Improving employee wellbeing and workplace mental health
Health and wellbeing within the workplace used to be a like-it-or-lump-it thing, but now more than ever employers and employees are tuning in to how happiness in the office can affect productivity, motivation, and staff retention.
Maybe your business has switched to a four-day working week, or maybe your office has an internal health and wellbeing lead, there are lots of things that can be done to boost staff moral and workplace productivity.
We want to highlight the ways an employer can maintain a happy workplace, and how staff can focus on their wellbeing whilst being productive and motivated at work.
Employers
- Research shows that employees perform better, have improved wellbeing and are more committed to an organisation’s goals when they feel supported and valued. Recognising an employee’s efforts and achievements is one of the easiest ways to boost morale and create a positive work environment. A workplace where success is applauded and appreciation is shown, will cause employees to feel empowered, engaged and connected to their peers and management.
- Does your organisation have a wellbeing lead? At Rampling Clarke we have one chosen member of staff who dedicates time listening to the needs of our team, using their feedback to improve and boost our workplace wellbeing. Ideas can be submitted to the wellbeing lead for group activities, healthy alternatives in the office fridge, setting up a running club, fun ideas for our downtime. A wellbeing lead could directly facilitate boosting your workplace’s positivity levels.
- Our mental health is another thing which directly affects our morale, productivity, and engagement. Poor mental health could be caused by things in person’s home life, or they could be a result of work stress. Whatever the cause, employees must ensure that there is support offered within the workplace. This could be implemented by hiring a speaker to come into the office and run a workshop on promoting good mental health, you could encourage safe and open conversation about our wellbeing and show employees that it’s okay to talk about our mental health, you could have a wellbeing newsletter that goes straight into everyone’s inboxes promoting external organisations that promote, support, and encourage good mental health. Charities like Mind have fantastic websites dedicated to quick reads on how to boost your mental health. Regularly sharing articles, blogs, or webpages from organisations like this will show your workforce that you are dedicated to supporting their mental wellbeing.
These are just a few of the ways you can support and engage with your workforce to promote good employee wellbeing. The more valued, supported and appreciated an employee feels has a direct affect on their morale, productivity and their willingness to go the extra mile. And the more positive a workplace the better levels of staff retention you, as an employer, will experience.
Employees
- There are plenty of ways you can boost your own wellbeing at work and take your work/life balance into your own hands. Simple things like making sure you get a good night’s sleep can hugely affect your physical and mental health. A heavy lunch might feel like a treat, but it might also make you feel sluggish in the afternoon and affect your mood and productivity. You can also find mountains of research on how drinking water and staying hydrated affects your brain power, try swapping your cup of coffee for a pint of water this break time.
- Utilising your diary is another way of fighting off workplace stress. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by an endless list of responsibilities: get organised. Start each week by scheduling your tasks and be realistic when it comes to your goals. Be sure to schedule time for a debrief with a colleague, or just a moment to sit back and breathe. You might feel that by taking on multiple tasks that you’re being productive, but you are more likely to burn out and your standard of work could suffer. Tackle the bigger tasks when you’re most alert, schedule the smaller tasks for those moments of pause. If a task will take you two minutes to complete, get it done now! Nothing feels better than ticking something off of your to-do list.
- Create a nice space to work in. Clear your desk of unnecessary clutter and swap it for a succulent or small plant. The Rampling Clarke office is filled with plants and photos of our families. We also enjoy listening to the radio (usually Greatest Hits Radio because we’re big fans of 80s cheese!), as a way of boosting our moods and helping us connect. Director Arron Rampling is always the first to sing along!
- Make the most of your time before and after work. Exercising before work can boost your energy levels, reduce your stress levels, and help you focus for the day ahead. Making plans for after work gives us something to look forward to and stops us from feeling stuck in the circle of home-work-home. Make sure it’s something fun! Catch up with friends or spend time with peers away from the workplace to strengthen those relationships with the people we sit opposite all day.
- Talk and share how you are feeling. Sharing how you feel with a friend, or trusted colleague at work, can alleviate some of those workplace worries and help you to see things from a different perspective. It is almost impossible to focus when something else is on your mind, so be sure to talk to someone about how you are feeling.
Set yourself up for success by staying health, resting, and being organised. If you would like more support within your organisation speak to your employer about workplace wellbeing and how you feel you could best support yourself and your team.
In Summary
If you would like to speak to Rampling Clarke about workplace wellbeing, we would love to hear from you. Our team are not only dedicated to finding people their dream roles, but we also understand the importance of supporting employers in making their business an attractive place to work.
Lisa Edwards – lisa.edwards@ramplingclarke.co.uk
Claire Louise Clarke – claire.clarke@ramplingclarke.co.uk
Arron Rampling – arron.rampling@ramplingclarke.co.uk