It’s great that in the middle of a pandemic so many businesses are putting on well-being activities to support their people’s mental health.
However, yoga and socials were never a strong well-being plan (on their own) and 9 months into a global pandemic, they are not going to improve the mental health of staff alone.
Built into a larger well-being culture, they are an absolutely brilliant thing to do and one of my favourite refresher sessions is ‘The Powerful Pause’ an energising 30 minute meditation session where people get to stop work, take a pause, jump into bed or under a blanket and experience deep rest. It’s truly magical and can have a huge impact on someone’s day to day well-being.
But will it change their overall mental health?
I don't believe so. Which is why I talk to managers and leaders about the following things when we explore what well-being can look like in their business.
1. We need to understand the individual - there is no one size fits all when it comes to well-being- everyone has different needs at different times. That can feel overwhelming for the person in charge of wellness but trust me it’s not- because if you take a little bit of time to get to know your people, it’ll be easy to see what they need.
2. Create a culture of well-being - some companies that offer yoga and pilates have a really negative, toxic culture and no amount of sessions can fix that. So start with your culture- how do people feel working there and is the working culture positive, supportive, encouraging and open? When you have that right then whatever wellness initiatives you implement, they will go down well.
3. One off targeted feel good sessions are just that - a sticking plaster on an injury vs removing the accident risk. As I said before they are great as part of a holistic plan but back to points 1 and 2 - understand your people first, create the right culture and then the sessions will work wonders.
4. Think about what message you're sending out around with the way you - as leaders work.
What are your own working hours like? Do you promote a decent work-life balance?
How easy is it to talk and share problems with you?
What does ‘connectivity’ look like in the business- it is on 24/7 over 6 different platforms or is it streamlined, simple and clear what hours people are expected to work?
Are you inclusive in your language and your connection points - do you think about your people’s needs?
It can feel like an overwhelming task to 'sort out' your company well-being and to get it right.
It’s not.
It starts with stopping.
Taking stock of where you are.
Thinking like a human (this sounds stupid but take off your business hat and be you!)
Understanding your people.
Creating a strategy for next steps forward.
So how can we make well-being a strategic part of the business plan and not just a nice to have extra tacked on to tick the well-being box?
My signature well-being programme answers all of this and more - it will create the well-being culture you dream of and make sure it’s totally embedded and a way of life rather than an add on.
How?
We look at ways to support you as a manager and your team as a whole.
We explore tools to react better to stressful situations and accepting uncertainty instead of fighting it
We share techniques to build better connection and empathy
Together we create long-term habits to build positivity and resilience which will in turn reduce stress and increase personal happiness
Who is this programme for?
Compassionate conscientious managers who want to perform well and also be good role models for their team without compromising their mental health
Leaders who believe in their people but are lost on how to get the best out of them and motivate them to work hard and feel good
Individuals who believe in the power of well-being and can see the long term benefits and want support and techniques to empower them to apply them to their team now and into the future
Who this programme isn’t for...
Managers who want a quick fix
Individuals who don’t want to walk side by side with their team to better mental health, more positivity and a stronger team connection
Managers who don’t see the value in investing in their people because they will ‘be ok’ and then complain when they get demotivated and sign off sick or worse, leave!
How do you know it’s right for you?
You know stress is high and you want to address it but you don’t know what the long lasting solution is
You’re sick of your team feeling stressed and overworked and this impacting you
You’re ready to invest the time, energy and money into facing this challenge for good
You believe that stress affects how productive your team is and you can see how much better they feel after one off sessions but you don’t know how to keep that ‘feel good’ effect going!
If this sounds like something you need in your business, send me an email at laila@alifemoremindful.com and we can book in a free strategy session to see what challenges you are facing and if this programme is the right fit for you.
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