A Simple Way to Commit to Great Wellness Results in 2014

In a recent Press Release from Employee Benefits Magazine you can read how we're helping Roffey Park Institute keep their staff healthy and engaged.

Remember, if you want to help your staff stay on track with their wellness objectives for 2014, some simple motivation and accountability can go a long way.  Here's how it can work:

EXCLUSIVE: Roffey Park Institute has launched a series of half-day wellbeing workshops for its employees.

The first three events, which were rolled out in September and October, were attended by around 60 of the organisation’s 80 staff.

Roffey Park Institute creates programmes on leadership, organisational development, HR and coaching, so it is keen to ensure its employees are also developed, engaged and happy.

Caroline Disano, head of programme delivery and HR projects at Roffey Park Institute, said: “We’re quite aware that employees are going to be asked to do more with less, and will be busy, so we wanted to be very mindful of the health and wellbeing angle.”

The organisation partnered corporate wellness organisation The Tonic to introduce the workshops. The Tonic’s owner, Jeff Archer, encouraged all attendees to choose three wellbeing commitments.

Disano added: “Mine, for instance, were to make sure I got into the gym for a half-hour session once a week, to try to drink more water and to try to spend a bit more me time.”

Roffey Park Institute offers a range of health and wellbeing initiatives to employees, including flexible-working arrangements, eye tests, enhanced paid annual leave above the statutory minimum, free fruit, herbal teas and refreshments, healthy options in itson-site restaurant, use of its on-site gym, sauna and steam room, use of the grounds and access to the forest for exercise and recreation.

“We have a super site here,” said Disano. “We’ve got 65 bedrooms onsite, a pool and a gym, and beautiful grounds. We do an awful lot around health and wellbeing. We wanted to tie [the workshops] in to complement our existing initiatives that we do around health and wellbeing.”

The organisation communicates its health and wellbeing strategy using a noticeboard, quarterly staff updates and management meetings.

Roffey Park Institute intends to follow its 2013 workshops with an event in the first part of 2014. Disano added: “It will cover content again, but also revisit people’s commitment and giving them the space to have a discussion in their break-up groups about how successful they have been and what hurdles they have encountered.

“People walk around the building asking colleagues if they’ve done their commitments this week. It’s created quite a lot of energy with members of staff. We want to keep that momentum going.” 

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3 Leadership Lessons from the World of Rowing

As part of a leadership programme this week we took a group of executives to learn to row.

Some were excited, some were sceptical, all were hoping they wouldn't fall in.

Thankfully, no one did.

In the end, everyone loved the experience and drew some valuable insights from their time in a boat.

1. New challenges quickly bring new insights
Taking on a new challenge can be liberating.  Rowing was a fresh experience for everyone and by focusing on the opportunity to learn something new rather than resisting the unknown, they experienced a greater sense of achievement and confidence building than would ever be possible during an afternoon working on familiar aspects of their jobs.  Time well spent, everyone agreed.

2. Change is inevitable - Embrace it for success
We asked participants to take their seat in a racing boat, on a choppy river in windy conditions, and work together as a team to master a very technical sport.  They had to concentrate hard, think on their feet, adapt to ever changing conditions and communicate clearly.  All of which they did, resulting in everyone feeling suitably impressed with their ability to stay focused and pull together despite being placed in an unfamiliar and uncertain environment.  It was impressive to see people flourish so quickly in these new surroundings.

3. Focused team performance can create incredible results
The event included a team race.  Initially this idea sparked a round of 'I'm not sure I'm fit enough for that' and 'I wouldn't want to let anyone down' type responses.  Generally, a little bit of reluctance.  In fact, once they got going, everyone far exceeded their expectations and interestingly also all improved on their performance in a similar but individual part of the programme earlier in the day.

The key was undoubtedly the team element.  Supporting each other in a shared goal with mutual respect and consideration created focused individuals and slick and efficient team performance.  And a fantastically exciting race.

All in all a great experience for everyone, the benefits of which will last for years to come, as will the key learnings as they filter through respective teams back in the office.

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Top Wellbeing Tips for September (Part 3)

3) Be honest with yourself

Ask yourself what has prevented you in the past from achieving all the results you say you’d like with your health and wellbeing. It could be time, work, family commitments or a busy social life.

Now come up with three suggestions for working around each of your reasons for not achieving success. If you are really, truly committed to achieving your goals, creating options to work around your barriers and then getting on with doing so should be an easy process.

