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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