91% of staff say they are stressed at work

Bad News, Good News

Bad News: Stress Awareness Day saw the release of many statistics relating to stress in the workplace including the shocking 91% of staff saying they are stressed at work.

Good News: NICE - the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - will today launch new guidance for employers about how to improve mental wellbeing promotion.

The guidance will include information on how to prevent stress and identify problems early. It promises to help save a 1,000-employee business up to £250,000 per year in reduced absence and increased performance. See full article in HR Magazine Bulletin

News of the guidelines is excellent but in our experience these figures seem a little conservative - planned and executed properly there's even more value to be had with the right wellbeing initiatives.

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Stress? What Stress?

It's National Stress Awareness Day today and members of our team have been out in various businesses delivering a variety of yoga, relaxation and stress relieving wellbeing sessions.

It's been a really encouraging and rewarding day.

Many of the sessions were oversubscribed and we met loads of people who, rather than reporting that they feel weighed down with stress and are struggling to cope, arrived at the sessions fully appreciating that a certain level of stress is inevitable in an ambitious and fulfilling life, and looking to find new strategies to help them manage their stress levels to achieve a better overall balance in everything they do.

This positive mindset of those who took part seems to have a lot to do with how the sessions were communicated in advance, with the focus not being placed on coming along simply to understand more about a very common issue, but to take part in practical sessions and leave with solutions they can use every day from now on.

So the message is clear. When it comes to engaging your staff in any new initiatives, wellbeing or otherwise, focus as much attention on how you promote your ideas as you do on what initiatives you decide to implement in the first place. Most people are looking to improve their personal and professional situation to some degree, so communicating with messages that explain the individual and immediate benefits of taking part will ensure you get maximum sign up and the best return on your investment in your programmes and your people.

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The Challenge for Wellbeing

When it comes to getting staff excited about wellbeing, there's nothing like a good challenge. Take this recent headline about Nestle for example: Nestle staff walk more than eight kilometres a day in major wellbeing initiative

It really goes to show how the right wellbeing initiatives can capture the imagination of staff and motivate them to action and to great results. We're all for this.

During a recent leadership programme we ran a similar initiative and participants managed to walk up to 11 miles (18km) a day! And this while spending much of the programme sitting down in a lecture theatre.

It's amazing what the right motivation, a group challenge and a bit of healthy competition can do. And it proves that small steps really do produce big results.

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Fit for Work? The Boss may be counting your calories

Thanks to a new Big Brother-style gadget being adopted by American companies — and coming to Britain early next year — bosses can measure exactly how many calories you are burning in a day and compare the data with “performance benchmarks”.

In other words: staying in shape might soon become as important as getting to the office on time.

I'm all for new ways to motivate staff to improve their health and wellbeing and I'm sure this gadget will work for some. You can read more about it here.

It won't be for everyone though, so what businesses who adopt it must do, along with all organisations putting wellbeing programmes in place, is aim to devise a range of initiatives - a menu of interesting wellbeing services - that ensures there is something for everyone. This means tackling the key areas of health and wellbeing - exercise, nutrition and stress management - with creative solutions that fit the various schedules and priorities of the workforce.

This is the most simple way for businesses to make wellbeing easy for every single employee. Not only can there be no more excuses for not participating in something relating to improving wellbeing and performance; better than that, all members of staff will be able to find something healthy that inspires them and that will guarantee they get a great result.

One size wellbeing does not fit all so when planning initiatives, take care to sample individuals to find out what they would find useful and make sure your solutions cater for everyone.

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SMEs are invited to bid for share of £4 million Health, Work and Well-being Challenge Fund

The Government is to invest £4 million over the next two years in improving health and wellbeing for staff at small organisations.

This is fantastic news for SMEs that may have been struggling to find or justify a budget for wellbeing. The other thing businesses of 1-249 people struggle with is time to plan initiatives in this area so if you'd like some help on how to design a wellbeing programme that could then be funded by the Government, we'd be happy to help come up with the solution that will get you great results for your people and your business.

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Keep Calm and Carry On

Next Wednesday 4th November is National Stress Awareness Day and so is a great time for businesses to promote health and wellbeing initiatives in the office. Some of the studies we've done in various businesses over recent months show that over 75% of staff are stressed, this being reflected in high blood pressure readings, with more than half of these people categorised as experiencing moderate to severe hypertension according to the World Health Organisation Classifications.


