Welcome to the second in our new series of bitesize blogs containing quick tips and ideas to help you build resilience and boost wellbeing. This time we look at the benefits of creating a workplace wellbeing plan.
For many of us, a return to business as usual will bring worry and uncertainty about how to keep ourselves and our teams safe and healthy in the workplace. For others, continuing to work at home is an ongoing source of challenge and stress.
As such, this has never been a more important time for employers to prioritise staff health and wellbeing. A healthy workforce will be crucial to success as organisations move through the difficult times ahead.
Making a workplace wellbeing plan will help you support staff through these tough times. It will communicate that you care, that you take the challenges they are facing seriously and that you are there to support them. This will build trust and cooperation, making the path through continuing change and uncertainty less stressful for all.
To develop your workplace wellbeing plan:
Be clear about your mission and ensure all staff are informed
Communicating to staff members that their health and wellbeing is a top priority and ensuring that managers and leaders are completely on board is the first step.
Create a culture of openness and acceptance
Where staff feel accepted and able to talk about their concerns and challenges without judgement, any problems can be recognised and resolved at an early stage.
Listen to staff
Active listening contributes to a culture of openness and acceptance and builds trust. Staff who feel heard and understood experience less anxiety and stress. To access staff views and opinions try a mix of staff surveys, 1-1 meetings with managers and regular review sessions.
Take action
Organisations that respond proactively to issues raised further build trust and co-operation within their staff teams, as well as improving wellbeing.
Develop a tiered approach to workplace wellbeing
A wellbeing plan based on a tiered model ensures that a range of needs and learning styles are accommodated right across the organization:
Tier 1:
Resources and interventions available to the whole staff group aimed at building core skills such as managing stress or building positivity. This might include, factsheets or online materials, staff support meetings, lunchtime mindfulness sessions, book clubs or breakfast meet-ups. These interventions help to connect staff with each other and offer opportunity for developing wellbeing capital in the workplace.
Tier 2:
Targeted group training in resilience and wellbeing offered in small groups for those people facing particular challenges or change, aimed at building personal and team wellbeing.
Tier 3:
1-1 interventions such as resilience coaching or staff counselling offered to individuals who are struggling with mental health or personal issues which are impacting significantly on work.
Remember the three R’s of wellbeing – Rest, Recreation and Relationship – can be applied in both the workplace and home environment. Ensure your workplace wellbeing plan explores ways of supporting staff to draw on these sources of wellbeing throughout the working day.
If you found this helpful and would like to read more bitesize tips, check out some of our other blogs in this series. You might also like to join our Facebook group UR Resilient, where members are busy sharing creative and inspiring ideas for staying positive during this challenging time.
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