A Guide to Outsourcing Your Wellness Programme

To develop the best wellness programme possible for your organisation, seeking external input can be invaluable.  Here are some key points to consider when looking for wellness providers.

Be clear on what you are looking for
You’ll either be at the stage where you have a clear idea of what you want from your wellness programme and you’re looking for someone to help you deliver on the plan, or you may have simply had initial thoughts on what you’re looking for and you require some creative input into what will work best for your organization.

Some providers are best positioned to bring your existing ideas to life quickly by providing you with resources you don’t have access to and enabling you to tap into their tried and tested systems.   Others adopt a more consultative approach and will help you take a strategic view of how a wellness programme could develop within your organization over time.  It’s important to decide which approach suits you best in the early stages of selecting providers.

What level of input do you require?
You need to decide what kind of wellness initiatives you are looking to set up and how much you want to be involved in the ongoing servicing and development of these initiatives.  Do you want a supplier that, once appointed, will simply report back to you on a regular basis with a review of how the initiatives are progressing, or do you want to actively manage your initiatives more closely in order that you can review and refine your approach quickly and efficiently?

Do you want a provider that will act as a virtual wellness department for your business leaving you free to focus on other priorities, or do you want retain a more hands on approach?

Do your research
When it comes to checking out potential providers you need to be diligent in your research.  Be patient when making your decision as this could save a lot of time further down the line:

• What experience do your potential suppliers have? 
• Are they regularly delivering the kind of services you’re looking for?  
• What do their current clients say about the work they do?  
• Do they have experience in your business sector?  
• Can they demonstrate a track record of delivering the results you’re looking for with your wellness programme?

Interview thoroughly
Personalities are important.  You need to be able to trust your provider to deliver the right services at the right time; you’re looking for someone to make your life easier after all.  Shop around and decide if you’re looking for a one-stop shop single provider for a variety of services or if you need to research the best supplier for each component part of your strategy.

Quiz potential providers thoroughly on how they would apply their knowledge and experience to add value to your wellness programme.  Listen out for key questions they should be asking you during the interview process.  Your provider should be curious about your overall strategy for wellbeing and how they fit into the plans for the short, medium and long-term.

Who will go the extra mile?
You should be convinced that your provider not only has thorough relevant knowledge and experience, but that they understand or have the potential to understand your organization.  The best providers are able to quickly get to grips with the personality of a business as this understanding helps enormously with the delivery of wellness messages.

A provider that can help you deliver the most effective wellness initiatives and ensure these are communicated clearly in a manner that will engage and motivate your staff will guarantee your wellness programme is a success, so don’t settle for anything less in your choice of who to appoint to assist you with this vital area of your business.


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Sharpen up your Decision Making Skills

Last week I presented at one of our client's offices.  The subject was 'Effective Decision Making' and I covered:

• How to create a work-life balance that really does work
• A 7-step plan for determining priorities
• How to say no while keeping everyone happy

Those who attended the presentation said:

• An extremely valuable event
• Would like a longer session
• Very useful, very relevant to my work role
• Really helped me think about my prioritisation skills and new ways of getting things done
• Very useful resource material to refer to in the future

We covered a lot of material but there was one key piece of advice that was applicable to everyone.  I'm happy to share it with you.

The ability to make effective decisions will be dictated by how energetic, focused, engaged and in control you feel.  To ensure you remain in this positive frame of mind at all times, create clearly defined appointments in your schedule to review your effectiveness.  

A simple pattern to follow is:

• 1 hour review time per month.  At the beginning, end or in the middle of the month, you decide.

• 20 minutes review time per week.  Recommended to be in the middle of the week rather than Monday morning or Friday afternoon.

• 6 minutes review time per day.  This can be broken into three mini-reviews of 2 minutes each to keep you track throughout the day.

In total that's just 52 review / planning hours per working year.  Less than 3% of your time if you work a 35 hour week.  52 hours invested in yourself that can make an enormous difference to every single minute you spend at work and which will also have a positive impact on your life outside of work.

With summer coming to a close and many of us heading back into the school run and busy work schedules, this is a crucial time to plan how you make the best decisions for your life.

What are you waiting for?  Get reviewing and get effective.

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Life's too Short to be Busy

Read this great article HERE - a fantastic way to put the busy world around us in perspective.

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Create a Healthy Work/Life Balance (Part 3)

In the final part of our ‘Health Life Balance’ series, we will look at how to create a healthy mental attitude for a busy work life. It’s important to get the job done, but you don’t want to burn the candle at both ends and end up so stressed that you are no longer productive.

Here are a few ways to get more done each day, leave work on time and go home satisfied you've achieved a huge amount without being frazzled at the end:




1. Set realistic, manageable goals.
We all have a ‘bucket list’ of dreams and goals we want to achieve. This is a great strategy for thinking of the big picture, but for day to day life management, it’s easier and more rewarding to set smaller goals. You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you tick the items off your list and track your progression.