Blood pressure is a great indicator of general health but something that many people don't get checked often enough. It's a great idea for businesses to help staff discover their own BP and other key health indicators too, and we find that employees are grateful to the business for giving them the opportunity to find out something about their health that could ultimately save their life. They're then motivated to make quick changes to improve their health and wellbeing which can only be a good thing for the organisation. If you'd like to offer health assessments and screenings to your staff, we can help set this up.

Another way we help reduce stress within businesses is to deliver relaxation sessions. You'd be amazed at how many people who claim they just can't relax, end up feeling calm and focused after just 20 or 30 minutes. Here's one technique that helps people to calm down in just 30 seconds

And here are a couple of links containing useful information on coping with stress in the workplace - please feel free to make this information available to your colleagues.

How to cope with work related stress

Three top tips to reduce stress

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Whole Foods to 'bribe' staff into being healthy

Having decided that 'we sell a bunch of junk' Whole Foods Chief Executive John Mackey has gone on to suggest that his staff need to be able to advise people better about the choices they make in his stores and also that they must lead by example by looking and behaving more healthy themselves.

We're all for good incentives to encourage people to make choices that work for them but this seems to have a little bit more of the stick than the carrot about it and could lead to some interesting repercussions. Will staff respond well or will they rebel? Will they have a choice? I'll be keeping an eye on developments at my local store to see how this all develops...

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Employers say staff wellbeing is worth the investment

At last, some research to support what we've known to be true for years

Visit the HR Magazine website to read the full article

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How to stay feeling great after a holiday

If your holiday has been a good one, you’ll be returning home with a refreshed attitude vowing never to let things get on top of you again. You'll be feeling fit from all the strolling on the beach and swimming and water sports and you'll be feeling healthy and recharged. Hopefully....

So, now is the time to seize the good feelings and make them last. Here are some tips to help you achieve that goal and maintain your post-holiday optimism.


1. If you want your results at work to be different, make sure you know what you’re going to do differently. If you simply fall back into old habits and behaviour patterns, you’ll end up with the same frustrations you were experiencing before you left so decide what new practical actions you are going to implement and put them into place right away. If you’re going to delegate more, what’s the first thing you’ll delegate? If you’re going to work shorter hours, what do you need to do to make sure this happens?

2. Learn the lessons of the holiday. Holidays are about individuals operating in ways that suit them best so observe how you enjoyed spending your days while you were away. Think about how much sleep you got, what time of the day you got up, what time your preferred bedtime was and what thoughts and ambitions came to your mind when you had some mental capacity to spare. You can’t live your life on holiday but if you can draw some of the positive influences from your holiday into your working routine, you’re less likely to feel compromised by life in the office.

3. Recognise why the holiday has had such a great impact on you and remember it. If you really understand the value of this time off as part of your overall performance strategy you’ll be much more likely to make time for them in the future and to make sure that you make the most of each opportunity to take a break and come back stronger and more efficient. All work and no play......


Photograph by M Dot (Flickr)

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How to have a healthy, fun holiday

Following on from the post yesterday about good Pre-Holiday Routines and making the most of your leave from work, you should now have some tips on how to arrive at your destination feeling in control and ready for a relaxing break.

At this point many people put all their health and wellbeing concerns on hold – they’re on holiday after all! Time to eat and drink what you want but - there's a downside to this. It can leave you feeling fed up about how you feel and look after the holiday and before you know it, you'll be making plans for the new diet and gym regime before you've even landed.

Here are 3 simple strategies for healthy holiday balance that will allow you to make the most of your time off and also ease your return when the trip is over.

1. Decide at the beginning of your holiday how much exercise or activity is acceptable, realistic or desirable. Even if you decide to do something every few days that could be enough to help you feel as though you stayed on track with your wellbeing and this makes the return home easier.

2. Devise some food strategies that will allow you to indulge a bit and enjoy your vacation without leaving you feeling that you lose all self-control and acquire some extra unwanted baggage about your person to deal with when you get home. Make a plan for breakfast, lunch and / or dinner and for any healthy snacks between meals. Decide also how much alcohol you feel is appropriate to drink while on holiday. Remember, most excess holiday calories come from the alcohol. Setting out your limits in advance makes decisions in bars and restaurants much easier.

