Workplace wellness
What is the true cost of employee wellness?
Independent studies* (pre Covid-19) show that over 80 million days are lost each year in the UK due to mental health issues and preventable physical ailments. This costs employers approximately £50BN per year. By proactively investing in employee wellness, businesses can reduce this cost with an estimated ROI of 4.2 : 1**.
Supporting and encouraging employees to make healthy lifestyle choices benefits them and the culture in which they work. Wellness initiatives are about enabling individuals to make better choices about their health and take control of it, for their own benefit.
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Employee wellness should include mental and physical support as a delta in one can cause an issue in the other.
Stress is a significant contributor to lower back pain and weight gain. Likewise, both can easily lead to anxiety and depression. Additionally, the impact we are starting to see from the Covid-19 pandemic is both mental and physical.
Employee mental health
To attract and retain top talent, supporting mental health is no longer an optional perk but an imperative focus for companies who want to stay competitive.
Often it's felt that counselling or coaching only needs to happen when there is a serious 'issue'.
However, providing a safe, confidential and non-judgemental place for employees to talk or seek guidance can reduce the likelihood of issues developing and therefore minimise absenteeism and presenteeism.
Common discussion points include:
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Conflict or frustration at home or work
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Bereavement
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Career coaching
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Public speaking phobias
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Anxiety
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Stress
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Depression
Employee physical health
Employees who lead healthy lifestyles and exercise regularly take fewer sick days since they are much less prone to getting ill or injured than those who don't lead healthy lifestyles.
Sedentary jobs can increase the risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes. In addition, it can result in weight gain and tightened muscles in shorter timeframes, leading to potential physical injuries such as back pain or joint issues.
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Education on nutrition and movement/exercise can help prevent weight gain, muscle issues & injury and increase energy and concentration. Proactive coaching on exercise can also result in employees reaching personal goals, promoting confidence, motivation, and energy.
How can you support your employees?
In-house health coaching
1-2-1 sessions
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1 day per week / fortnight
Providing a safe and open space, in house, for employees to talk in confidence, without judgement or bias.
Providing coaching, guidance, direction and assistance in planning personal strategies and next steps relating to concerns at home or work or relating to mental or physical wellness.
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Providing in house therapy sessions, using cognitive behaviour therapy to identify root causes, change negative thought and belief patterns and provide new thinking pathways. The NHS recommend this treatment for anxiety, stress, depression, eating disorders, panic disorders, phobias, OCD and PTSD.
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Providing physical fitness guidance specialising in special population groups - lower back pain, joint issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and mental health problems.
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Providing individual meditation sessions to decrease stress and increase concentration, energy and wellness.
Wellness Workshops
Group sessions
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3 x 1 hour series
Three-part series of 1-hour group workshops
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Session 1 - Mind
Guidance on how to destress, unwind, increase concentration & focus and provide a complete goal-setting and achieving framework.
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Session 2 - Body
Supplying information on areas at risk of tightening or pain due to a sedentary job. Providing exercises/stretches to prevent injury and introduce movements to be done throughout the day with desk specific exercises and introduction to meditation for concentration and destressing.
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Session 3 - Nutrition
Overview on personal nutrition, what to eat for weight goals, energy and health.
Particularly for sedentary jobs or working from home, this will show how to prevent weight gain or increase concentration/energy.
How I can support your employees.
*Reference sources:
** Study citing ROI - Deloitte 2017 study on Mental Health and Employer
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McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 [Internet]. Leeds; 2016. Available from: content.digital.nhs.uk
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Health and Safety Executive. Work-related Stress, Depression or Anxiety Statistics in Great Britain 2019 [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2020 Jan 6]. Available from: hse.gov.uk
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Centre for Mental Health. Mental health at work: The business costs ten years on [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2017 Oct 16]. Available from: centreformentalhealth.org.uk
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Bachmann CL, Gooch B. LGBT in Britain: Health report [Internet]. London; 2018 [cited 2019 May 22]. Available from: stonewall.org.uk
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Connolly MD, Zervos MJ, Barone CJ, Johnson CC, Joseph CLM. The mental health of transgender youth: Advances in understanding. J Adolesc Heal [Internet]. 2016 Nov 1 [cited 2019 Jun 11];59(5):489–95. Available from: sciencedirect.com
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Bouman WP, Claes L, Brewin N, Crawford JR, Millet N, Fernandez-Aranda F, et al. Transgender and anxiety: A comparative study between transgender people and the general population. Int J Transgenderism [Internet]. 2017 Jan 2 [cited 2019 Jun 13];18(1):16–26. Available from: tandfonline.com
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McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 [Internet]. Leeds; 2016. Available from: content.digital.nhs.uk
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