If you’re struggling to find solutions, you may need to have another think about how much you really want the objectives you say you want.

If your wellbeing objectives aren’t that important to you, make a note to revisit them in 4-weeks. If they are a top priority, start taking action right now.

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5 tips for increasing staff results with wellness

Yesterday we highlighted the top 5 ways in which any organisation can instantly improve staff engagement with wellness programmes.

Today we list the top 5 behaviour changes that individuals taking part in wellness programmes can make for instant and lasting results with their health, wellbeing and energy. The idea being that, if you're in charge of a wellness programme, these are key strategies and decisions that your initiatives will lead staff towards. Simple, healthy solutions to help staff climb any mountain...

Individual wellness strategies: instant action, lasting results

1. Change your attitude

Your wellbeing success is dependent on how seriously you value yourself. From this moment onwards, your wellbeing needs to be a top priority. Living a healthy life should not be an added bonus in your routine, it should be the bedrock of success in all other areas.

2. Make sure the timing is right

If you sense some hesitation around putting your wellbeing first, ask yourself what's stopping you, and then systematically remove or reframe each of these obstacles. For example, if you think you're too busy to be healthy, consider the long term implications of continuing your current routines. This will provide the motivation for instant action.

3. Make a list of the biggest personal incentives for living a healthy life

If you don't have plenty of good reasons to do the right thing, you'll come up with hundreds of good reasons (i.e. excuses) to do the wrong thing, and then you'll rationalise these behaviours. Be clear on what good wellness will provide you with including energy, focus, personal effectiveness, positive mood, confidence and a sense of achievement. What else can you add to this list? A long list of benefits will overcome any excuses or procrastination.

4. Change your behaviour

Start with the simple things. Get hydrated, eat regularly, watch your portion sized, get active today and protect your down time. One simple step at a time will lead to dramatic results. Simple steps will generate progress which will in turn generate further motivation.

5. Set yourself up for success

Decide on some healthy living objectives and some deadlines to meet these targets. Enter some events, team up with some colleagues to eat healthily, set some parameters around your relaxation time and decide what you'll do with this time. Whatever resources you feel have been lacking for wellness success in the past - gather them around you now and use them to keep you on track.

Remember, whether you're designing programmes that help others with wellbeing, or you're thinking aobut your own health, energy and performance, take action today for great results tomorrow.

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5 tips for increasing staff engagement with wellness

The buzzwords for this year's World Health Day are 'no action today, no cure for tomorrow'.

These words couldn't be more relevant when it comes to the health and wellness of every single individual, within every single organisation around the world.

At The Tonic we're all about instant action to improve the health, performance and energy of everyone we work with. So today, here are the top 5 ways in which any organisation can instantly improve staff engagement with wellness programmes.

Tomorrow we'll post the top 5 individual wellbeing behaviour changes that create the greatest instant impact and provide the longest lasting results.

Make sure you and your business are taking action today to develop a healthy and engaged workforce for tomorrow.

1. Get people excited

Communicate the value to individuals within your business of your wellness initiatives, not the value to the organisation. Explain clearly the personal benefits they will experience if they take part.

2. Create something for everyone

A range of flexible initiative that are well subscribed is much more successful than a limited number of expensive, under-utilised interventions. Be creative with your wellbeing solutions.

3. Cultivate the desire to opt in rather than the desire to opt out

Start small and make your initiatives effective. Word will spread and everyone will want to take part. Before you know it you'll be managing a waiting list rather than spending time persuading people to come along to events

4. Keep it fresh, keep it simple.

Timing is a big part of staff adopting wellness change so make sure you send regular, consistent messages but keep the initiatives simple. Ongoing, straightforward initiatives will have a greater cummulative effect than fancy interventions that no-one understands. Think about awareness raising events and practical, useful workshops rather than complicated competitions or online surveys.

5. Appeal to groups and individuals

Think about the people and the teams within your business and target them accordingly. Some staff will prefer group initiatives, others will opt for interventions targeted at the individual. If you're not sure what people would respond to best, ask them.

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Recession stress' costs employers £26 billion

A further compelling argument for helping staff look after themselves and their wellbeing. All businesses should have the right initiatives in place to sustain their employees through tough times as well as when things are running more smoothly.