3. Manage your expectations with your work. Decide at the beginning of your holiday if you’ll be leaving your phone and Blackberry off or if you’ll be checking them. If you plan to stay in contact with the office, set times and days to do this or you’ll just be thinking about work all the time which defeats the purpose of being away.


photograph by naama (flickr)

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Preparing for a stress free summer holiday

This is the time of the year, many office workers look forward to – the moment they can finally take a break and relax on their summer holiday.

But some recent reports claim that what should be a break from the busy-ness of the rest of the year actually ends up being more stressful than it needs to be as employees try desperately to complete tasks in time to catch a plane, or they end up fielding emails and calls while they are supposed to be on the beach relaxing.

So what's the secret to maximising your holiday and getting to the beach without being a stressed out mess?

At the Tonic we believe that it’s vital to have some time in the year dedicated to you so you can relax, recharge your batteries and nourish the mind and body that are under pressure for the majority of your working routine. So today we begin a short series of advice on how to guarantee you enjoy your vacation and return feeling fully refreshed and raring to go.

We start with what to do in the run up to your departure date to ensure you’re not completely frazzled before you even get to your destination.

Pre-Holiday Work Routine
Plan to leave yourself some reflection time before your departure for tying up loose ends and briefing colleagues on how to cover for your absence. Your intention should be to finish what needs done with a couple of hours to spare on the day before you leave. Not to be in the office until midnight finishing off what you should have done days ago.

Pre-Holiday Fitness Routine
If you’re like most of the population, you’ll want to be in good mental and physical shape for your summer holiday. Scheduling regular workouts in the run up to take off will ensure a better result on this front than trying to cram in 5 workouts in the week before you go. Regular exercise - 2 or 3 workouts per week - will also keep you calm and focused if you have a busy period before you leave.

Pre-Holiday Food Routine
Stay on track with regular, fresh meals and snacks, a maximum of two coffees per day and alcohol in moderation. Too much processed food, caffeine and alcohol will raise stress levels and reduce your ability to focus on what needs done before you go.



Photograph by dkilim (flickr)

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Make Office Wellbeing succeed during the recession Part 5

When it comes to spending money of the wellbeing of your staff during a recession, how do you make sure you're spending it in the right place? Just throwing money at this area rarely works well because you need to be strategic and work around the specific needs of your workforce. Here are some guidelines that should help you make the right decision with your budget.

How do I make the right decision about what to spend the money on?
Fancy initiatives that cost a fortune are no substitute for targeted initiatives that make a real difference. Bear in mind the following guidelines:

• Use initiatives that get people excited and get people involved
• Incentivise your programme by recognising and rewarding those who take part. This needn’t mean elaborate prizes but cost effective tokens of appreciation or even simply publicly acknowledged success stories that get staff engaged and create a brilliant buzz around your office.
• Think it through and talk it through. The Tonic can help you implement a programme either as part of your current training modules or as stand-alone initiatives.


Read Part 1
Read Part 2
Read Part 3

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Make Office Wellbeing succeed during the recession Part 4

Money is too tight to mention.

So surely this is the worst time to be seen to be spending money on areas like health and wellbeing in the office isn't it? And how will you be able to justify it to colleagues within the business and if you're a public sector company, how do you justify it outside of the company?

How do we justify the extra spend internally and externally?
If you’re concerned that the money you’re planning to invest in wellbeing will come under scrutiny from your staff or from sources outside the business, particularly the media, make sure that everyone knows the full story. Be transparent about the positive intentions the company has for its culture and its people. Make it clear to staff that you’ve done your research and you’re responding to what you know will improve happiness, motivation and performance levels within your business. Explain to the media how every pound you’re planning to invest in this area is designed to generate many more pounds when it comes to increasing productivity and morale, and reducing absence, turnover and recruitment costs. Wellbeing initiatives create greater efficiency which ultimately benefits everyone. And there's no getting away from that.

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Make Office Wellbeing succeed during the recession Part 3

Continuing our series on ways to get your organisation through the recession, one of the most difficult arguments to make when trying to motivate staff with new health benefits is justifying the spend. 'Why can't you just pay us the money you're spending on this scheme instead' is a question you may hear. So how do you reply to that?

