I am a big believer in the importance of wellbeing in the workplace. After all, we spend more time at work that we do at home, so being happy and looked after is really important.
With it being World Wellbeing Week I thought it would be worth exploring the question - when does wellbeing and office culture become a distraction?
I was with one of my clients recently who are brilliant at promoting wellbeing and culture, and keep their employees happy with things like an office dog, yoga, breakout areas, walking meetings and massages, but it got me thinking...
When you have that much going on, does it become a distraction for the employees, rather than a benefit for the business?
Let's take a look at recruitment, for example. I think that whilst it would be great to have maybe a couple of these benefits, I think too much of this could eventually become expected, abused and a distraction from hard work. I think there's a fine line between getting it right and doing too much.
And then I got to thinking, what does wellbeing mean to me? Perhaps it's not the same for everyone. For me, wellbeing at work is all about how I am treated, how I am invested in and how I'm supported by my business. Whilst a massage sounds great, I would rather enjoy being around the people I work with, be trusted to do my job, receive training and be told that I am doing a good job, rather than being able to bring my dog to work (I love him but he would definitely be a distraction!)
What do you think? Is it important to find the right balance between hard work and wellbeing? What's the best wellbeing practice you've experienced?
World WellBeing Week will provide the opportunity for all participants to promote an overall awareness for the various aspects of wellbeing, including social, physical, emotional, financial, career, community and environmental wellbeing. It will give recognition to the professional practitioners in this growing sector; and will shine a light on charities and social enterprises working hard in their own specific areas of wellbeing.
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