Accelerator: Health by stealth

Greater employee wellbeing is good for both people and business, and yet employees feel more stressed and overwhelmed than ever. How can we give people the skills they need to flourish?

Today’s health and wellbeing at work

Healthy eating, exercise, sleep – the first things to fall by the wayside during a busy period are the things most likely to help us through. We all know the recommended guidelines, whether it’s glasses of water, pieces of fruit or minutes of exercise, yet how many of us rely on caffeine and sugary snacks to sustain our energy, followed by slumping in front of the TV with a takeaway after working late again?

Society is more concerned with health and wellness than ever, yet at the same time employees are expected to do more, with less, in half the time – and be on call almost 24/7. This discrepancy may explain why two-thirds of employees are feeling “overwhelmed”. In extreme cases, this leads to burnout and mental health problems. But more broadly, employees with positive psychological wellbeing are 31% more productive, 46% more satisfied at work, three times more creative, and sell on average 37% more. Thriving people make a thriving business.

What does it take to change?

It takes more than free fruit and a pool table to help employees thrive. Thriving is a combination of vitality (feeling energised and alive) and growth (a sense of making progress). While we can’t all thrive all the time, we can learn how to be at our best more often.

It starts with knowing what makes us feel good, and doing more of it. Sounds simple – but given that humans are terrible at predicting what will make them happy, it’s surprisingly rare. Playing to our strengths is another fast route to feeling energised – so long as we know what they are. And grit – the ability to keep striving towards a goal, no matter what the obstacles, is associated with success in all fields, from sales to spelling bees.

Like putting on an oxygen mask on an airplane, you have to look after your own wellbeing before you can help others. There’s plenty managers can do to help their teams flourish; the first step is making sure they’re feeling at their best themselves. Because positivity, grittiness, resilience and energy are contagious.

How can MindGym help?

MindGym’s Health by Stealth Accelerator programme is a complete health MOT: eight hours of content packed with the latest psychological research on wellbeing at work, to give stressed managers and their overwhelmed employees the practical skills they need to flourish, whatever’s going on outside.

Find out more.