Wouldn’t staff just prefer extra cash at the end of the month?
The reason most businesses don’t simply offer more money is that extra pay can be a very short lived incentive while the right wellbeing initiatives provide staff with resources that generate personal benefits way beyond a few extra pounds each month. This is money well spent on building engagement, retention and loyalty as well as providing added value for employees.

Think long term and you'll be rewarded for it. Short term fixes are just that - short term and very quickly taken for granted.

To read Part 1 of this series, click here.

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Make Office Wellbeing succeed during the recession Part 2

Following on from the post yesterday, here is another tip on getting your wellbeing initiative to really take off even in the midst of this downturn. Today's theme is about how to get your message across to employees and managers so they see it for what it is - a genuine attempt by the organisation to help staff feel better and healthier and more ready to take on any of the issues that will get thrown their way in the coming months.

How do you ensure the wellbeing message is received positively?
Be strategic with your wellbeing programme!

You need to know why you’re doing it and communicate the right information to your staff. If you’re making the effort to create a positive and energetic culture within your organisation, tell everyone concerned. If you’re doing it to ease the increased stress and burden staff may be feeling – tell them. Employees always feel more invested in a programme if they have been consulted and informed from Day One.

They probably wouldn't thank you for arranging a team bonding exercise orienteering up a mountain if that's not their idea of fun but they may appreciate the chance to have relaxation sessions at lunchtime and a running / walking club to help them get fit and de-stress. The more you focus on what THEY would like, the more likely the programme will be well received.

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Make Office Wellbeing succeed during the recession Part 1

During the downturn, many things that we had come to regard as standard get parked for a while. Bonuses, pay rises, office morale, and wellness schemes. They are all regarded as perks and not possible when the world is suffering a recession.

However, some of the things we lose are ironically the things that can help us get us through this recession intact and ready to face the stress and upheaval that gets thrown at us.

Hanging on to your wellbeing initiatives is so important to help you manage the new demands that are being put on staff and managers. But how do you justify it to those who make the decisions.

This is part one of a guide that has been compiled to help you do understand why Wellness is essential during a recession and it will run for the next few weeks. 

Would love to hear your views on this.

1. Surely Wellbeing isn’t a priority right now?

Make no mistake, there is no better time to look after your employees than when the pressure is on and demands on them are greatest. 

If you’re working with teams who’ve had their numbers cut, they need to be engaged and motivated to focus on the job and not on insecurities around them. If your initiatives are properly designed, they will have an immediate impact throughout the business and get great results. 

A downturn is when your people need support the most not a time to deny them an outlet for their worries and stresses.

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Having an affair with your blackberry?

With modern technology, the theory is that you no longer need to be tied to your desk and flexible working can enhance your 9-5.

The theory.

As we all know, the reality is that we probably all work several hours longer each week (unpaid) as we check and send emails waiting for the train into work and work in the evenings, right up till bedtime sometimes. A new report has found that half of the respondents to their survey worked in bed for 2-6 hours each week. Sad eh? But what's the real issue with this?

The problem is the habit - you start to form a dangerous habit of blurring the lines between office and home and you stop having a space anywhere in your life that work can't get into. That's probably okay when you're at the start of your career and you're super enthusiastic with little commitment but as you get older and climb the career ladder, don't you deserve some family time that's sacrosanct? 

Next time you're tempted to check your messages at the weekend or get the laptop out to check a paper you're working on - think about it. Do you really need to it or could you just be old fashioned and wait till Monday morning. Stop the habit now.
Read the full post here.


Photograph by sean dreilinger (flickr)

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Employees Must Have the Will to Learn

When it comes to Leadership & Development course, most companies invest heavily in them because they firmly believe that they will enhance the performance of staff and equip them with vital new skills to make them even more productive and ready for new challenges in their industry.

In theory, this is absolutely correct but the reality can be sometimes a bit of a let down for the employer if staff are apathetic or worse still, reluctant about embarking on these learning programmes. We've all been there - dreaded an away day or scoffed at a course that we didn't really get the point of. But it doesn't have to be like this for staff members or employees.

