Physical well-being is one aspect of our wellness. It includes our eating routines, physical activities, and sleep hygiene. It also includes our day-to-day habits such as tobacco and alcohol consumption or seat belt and helmet use. For most people, physical well-being outcomes are influenced by other aspects of well-being like mental and emotional well-being, social and relational well-being, and financial and vocational well-being. The ability to manage a medical condition, improve long-term health outcomes, and cope with stress is dependent on more than just an eating plan or fitness routine. This is where research is proving that workplace wellness programs have gotten it wrong for many years and why workplace well-being is the innovative approach to attracting employees, keeping trained workers, and creating a stress-less workplace through a focus on culture. Not the culture of the world or what works for your competitor, but an individualized approach that lets your team have a voice and your values take center stage.
Anything that is going to endure and thrive under difficult pressure and circumstances must have a solid foundation. Established, known, and active workplace values supply a sound foundation that provides key benefits such as:
Supplying a standard of expected workplace behaviors
Informing of performance benchmarks to be measured
Offering a helpful guide for company, department, and individual decision making
Having company values isn’t as simple as placing a statement on the wall or in an employee handbook. To create a thriving workplace well-being culture requires taking a deep dive into your business values and then marrying them to wellness values for support and strength.
Did you know there were three distinct levels of business values?
Foundational values - The values that are critical to your company identity and success.
Core values - The values that are important to your company's success but can be met in a variety of ways.
Tertiary values - The values that are desirable for your company but don’t carry the same weight as the others.
You might be asking what are wellness values. Wellness values are those that are expressed and practiced in the workplace and that influence all aspects of an individual's well-being. A company is made up of many, many individuals and proficient positive well-being practices are the key to helping each of those individuals achieve healthy business values while also promoting personal well-being at the same time.
What do you stand to gain by taking on the challenge of setting up a strong well-being-focused and values-based foundation? The ability to see which values support and encourage well-being, which is out of line with your foundational core values, and knowledge about what could be causing economic loss AND retention problems. You will also have the framework to build a culture that lowers accident rates and enhances workplace safety, reduces liability exposure, increases trust and loyalty, and raises employee satisfaction and productivity.
How can you afford to change your focus? The short answer is how can you honestly afford not to? But in all seriousness, the money you save from increasing employee retention and lowering healthcare claims will more than cover the coaching expense to be an industry leader. If what you are doing is working, keep going. But if it isn’t, perhaps now is the time to try something different.