We are going through an unprecedented time that is instigating change in the way we work and how we live.Gallup recently released its ‘State of the Global Workplace’ report and concluded 7 out of 10 people are struggling. Beside the impact on people’s individual lives, there has been an impact on business productivity, performance and profits. says Timo Topp, wellbeing coach and author.
Gallup states:
‘When people struggle it contributes to declining economic dynamism.
Thriving people feel better and the business performs better’
Now it is the time to redefine how we work for business sustainability and success and the physical and mental health of people at work. The good news is, it doesn’t take much time or effort to make a difference to how people feel and perform.
Unwell workers costing 15 per cent GDP
Research by the Global Wellness Institute, the global leader in wellness research, estimates that workforce un-wellness may cost the global economy 10–15 per cent of economic output. Conversely a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed that companies adopting wellbeing outperformed others on the stock market by a factor of 3:1, over a 14 year period.
7 steps to Workbeing
Now let us look at the seven steps to ‘Workbeing’ that will allow you to ‘work and live well’ – and avoid burnout.
First, take a deep breath
How we breath effects how we feel. How we feel, effects how we perform.
If you take short, shallow, rapid breathes it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system associated with arousal and the fight of flight response. You typically breath like this when you are stressed – acerbating stress. If you take slow, deeper breathes, this stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with the rest and relaxation response. Taking conscious control over your breathing to be slower and deeper will help you reduce stress and enhance mental clarity and calmness.
Drink more water
Yes, you have heard it before but are you drinking enough? The body is made of 55-60%. You lose about two litres of water a day from biological processes such waste elimination, breathing and sweating which you need to replace. Your body needs you to consumer water. All other beverages are essentially a luxury.
Only a small drop of 1-2% drop in hydration levels will affect optimal performance. It will contribute to fatigue, reduced motivation, impaired mood and the ability to focus and concentrate.
Sit, stand and walk tall
Did you know your head weighs about 5kg? If you sit with your head tilted forward, such as when using a phone or computer, you increase the load on your neck and upper back by up to 500%. Hence poor posture puts unnecessary strain on the body.
A simple way to recalibrate your posture is to stand and stretch up. This extends and elongates your body after being in a flexed seated position. Simply stand up, clasp your hands together and stretch your arms vertically above your head and add a slight side to side rotation.
Good posture optimises physiological function, helping you to look and feel better. Poor posture contributes to aches, pains and disfunction.
Stand up from your chair
We know we need to prioritise exercise, we know we need to get our steps up but the benefits can be swept away by then spend 8-10 hours sitting at the office. It’s imperative to break the cycle of endless hours of sitting by simply standing up regularly. According to NASA Life Scientist Joan Vernikos, standing up just once for 100 seconds has the same physiological benefit as remaining standing for 30 minutes. These accumulated micromovements help to reduce stress, increase energy and reduce blood sugars.
The instant energy action plan
You can combine all of these strategies for an ‘instant energy action plan’
Every 60-90 minutes:
- Stand up from your chair
- Stretch up and twist side to side to recalibrate your posture
- Take a few deep breathes
- Drink some water
These small micro-breaks don’t take much time and help to keep you energised, mentally focussed and reduce stress allowing you to feel better and work more productively.
Three fundamental pillars of optimal health and performance
Workbeing and exercise
The human body is meant to move. When we move, we feel better.
Exercise enhances every biological process in the human body. Nothing comes close to its universal benefits. We know we should but often we don’t. Other than motivation, time is probably the biggest obstacle. Here are a few strategies to make exercise more successful:
- Do it in the morning, it sets you up for a more successful and you get it done and dusted. Morning exercise is very important for helping you sleep at night.
- Something is better than nothing. You don’t need to exercise for one hour. 20-30 minutes is plenty of time for a good workout.
- Get a trainer, join a class or group or organise a walk or workout with a friend. Accountability is critical for exercise success.
- Do something you enjoy and workout at a moderate level. You don’t need to ‘smash it’ and feel exhausted especially when you are already so busy.
Workbeing and diet
Eating well is not just about weight loss, it is about feeling better, by giving yourself the right fuels to energise you and it improves mental ill-health.
A unique study conducted in Australia called the SMILES study was the first of its kind to look at the relationship between food and mental health. The study concluded that eating a healthier diet reduced major depression by 30 per cent.
Eating well starts simply by cutting out the crap – the processed junk and snack food – and eating more greens.
Everyone knows this. That’s not the issue. The real challenge is eating well when you are busy. The way you overcome this is through: planning and preparation. What are you going to eat tonight? Have you got it planned out? Or do you have no clue and will ordering in?
Go food shopping and have healthy food in the cupboard and plan or better still, pre-prepare meals in advance that you can just warm up after a long day.
Workbeing and sleep
Scientific studies have shown a way to live longer, enhance creativity and memory, protect you from cancers and dementia, reduce food cravings, strengthens your immunity, lower your risk of heart attacks and diabetes, reduce depression – it’s called sleep.
People are struggling to sleep well. Research conducted by the University of Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health concluded that up to 45% of Australian adults struggle with sufficient – either quantity or quality of sleep.
Science has proven unequivocally that we really do need 7-8 hours of sleep. Less than 6 hours is detrimental to health and performance – and causes poor mental health, dementia, cancer, heart disease, lower immunity and low sex drive
The simplest way to sleep better is to develop a sleep routine. Get to bed on time. Do not work or be on digital devices right up until turning the light out. You need to wind down before bed. Skip the drink. You may think it helps but it actually disrupts your quality of sleep.
If you wake up at night, don’t check emails, do some deep breathing to relax and you will fall back to sleep much more easily.
And finally, Be thankful
The human condition has a default negative bias. We tend to focus on things that aren’t working went wrong and don’t have. It was an evolutionary advantage to keep us alive by being cautious. However, now, it contributes to stress, worry and anxiety. By simply shifting focus we can enhance optimism and reduce stress.
As an individual, there are two times in the day to do this:
- When starting your day to set yourself for a positive mindset – spend a few moments thinking about the positives in your life
- At the end of the day, instead of checking emails and social media, spend a few moments reflecting on went well today – you will sleep better for it.
As a leader it’s important to practise gratitude by recognising achievement in your team more often than criticising and complaining– it builds trust and enhances engagement
How business can thrive
It all starts with leaders. When leaders are looking after themselves and thriving it spreads to the rest of the organisation.
Initiatives for businesses Leaders must then build wellbeing into their business with initiatives such as providing access to experts and resources for the best advice and incorporating wellbeing into performance reviews.
Here a selection of ideas
- Walking meetings.
- Stand up adjustable desks.
- Replace unhealthy snacks and drinks with healthier options.
- Starting a meeting with a ‘wellbeing win’.
- Wellbeing focus of the week or month such as sleep, movement, stress etc.
- Step challenge with a weekly or monthly prize.
- A weekly group fitness session.
- Establish ‘Wellbeing buddy’ so each employee connects regularly with a colleague which also builds relationships and trust.
- Organise a calendar of events ranging from monthly to quarterly activities.
- Provide access to experts such personal training, dieticians or councillors.
- Organise a wellbeing leader to be the key organiser and ‘go-to’ person.
- Ask staff what they want and what their challenges are.
The future of work
One of the conclusions of Gallup’s Global Workplace report was the need for leaders to re-think workplaces and weave wellbeing into the everyday running of the organisation.
Now is the time to re-define how we work. It’s time to prioritise people and create a balance between work and wellbeing. It’ time for people to shine and businesses to thrive through ‘Workbeing’.
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