Wellbeing in the Workplace

We hear so much these days about “wellbeing” and how to improve our environments and day to day practices to encourage a healthier, happier life – but if you’re an employer how can you actually go about improving the wellbeing in your workplace?

What does “wellbeing” actually mean? In essence, our wellbeing is how we feel and function on a day to day basis and how our environments, actions and experiences impact us.

We spend over a third of our lives at work so it’s not surprising that the workplace can have serious impacts on our wellbeing both on a day to day basis but also long term. Below we look at ways you can improve wellbeing in your business.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

A key element of wellbeing is physical health – in the UK sitting at a desk for 8 hours is still the preferred way of working so why not bring in stand-up desks, encourage lunch time team walks, offer a cycle to work scheme or see if you can negotiate a discount with a local gym or health centre for your employees. A great lunch time activity is yoga or Pilates, this can be done in a relatively small space, doesn’t require any equipment and can be done relatively sweat-free to eliminate those lengthy post work-out showers! There’s lots of free YouTube videos so why not splash out on a few yoga mats!

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Improving mental health within the workplace can be a complex thing, particularly if you work in a high pressured, stressful environment. It’s important for employees to have the ability to feel heard so if you don’t have a specific HR department then teaching line managers and senior members of staff to have regular conversations with their team and how to handle difficult conversations is key to ensuring effective people management. Social events and team bonding sessions are great for workplace wellbeing too, this doesn’t have to mean expensive trips away or cringe-worthy team building exercises; offering an hour each work for your staff to sit and have lunch together or bringing in a coffee in the morning for you all to sit round and chat over can be enough for relationships to blossom and burdens to be shared.

PERSONAL GROWTH 

Not having a clear path to progression or a proper job description can be demoralizing for staff members so having regular performance reviews lets employees know you acknowledge what they bring to the business (good or bad!). Do you currently have any opportunities for additional training? People like to be invested in and it shows you want them to stick around and further their careers in your company. Maybe you can bring in “town hall” meetings, giving clear information on how the company is progressing and allowing employees to voice their opinions and ideas.

There are many ways to improve employee wellbeing and we hope the above gives you some ideas or tips on how to help your company improve its vibe! Happy Friday!

Searching for a new role can be a daunting task and there’s so much to think about when making a decision on an offer. At JR Personnel we speak to all of our candidates during the registration process to gain an insight into what kind of company, industry and role would be ideal for you but there are several considerations you should take into account when being put forward for a position or when offered a role. See below our list of key things to think about which will help you make an informed decision when it comes to finding the right role.

Does the company offer what you’re looking for on a long term scale?

Maybe you’re looking for progression, an opportunity to train in other areas, prospects to take on a managerial role in the future, or maybe you’re just looking for a role you can get on with and not have to think about at the end of the day – whatever your situation or hopes and dreams for your next role it’s important to look at the bigger picture and think ahead when contemplating accepting a position. Make sure the company will work for you and offer exactly what it is you’re looking for; for example if you’re looking for a role you can progress and climb the ladder in, then find out at interview stage if the company has clear progression routes, if they invest in employees and if so, what kind of training and resources do they offer? 

Will this role work for you?

So you might have found a position which sounds perfect but will it work in the long term? Do you have young children at home, or thinking about it in the not too distant future? If so, you might want to reconsider a role which requires lots of travel abroad or working overtime on a regular basis. Maybe you have pets at home or don’t have use of a vehicle on a day or two a week and need flexible working patterns and the ability to work from home? Whatever it is you’re looking for it’s best to establish with the company at interview stage what kind of perks they offer and to gain a full understanding of the expectations of the role.

Is the role challenging enough?

There’s nothing more demotivating than being at work and being bored. It’s a great idea at interview stage to have a list of questions to find out further about the day to day aspects of the role; are there any repetitive tasks which need completing on a daily, weekly basis? How many people will be in your team or will you be working alone? Is there much variation in the dutires and will you have opportunity to liaise or work within other areas of the business? A role with no challenges can often become tiresome and you could find yourself hunting for another role sooner rather than later.

One thing you can count upon is that when offered a role through JR Personnel we will be here to help you with your decision every step of the way. Having worked with many of our clients for several years we have the advantage of knowing working environments and the kind of candidate who will fit in within their business so can give you inside knowledge to help you make an informed decision. 

Take a look at our job page now to discover all the positions we currently have available.