The key to taking your Learning & Development course from one that's just there to one that really means something is to make sure that your staff understand the value of it and are prepared to go and really learn something new.

Sir Clive Woodward made some astute comments about this at a recent talk which is detailed here and he believes that:

"There is no doubt business has a huge fascination with sport and vice versa but I believe we underachieve as a nation," 

"Talent alone gets you into a position but in order to be a champion a talented person has to be coachable. Everyone is a sponge when they join an organisation but as time goes on they can become set in their ways and turn into rocks. A rock will never be a champion."

I completely agree with this sentiment. Staff members will want to learn and understand how to cope with new pressures if they have a wellbeing element to the course that encourages them to think and act competitively, to work together in teams - not just for bonding but for the sake of pulling together and appreciating what can be achieved. Being fit in the body really does help focus the mind and increase adrenalin and energy which all help with overall performance.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body. It's as simple as that so when you have your next Leadership and Development programme, what wellbeing elements are you going to include? Now's the time to start planning.

The Tonic are suppliers of Wellbeing modules which sit alongside Training & Development programmes or as stand alone initiatives.  If you're interested in adding an element like this to your next programmes, contact info@the-tonic.com.


Photograph by Office Now (flickr)

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How are you Nudging your wellbeing ideas?

Much like Freakonomics and The Tipping Point, every now and again a book is published that gets tongues wagging and people thinking differently. For a short while at least.

Now in paperback, the book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness written by Chicago University academics Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein is still the subject of much hot debate. Considering it's a book all about behavioural economics, it's really got those in positions of power thinking about new ways they can get their messages and wishes across.

But how does this relate to health and wellbeing? Quite effortlessly actually.


When it comes to talking to people about their health and wellbeing, there are fewer tricky subject areas than this. What people eat is very personal and can get them behaving very defensively if you were to make healthier suggestions. People can also spend a lot of time in denial about the amount of exercise they do and the amount of free time they have to do it - so again, broaching this subject with new ideas is a sensitive one.

But, it is a fact, that healthy eating and regular exercise will help everyone feel more energised, focused, healthier and perform better in all areas of their lives. So how do you do the right thing without offending anyone? Why not try nudging your ideas?

According to a new article in HR Magazine,

"Many employers will already have schemes in place that fit well with the nudge agenda. Bike-to-work schemes, childcare vouchers and automatic opt-in, work-based pensions, for example, are all in line with this theory; but much more could be done to harness the potential of employer-based incentives. "

You may have one of the schemes currently running but there are plenty more out there to get thinking about. Take a look at your employees and think about their mindset and lifestyles. What would they respond well to - are they competitive, are they time poor, are they young and eager with no real family ties yet or are they shift workers with little free time at normal times of day. Whatever make up your employees are, they could all benefit from wellbeing schemes tailored to compliment their lives. Not useless schemes that are irrelevant. (e.g. obligatory bonding sessions on an orienteering course that no one wants to go to versus creating a mini sports tournament in the summer encouraging teams to get together and have fun whilst getting competitive and fit and bonding.)

Think about your teams and think what would suit them - not just what would suit you.


Photograph by dominiccampbell (flickr)

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The secret to making your wellness scheme work

The desire to set up a health and wellness programme that will really help your employees and genuinely get your absenteeism figures down is a shared dream for many companies. Especially at a time like this when there is no room or time for tolerating staff who can't give 100%.

But some companies actually knuckle down and do it and reap the HUGE benefits. There's a great case study released this month about First ScotRail who did just that. It'll inspire you I'm sure to get out of the 'thinking about it stage' into the 'getting on and doing it stage' I'm sure.

When you have a staff base who come to you as school leavers and stay with you for their whole working lives, you get to know them and what makes them tick. More importantly, you get to understand what causes them to be absent from work and why and you know when it's time to tackle this.

This is exactly what happened to the Nicola Macpherson, occupational health advisor at First ScotRail.

Her approach was a smart one - tackle each obstacle by taking on the biggest problem first and working from there. She knew her staff were mostly shift workers so there was a work-life balance issue to be addressed and she knew that absenteeism was mostly caused by musculo skeletal problems and mental health problems and so again, she addressed these big issues above all else.

Read her brief case study - it really does make you want to get stuck into your own programme today and get the problems ironed out.

