better business blog

Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

The Importance Of Being Well

16 February 2014

Do you have a business strategy? Does it focus on sales, marketing and production targets? And also….does it account for the well-being of yourself and your colleagues?

Well-being is all about our physical and mental health. Do we have a good diet? Do we have a lunch break at work? Are our working conditions such that they foster health? Do we have a supportive and thoughtful line manager? Is our workload at an acceptable level?

These are obvious questions for sure, and yet how many organisations really have well-being at the heart of their staff policies and working practices?

I was chatting with a senior HR Director the other week and she commented that since the introduction of an annual well-being week and a continual focus on the health and welfare of their employees, the organisation has seen:

1) Sickness levels drop

2) Absentee levels drop

3) Staff turnover drop

4) Applications for new posts increase

5) Employee satisfaction levels increase

This clearly has resulted in a more stable and more productive organisation and now that the programme has been running for several years the Director has the statistics to validate the Board’s approach to their staff.

So, this week think about your staff and ask yourself if you are doing enough to promote well-being in your organisation. What could you do more of? How can you help people to cope with stress and to have a pleasant, caring and supportive work environment?

Then add well-being to your top-level corporate strategy. It’s good for people and it’s good for business.

Next week: Do You Value Your Values?