As the article says, 'Investing in wellbeing doesn’t have to be expensive and businesses that look after their staff reap the rewards in reduced sickness absence and increased productivity. Small changes can have big results.'

Read the full article here: Recession stress' costs employers £26 billion

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What Good Wellbeing Feels Like

Following our blog on what good wellbeing looks like when successfully implemented in business, we thought it would be worth sharing our experiences on what good wellbeing feels like for those who benefit from the initiatives. It's a topic that seems particularly relevant given the busy week that many people have just experienced...

So, as a new Prime Minister arrives at Number 10, the question arises as to how you take care of your wellbeing as you take on one of the most demanding roles in the country? And does looking after your wellbeing really help you to perform better and cope with the challenges of a demanding job? We believe it does and many world leaders agree. David Cameron is a keen runner and cyclist, and President Obama loves basketball and the gym. And it's not just those in the top jobs that benefit from looking after themselves. So what results do people experience and how does wellbeing change their life? Read the two examples below of how far reaching the benefits of good wellbeing can be. They both came from people we've worked with and illustrate how straightforward getting great results with wellbeing can be if tackled in the right way. What Good Wellbeing Feels Like ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Good Wellbeing 1: Weight Loss, Stamina and a New Lease of Life I want to thank you indeed for your good suggestions about fitness, and I want to update you about my performance: When I started the programme my personal weight was 93 kilos and now after 10.5 month, my weight is 73 kilos. Last Saturday I ran my first marathon (previously for me to run 5 kilometers was a mirage...) and I'm starting training for NY2011. My work and personal life is totally different and I feel better, in particular for headache and stomachache: now only good food in correct quantities. Good Wellbeing 2: Confidence, Balance, Energy and Positivity Weight loss continues. I am very pleased to say I have dropped a dress size. I put an old suit on today and I couldn't wear the pants - they were too baggy. I have now lost 11kgs and have had to buy a new wardrobe!!! I feel great! Still wearing the pedometer and on average am doing 10,000 steps per day (yesterday I did 17,000 just in the course of work) . Am taking the stairs at work when I don't have heavy bags to carry and am now run/walking 4kms in 30 mins, three times a week and it's having a very good effect on my tennis game and at netball. I have bought a Pilates band and DVD and am doing a session at home a couple of times per week and am really watching what I am eating (and drinking!) I am receiving a lot of positive support from family and colleagues about the changes I have made and the changes they can see. I have more energy and am feeling really positive about work and life in general. Can I thank you sincerely for your encouragement to give new things a try. Do keep in touch - it's lovely to be able to give a positive account of how things are going. Success Strategies for Corporate Wellbeing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We've recently added a new download to our website: 5 success strategies and 9 quick tips to boost engagement, motivation and energy in your business. Click here to download your copy Visit our website to read about organisations are already experiencing fantastic results with wellness programmes.

Helping Businesses Achieve Fantastic Results By Energising Their People The Tonic 020 8995 1302 info@the-tonic.com www.the-tonic.com Become a Fan of The Tonic on Facebook Follow Jeff's updates on Twitter

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Being in control of your own work patterns has clear health and wellbeing benefits

Flexible working might be beneficial for employees' health if they are allowed to have input into their own working patterns, a review by Cochrane Researchers at Durham University suggests. Click here to read more about the review.

This makes perfect sense and bears out what I've been saying for a long time.

People find work stressful if they perceive they're working in a way that feels beyond their control - that includes working hours that don't suit them, projects they don't enjoy or working with people they don't get along with.

All of these situations leave people feeling compromised, and feeling compromised for too long leads to stress, and stress impacts on health and wellbeing.

Taking responsibility for the hours we work is one way to take back control of our working lives and, as the review suggests, will have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing.

Taking back control for our health and wellbeing itself is a further step in the right direction.

Too many people blame work commitments for not being able to take exercise, eat the right foods and take time to live a life of balance. Once again, this leads to a feeling of being compromised and creates a negative effect on how we feel on a day to day basis.

I spend a lot of time demonstrating to employees of all levels how to take back responsibility for their wellbeing, make the right healthy living choices on a regular basis and reap the rewards of doing so every single day.

So imagine the success of organisations that helps staff to manage their time more effectively and also take control of how they manage their health, their wellbeing and their energy.

Many organisations we work with are doing all this and more and as a result are cosolidating their reputations as great places to work.

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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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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 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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