The best tip to be learned from Nicola Macpherson I think is that by tackling the biggest problem first, the rest will follow. Don't put off taking on the elephant in the room.

We help companies to solve their problems by supplying the expertise they need to address the health and wellness of their workforce. Why not contact us and tell us what your biggest issues are and we can give you free and friendly advice.

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How many people in your office could do with shaping up?

Sneak a look round your office right now..... How many people do you see who look fit and glowing and healthy? And how many do you see who are carrying too many extra pounds, a bit too red in the face when they climb the stairs and generally 'letting themselves go' a bit?

Chances are, there are more people around you (maybe including you) who aren't feeling as great as they could and looking as healthy as they could. But it doesn't have to be this way says the Department of Health in their report released this week highlighting the need for office staff to lose weight and get fit.

The Department of Health released a report this week entitled, ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On’ The report calls for employers in the public sector to encourage staff to lose weight, starting with the NHS which the report shows has 300,000 obese staff and a further 400,000 who are overweight. Out of a total of 1.2 million employees, that’s nearly 60%.

Evidence shows that people in better physical shape feel more positive and produce better results both at work and beyond.

So looking around your office again, how many people do you think could do with shaping up, getting a bit fitter, maybe relaxing a bit more often and generally taking better care of themselves.

But what can you do about it without hurting someones feeling and crossing that line between professional and personal. Here are a few questions you could ask that will help:

1. What would make life easier and more fulfilling for the individuals concerned?

2. What could the business do to support these individuals in  making positive behaviour change?

3. How would these behaviour changes improve the lives of these individuals?

4. How would behaviour change by the individuals benefit the business?

Then consider your options. Whether it be a healthy eating plan, lunchtime activities, a lunchtime walking programme, on-site relaxation sessions or a stop smoking programme, there will be something the business can offer for everyone who’d benefit from help. When you know what will work best and have the quickest results, get started with setting it up as soon as possible.

If you are keen to do something sooner rather than later, contact The Tonic for some advice and tips. Every office has a solution, you just need to ask.

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Healthy workplace: how to target the men in the office

Marketing anything to men and women at the same time can be difficult because men like it one way and women like it another. Women tend to be more open to new ideas and willing to take a gamble whereas men are less open initially and need the science and hard facts before they'll engage. Generalisations I know but broadly true. 

HR departments sometimes feel this when trying to get men in offices interested in health and wellness. It's not surprising really that men are less keen to talk about any health issues or asking for advice when you consider how hard it is to get men to visit their doctor!

But men's health can't be ignored so what can you do about it to engage men more in the subject?


Recently, there was a discussion on BBC Radio 4 covering Men’s Health in the Workplace. This is a really hot topic at the moment.

At The Tonic we recently ran a ‘Men Only’ wellness event for one of our major clients and the response from a male population, previously not that interested in their wellbeing, was fantastic. The feedback from those that came along was brilliant and, as well as the guys learning a lot during the sessions, we had reports following the event that many more men had been booking in for cholesterol and Blood Pressure checks than in previous months.

This year National Men’s Health Week runs from June 15th to June 21st so don’t miss this opportunity to get the male population in your office into shape with good health and wellness initiatives. The benefits of doing so will be that the individuals concerned feel better about themselves which in turn makes the office a more positive place to be.

All you need to do is pitch your wellbeing messages carefully so they appeal to the male population:

1. Think performance, not health
Men aren’t too interested in the health benefits of maintaining healthy habits, they like to think they’re indestructible and can soldier on no matter what. So talk to them about how being healthy can sharpen up their performance. If they think they’re working well now, just imagine how well they could be doing if they tightened up on their eating habits or their fitness routine a little bit.

2. Get competitive
It’s in-built in men to be competitive so if you want to organize health related initiatives you need to think about some competitions or challenges. Things like, who can walk the most steps in one week; which department has the fittest team as measured by a few key performance measures; who can eat the best for a few days, and which group has the best work life balance? Individual and team challenges will capture the imagination and make sure there’s a reason for everyone to stay on track with their healthy behaviours.

3. Plan for the future
Think about initiatives that you can set up during Men’s Health Week that will continue for months to come. Use the National event to raise awareness of Men’s Health but then aim to keep the issue in people’s minds at all times by updating the challenges. Be sure to award prizes that men can display on their desks and publicise winning individuals and teams on notice boards and the company website. The more you make a feature of healthy men in the workplace, the more people you’ll reach to start them thinking positively about their own health.

