment. Being at home is not always the best, as it can lead to many distractions. Equally employees can over work and start to stress, not allowing themselves time for breaks, not eating correctly, poor physical activity and having no real structured plan in place to allocate time to the tasks in hand. We are social creatures and enjoy the company of others. We feed off the energy of those around us and fit in to a given working culture. Going home is then time to switch off.

We are emerging as different individuals and unfortunately it is concerning that some, may not do so well.

The Business world has been rocked to its core and morale is extremely Low. Being creatures of habit and what one considers to be the norm, is no longer the case as we see a set of new norms emerge for our future. Low morale is usually a sign of stress, low engagement, lack of physical exercise, poor nutrition, lack of proper routine and then eventually leading to mental health issues. As employers and business owners become more aware of this, they are now on the lookout for any signs and are now trying to build in a corporate preventive strategy. This is our new society 3.0

Wellbeing is an employer’s secret weapon that can boost employee morale and productivity. That is why Health and Wellbeing programs should be and are becoming a major part of every organisation’s Personnel strategy. It is extremely important to focus on Employee morale, this should be tracked and monitored to ensure that there is a supported, positive and productive working environment.

Mental Health

According to the World Health Organisation, there are currently 450 million people in the world experiencing mental health difficulties or disorders. There is no doubt that this is directly impacting workplaces the world over. There is a far greater concern now as we re-enter into another lock and possibly one of many that we may see throughout our lives. Dark nights and festive seasons are only going to add to the stress. Education is a huge element of helping people to recognise signs and symptoms and more so being able to9 put in place coping mechanisms and supports. Educating employees about mental fitness helps to create a work environment in which the topic is understood, and not stigmatised. This is something that goes right across all areas of the company, at all levels, and right down into family and friends outside of work, as it needs to be understood by everyone.

Financial Health

Financial Wellbeing is a consideration that is overlooked when looking at one’s state of wellbeing even though it is high up on the list of ongoing concerns as one of the main causes of stress among workers. financial worries may be impacting many of us, with the world economy under pressure and jobs being threatened. Financial wellbeing can be defined as the knowledge needed to manage personal finances in a constructive, healthy, secure manner.

Positive financial wellbeing leads to greater feelings of security and confidence about our overall financial situation and has a positive effect on mental health. Presenteeism refers to the act of being present in work but being unproductive for any number of reasons. One such reason is being distracted by external stressors, such as financial worries.

Physical Health

Exercise has been shown to elevate mood, which has serious implications for workplace performance. The evidence is solid in suggesting that exercise during working hours can increase productivity and performance. Setting a timer and stepping away from the computer desk or whatever the task maybe after 45min is an excellent practice to ensure you stretch, move around or even get in a short bit of breath work. What prevents us from exercising more often? The answer is always the very same ‘I don’t have the time’.  It can be that life has gotten very busy and we set our opportunity to exercise and move right down the bottom of our priority list, until eventually it taps us on the shoulder to remind us of how important it is to stay active and physically fit.  So, what can you expect cognitively as benefits, of incorporating regular exercise into your routine:

• Improved concentration
• Sharper memory
• Faster learning
• Prolonged mental stamina
• Enhanced creativity
• Lower stress

Nutritional Health

By creating a well-balanced and nutrient rich diet It will help prevent many serious diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some cancers. This is pretty great since it can mean lower healthcare costs for you a supercharged immune system and body running with the sufficient level of energy it requires. Covid has highlighted more than anything the importance of being healthy. As for the companies, encouraging staff to take breaks and implementing the power of food and minerals into their company’s practices. They very quickly see fewer sick days, and a healthier workforce. A healthy employee will tend to be more focused and productive. There are a few reasons why employer sponsored nutrition programs have a high chance of promoting lasting behaviour change. These programs offer ongoing support. Getting people to cook for themselves foods that are nutritious and delicious and convenient. You do not have to be a competitive athlete to prepare food or be an expert in nutrition, just know your own body. Be mindful of how you feel and perform after meals and take your guide from there. The benefits are incredible not alone good weight management, but healthy skin, hair, bones, brain function, heart health etc etc the list is endless. Know your portion sizes and when you would like to have something that you enjoy on the weekend and just get right back on track the following day.

Over all wellbeing is more than just one key element is a series of many. Being good at one thing and poor at the others is not where you want to be be. Being wheeled down the corridor into the operating theatre after having a massive heart attack, is not where any of us wish to be. It didn’t just happen there it has been happening over a long period of time we just choose to ignore it and take the gamble until we actually have to. Like the saying goes ‘you don’t miss it until it’s gone’ just don’t be gone yourself so you don’t miss it..! enjoy life and find that balance. Adapt to change turn a negative into the positive and find the solution rather than focusing in on the problem.