2.  Set time limits 
Rather than starting a task and allowing it to take as long as it takes, decide in advance how long you are willing to spend on each activity. If you’re clear with yourself with what time you want a job completed by, you’ll focus and avoid distraction to make sure it’s done in time. Emails could take no more than 5 minutes; calls no longer than 10 minutes and meetings no longer than half an hour. If you don’t set time limits you can find yourself at the end of a day still trying to complete something you started first thing. 




3. Take breaks 
If you arrive at work in the morning and the day stretches out ahead of you as one big block of busy-ness, you can feel overwhelmed. Planning regular breaks means you’ll work effectively in short sharp bursts of productivity punctuated with slots of doing something that takes your mind off work and clears your head ready for the next round of activity. 




4. Move on quickly 
One person we worked with had a 40 minute time limit for everything he did during a day. Whether it be proposals, costings, meetings or lunches; whatever he was doing, he’d move on to the next task after 40 minutes. He claimed that after this time he stopped having useful thoughts on each task so he’d move on to re-energise his brain. He also built in a slot during each day to return to any tasks with thoughts that came into his head while he was thinking about other things. 


The key to success with getting more done is to maintain energy and focus throughout each day. This is best achieved by making progress so always keep in mind how each task you take is moving you forwards. If at any stage you feel you’re not making progress, your energy and motivation will wane and results will slow.


You're at work to get things done and achieve a something, but you don't want to spend all your time there and hours thinking about the office when you get home. 


Do it, Get it Done, Get home.

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Create a Healthy Work/Life Balance (Part 2)

If you started your plan last month, you should start to see some differences in your work/life balance. It can take time to adjust to a new way of thinking, but once you establish a routine and stick to it, the results come quickly.

In part 2 of our ‘Healthy Life Balance’ series, we’re going to look at quick interventions that really make a difference.

  

1) Exercise

In your schedule, identify two or three slots each week for exercise.  These slots can be as little as 30-minutes.  Plan in advance what you will do during these slots and make sure that each workout includes 5-10 minutes of high intensity training - exercise that really makes you breathe and sweat. You will also want to do some weight bearing exercise to strengthen your muscles and bones. You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get and keep fit. Here are some alternatives to consider:

·         Walking outside. This is a free and easy way to exercise. There is virtually no way to injure yourself and most people of any fitness level can do it. If you can walk outside during your lunch hour or after work, you will also get your daily requirements of vitamin D.

·         Swimming. Another great way to exercise and it’s an excellent cardio workout. Try alternating different strokes to keep your heart rate up.

·         Dancing. This can be done in the privacy of your living room, or in Salsa or ballroom class. Dancing is great for your heart and is a social activity that most people enjoy.

·         Games such as squash, tennis and netball. If you prefer to exercise with others, join a local team, or get a partner to play with you in the local leisure centre. You’ll burn calories and having fun with friends or associates.

·         Yoga. There are many benefits of yoga including: lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, releasing endorphins and generally making you feel more relaxed and less stressed.

2) Healthy Eating

Make sure your schedule guides you to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.  Plan what you will eat at each of these times ensuring the portion size is appropriate for each meal or snack.  Making sure you have what you need to prepare your meals; this will include some shopping for home or for food supplies at the office. Here are some quick tips to help you prepare:

·         Plan a menu for the week and stick to it as much as you can. This will help you choose from a variety of meals so you don’t get bored with the same thing, and it will encourage you to avoid the temptation of fast food

·         Make your lunches the night before work, or first thing in the morning. This just saves time and leaves you more time to have a proper lunch break.

·         Take a variety of fruits and healthy snacks to keep you going throughout the day. You don’t want your blood sugar levels to drop because you’re hungry.

·         Avoid office snacks such as cakes and sweets. If you want to treat yourself once in a while, that’s ok, but don’t over indulge.

·         Beware of hidden sugars and calories in low fat foods. Start reading food labels so you know exactly what you are eating.

  

3) Sleep

Establish a regular bedtime and then work out a routine for the evening that will ensure you are able to go to bed and fall asleep at your designated time. You should know at what time of the evening you turn off the TV, computer, phone etc. in order to wind down in time to sleep well. If you are ‘wired’ right until bedtime, you will find it difficult to unwind and get yourself ready for a restful sleep. Here are some tips to help you get your zzz’s.

·         Keep your tv and computer out of the bedroom, or at least limit their use at bedtime. This is your sanctuary so make it as quiet and peaceful as possible.

·         During the week, try to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Everyone needs different amounts of sleep, but if you aim for an uninterrupted 6  - 8 hours, then you are more likely to wake refreshed and ready to take on the day.

·         Limit alcohol in the evening. Excessive drinking can knock you out, but you will also wake up in the early hours feeling groggy and disoriented.

·         Read or meditate to help you relax before bedtime.

Looking after your physical health is crucial if you want to cope with day to day stress and strain. Once you feel better about yourself, you will have the energy and enthusiasm to manage a busy schedule without getting easily depleted.

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