4. Consider what you want them to say about the event when it’s over
When organizing any event, you need to plan for the best possible results. The comments below are from people who attended the Tonic ‘Men Only’ wellness event I mentioned earlier. Make sure you know the positive feedback you’re aiming to receive and then plan initiatives that will guarantee you get it.

‘Thank you for organising. This was excellent’

‘Very useful and thought provoking, this session was excellent and very informative’

‘Very useful – increase motivation to make changes’

‘Excellent’

‘Wasn’t sure what to expect – informative, made me think’

‘Very useful’

Did all the topics you were expecting get covered? ‘Yes, plus more.
Made me think about changes I need to make’

‘I would like a follow up session’



Photograph by POSITiv (flickr)

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How to make your wellbeing initiatives really work for you

When it comes to corporate wellbeing programmes, a discount at the local gym or a regular chair massage might be what springs to mind, but all that is changing. Are you ready to get up to date with what your offering. It may just be the change your company needs.

I've just had an article published in HR Zone all about how to take your wellbeing initiatives at work into the 21st century. 

Its important to do this because you could be in danger of spending money in the wrong place and not getting the results you want. No one has spare time, cash or resources so read on to hear exactly how you can implement a new programme today and get your staff buzzing.

Full article is here.

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No better time to look after your staff than NOW

Looking after the wellbeing of staff is something that can never be neglected and for some people, it's difficult to see how you can justify this when people are worried about their job security and bonuses are being stopped etc. But it is EXACTLY in this sort of climate that wellbeing will come into its own and really help a business and it's employees get stuck in and motivated again.
Even the government is getting involved.

Reading this article, Marc Woolfson of Westminster Advisers says:

Although such catastrophic job losses are unlikely to be realised, HR bosses must be concerned about the effect of such a lack of confidence on productivity and workplace wellbeing.

The article goes on to advocate the role of wellbeing in times as fraught as these.

Workplace health- screening and advice should be supported on an ongoing basis, rather than simply once a year.
Encouraging employers in this way to help their staff live healthy lives and make positive choices is a sensible and effective policy, and one that can be replicated easily elsewhere.

The article is one I completely agree with and it's good to see the message spreading. Don't be duped by a recession into thinking that wellness initiatives can be shelved. They are needed now more than ever.

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How to Justify spending money on Wellbeing in a recession

In the current economic climate, how do you justify spending money on wellbeing schemes at work when the company has cancelled bonuses or is making redundancies?

How can businesses invest in this area and communicate the right messages when budgets are tight? How do you ensure these initiatives are received positively both by those in the business and those outside of your organisation? Here are 6 questions you may be asking yourself.

1. Surely Wellbeing isn’t a priority right now?
Make no mistake, there is no better time to look after your employees than when the pressure is on and demands on them are greatest. If you’re working with teams who’ve had their numbers cut, they need to be engaged and motivated to focus on the job and not on insecurities around them. If your initiatives are properly designed, they will have an immediate impact throughout the business and get great results. A downturn is when your people need support the most.

2. How do we ensure the wellbeing message is received positively?
Be strategic with your wellbeing programme! You need to know why you’re doing it and communicate the right information to your staff. If you’re making the effort to create a positive and energetic culture within your organisation, tell everyone concerned. If you’re doing it to ease the increased stress and burden staff may be feeling – tell them.

3. Wouldn’t staff just prefer extra cash at the end of the month?
The reason most businesses don’t simply offer more money is that extra pay can be a very short lived incentive while the right wellbeing initiatives provide staff with resources that generate personal benefits way beyond a few extra pounds each month. This is money well spent on building engagement, retention and loyalty as well as providing added value for employees.

4. How do we justify the extra spend internally and externally?
If you’re concerned that the money you’re planning to invest in wellbeing will come under scrutiny from your staff or from sources outside the business, particularly the media, make sure that everyone knows the full story. Be transparent about the positive intentions the company has for its culture and its people. Make it clear to staff that you’ve done your research and you’re responding to what you know will improve happiness, motivation and performance levels within your business. Explain to the media how every pound you’re planning to invest in this area is designed to generate many more pounds when it comes to increasing productivity and morale, and reducing absence, turnover and recruitment costs. Wellbeing initiatives create greater efficiency which ultimately benefits everyone.

