‘Wellbeing’ – the birth of a new and important line on the financial P&L

One of the most frequently mentioned buzz words at this year's BFA Conference was not, for a change, 'profit', how much can I make and how quickly?, but 'Wellbeing', what does it mean? How do I create it? and how do I build it?

‘Wellbeing’ - the birth of a new and important line on the financial P&L

One of the most frequently mentioned buzz words at this year’s BFA Conference was not, for a change, ‘profit’, how much can I make and how quickly?, but ‘Wellbeing’, what does it mean? How do I create it? and how do I build it? 

If 2020 has taught us anything it has been the fragility of our businesses when people are forced away from their normal pattern of being. The immediate need for leaders to understand ‘the personal’ can impact ‘the professional’. I remember a time in the past, when staff were told to leave their homelife at the door when they came to work, the office was the demarcation point between what is professional and what is personal. It is Ironic how this idea swifty collapsed as we were all instructed to work from home during Lockdown! There was no physical distancing the workplace from the homeplace for they quickly became one of the same.

Stress has been lingering for years in the work environment, we have all seen the effect this can have, positively or adversely on the performance of an individual or a team. Short term, acute bursts of adrenaline can indeed heighten results and focus the mind. However, long term more chronic levels, that go unaddressed, can deplete a person and lead to depression, deterioration of mental and physical health. This idea has become compounded as it becomes harder to distinguish work from home. When the TV continually invites you to face your deepest fears with the news of Covid 19, it is hard to stop the impact of it daily entering your home and workplace over an extended period of time. 

There are things that we can do, actions that companies can take for their employees, some forward thinking responsive businesses have been addressing this with wellness programmes or outreach services over the years. Now is the time for all businesses to be building strategies to support and maintain the physical, spiritual, emotional and social wellbeing of their people, afterall without them there will be no business and no profits.

In order to do so, they have to be actively practising the art of ‘Welldoing– in order to create ‘Wellbeing’ (the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy), this rings true for both the individual and the overall business culture. Here I have briefly developed a quick reference framework for anyone looking to start to address their journey to wellbeing whilst working at home;

Reach a state of WELLBEING by practising the art of WELLDOING!

Wake – set the alarm, wake up, refresh, get dressed, especially if working from home! 

Emotion – check in how you are feeling, don’t avoid it, is it supporting or disabling you?

Laugh – a smile is like a hug to the emotions, raising oxytocin, lightening the mood

Link-up – find ways to socialise, reach out to networks and support services if needed

Breath – the difference between excitement and anxiety is oxygen, deep breaths

Exercise – physical movement stimulates the muscles and releases happy hormones

Inhale – fresh air daily, taking slow deep breaths reverses the effects of stress 

Nourish – fresh is better than processed, get your 5 a day, fibre and limit the booze

Goodnight – sleep is so important, try to get at least 7-8 hours a night

You do not need to always make big changes to get results, often small tweaks to your lifestyle can lead to long term benefits. It is so easy not to get out of the PJ’s when you are zooming those meetings, grabbing the first thing to eat, not going outside to exercise, Lockdown can feel a bit like Sleep, Work, Eat, Work, TV, repeat! Putting a small amount of structure to your daily and weekly routine can help restore some balance and promote wellbeing. It is important to remember that wellbeing is the responsibility of the individual as well as the company.

However, it is encouraging to see some businesses are making new appointments,’Wellbeing Officers’, initiating awareness and building focus around everyone’s responsibility to promote a healthy culture. Hopefully this is not just an extension of the Training, Health & Safety or HR departments, but a trained expert who has knowledge of the holistic range of requirements to build wellbeing. Ideally, it also becomes part of the systemic being of the company, a true investment and not one that is cut first when times are hard. 

As we all start the new year and reflect on what we have learned from 2020, let’s remember the need to invest in our people and their wellbeing, not just for now but post Covid and beyond. The business landscape has changed, the way companies will be chosen by new recruits, will be viewed by their customers and the loyal performance of their incumbent staff will depend on the way they support and promote wellbeing. The best will only gravitate to the ones that look to build the best in one, a strong appearance of financial investment in wellbeing on the P&L may well become a precursor to sustained profitable success in the future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Kelly
Sarah Kelly
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