It’s fair to say that wellness is on the agenda for most employers today. There’s nothing like a global pandemic and a worldwide halt to gym attendance to highlight its far-reaching value. A healthy mind and body help us perform in all aspects of life.

Poor well-being has serious implications. It can manifest in physical symptoms like headaches and fatigue or mental ones like anxiety and depression. As well-being is something that improves or declines gradually, it can be difficult to spot the early signs that it’s headed in the wrong direction. This is where employers can step in.

Of course, not everyone in the organisation is going to have the skills to spot anxiety before it rears its head. However, you can have balances in place to try and recognise when staff are at risk.

Indicators of Good Wellbeing at Work

When people are well, they will generally display it through the following:

1. Resilience

E.g. the ability to cope with stress and setbacks.

If someone is struggling to bounce back from a difficult situation, their resilience is low.

2. Engagement

E.g. how motivated and invested an individual is in their work.

If someone is feeling disengaged, they may start to feel like their work isn’t worthwhile.

3. Satisfaction

E.g. how content an individual is with their job.

If someone is unhappy with their workload or working conditions, their satisfaction will be low.

4. Energy

E.g. How much physical and mental energy an individual has.

If someone is feeling constantly tired or run down, their energy levels are likely to be low.

Warning Signs of Poor Wellbeing

It’s normal for resilience, engagement, satisfaction and energy to fluctuate. No one is static at all times. But, when it becomes problematic, it may be displayed like this:

• Increased absenteeism
• Decreased productivity
• Increased mistakes
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Changes in appearance
• Changes in behaviour

Of course, it’s important to remember that these are just potential signs and not definitive proof. Different people will show different signs of poor well-being.

What Can Employers Do?

Employers need to both watch for these signs and introduce wellness management into the corporate culture to minimise the risk of well-being decline. Here’s how:

Encourage a healthy work-life balance

Ensure that staff have enough time for both their work and personal lives and remember that everyone’s idea of a healthy work-life balance will be different. One thing is for sure, though, hybrid work will be part of this conversation. Seventy percent of workers want to keep their hybrid remote work options. Well-being plans must factor in ways to engage employees both in and out of the office.

Promote open communication and offer support

Create an environment where staff feel comfortable talking about their well-being, whether that’s with their line manager or HR. Normalising these conversations means that employees will come to you sooner, and it makes them feel less alone. Removing that feeling of isolation is itself a powerful tool to combat poor well-being.

Outside of open communication, offer support, such as an Employee Assistance Programme or access to counselling services.

Be proactive

Try to identify the early signs of poor well-being and take action to address them before they become a bigger problem. Do this by holding regular reviews to check in with staff and consciously address some of the indicators above to gauge how they’re feeling inside and outside of work.

Encourage healthy lifestyle choices

Healthy food options in the workplace, encouraging regular breaks and introducing wellness programs all help to keep staff happy and healthy. PUML Better Health is one solution that rewards staff for participation and encourages engagement with challenges that can be set up company or team-wide. No matter whether they’re at home, abroad or in the office.

Need help planning your corporate wellness program?

We can survey your employees, create customisable wellness programs that fit your employees and deliver wellness content to empower your employees to live a better and healthier live collectively and seamlessly. Learn more about the PUML Corporate Wellness Program.