5. Is wellbeing the right place to be spending money?
Yes, if well planned. If you’ve done your homework you will be in a position to roll out a programme that doesn’t break the bank while ensuring that it is so well targeted to your employees’ needs that each initiative generates a tangible return on investment.

6. How do I make the right decision about what to spend the money on?
Fancy initiatives that cost a fortune are no substitute for targeted initiatives that make a real difference. Bear in mind the following guidelines:

• Use initiatives that get people excited and get people involved
• Incentivise your programme by recognising and rewarding those who take part. This needn’t mean elaborate prizes but cost effective tokens of appreciation or even simply publicly acknowledged success stories that get staff engaged and create a brilliant buzz around your office.
• Think it through and talk it through. The Tonic can help you implement a programme either as part of your current training modules or as stand-alone initiatives.

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Simple Steps To Successful & Profitable Health & Wellbeing at Work

Looking to get great results with health and wellbeing at your office and raise the performance levels?

Setting up effective health and wellbeing initiatives is a lot easier than you might imagine. There are three key questions you need to consider.
i) What are the primary wellbeing goals for the business?
It’s likely that you’ll be implementing a wellbeing programme to boost staff morale, reduce absenteeism, reduce staff turnover, increase productivity or increase staff satisfaction. Be very clear about your top priority and keep this in mind throughout your planning and implementation.

ii) How will you measure success?
You’ll be able to accurately calculate the impact of your wellbeing programme if you establish the key performance indicators in advance. Even if this is simply the number of positive comments you hear about the programme, you have to know what you’re looking for from the outset.

iii) Who is your target audience for the program? 

Are you aiming to involve specific groups, particular individuals or are you looking to get the whole company involved? When you know who you are appealing to you’ll be able to plan your initiatives more quickly and then promote them more easily for maximum involvement.

2. What a great wellbeing program looks like
Wellbeing programmes usually fall into three broad categories:

• Wellbeing modules that feature as part of training, development and leadership programmes. This includes modules covering personal performance, nutrition, energy levels, stress management, relaxation, work-life balance, sleep and fitness. Modules can be included as part of existing training programmes or can be designed as free standing wellbeing training programme delivered as a single half day session or as a weekly program.

• Group or individual initiatives that are run on-site as part of an Employee benefits package. These initiatives include group fitness sessions, yoga classes, Pilates sessions, running club, fresh fruit deliveries, healthy cooking and individual lifestyle or nutrition coaching programs.

• Health Fairs on your premises. These events raise awareness of healthy living initiatives and can include health screenings, fitness measurements, competitions, cookery challenges and taster sessions for a variety of group or individual initiatives. Chances are that your wellbeing programme will be made up of a combination of the above elements with a flexible approach to rolling out each element so that you can put your time, effort and budget into the areas where it will have most impact and organically grow into the most effective wellbeing programme for your organisation over time.

3. It all sounds great but don’t these programmes cost a lot of money?
Not as much as you might think. If you plan your wellbeing programme correctly, every initiative will be carefully targeted and you’ll be certain that you’re getting maximum value for money from every pound you spend. It’s a good idea at this point to begin viewing expenditure on wellbeing as an investment rather than a cost. It’s only a cost if you don’t know how the money you spend will benefit your organisation in the long run but, like all successful business ventures, if you know your wellbeing programme is generating more value to the business than the cost of running it, you’ll know that every pound invested leads to a tangible return on investment. And that return on investment can be quite considerable. Research has shown that carefully targeted programmes can generate an ROI of up to £84.90 for every £1.00 spent on wellbeing.

4. Who pays for the services – the business or the employee? 

It’s up to you whether you’d like to ask staff for a contribution to the programs you’re implementing but in our experience the impact is much greater if the business covers the cost, as it would for any other form of training, education or employee benefit. This sends the message that your organisation values the health and mindset of its people and wants to help develop this aspect of their lives as much as it would any other area of their professional and personal development.


To read the FULL report on how to set up a successful and profitable wellness program, visit www.the-tonic.com for your download.

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