Wellbeing at work: why we need a more human-centred workplace

For too long now, we all (myself included) have lived our lives as if there are zero externalities to our rampant consumption, hyper-individualisation and increasing societal separation, both at an individual and collective level. We have been unconscious of the impact of our behaviour on the wider macroeconomic and environmental systems. All of this, I feel, is part of the wellbeing equation.

Full wellbeing, I would assert, comes from when we are able to be ourselves fully, without fear and without ‘feeling’ the need to wear protective armour. It’s when we can embrace our sense of belonging.

Speaking as someone that burned myself out four years ago after over-thinking my way into loneliness, fear and avoidance whilst at work, despite having far fewer barriers than most in the workplace, I speak from a place of experience. Thus, it is with wellbeing in the workplace that I wish to start this three-part exploration.

What does wellbeing even mean?

Wellbeing is a keyword within the WHO definition of health: “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

When I read that description, I sense belonging.

Full wellbeing, I would assert, comes from when we are able to be ourselves fully, without fear and without ‘feeling’ the need to wear protective armour. It’s when we can embrace our sense of belonging.

If we can experience our life in the physical, mental and social realms as ourselves, without fear and without the need to change who we are as a person to fit into a prevailing culture, we can realise that we are already innately ‘well.’ We always have been.

Work/life balance

Add to this the rising volume on conversations around ‘work/life balance.’  For nearly 12 months I have been learning and speaking about the fact that we have only ‘life’.

There is no segregation nor separation between work and life, or at least if there is, that can often be a contributing factor to not feeling ‘well’ at work as per my journey into burnout.

Being well

Let’s flip this word wellbeing around to ‘being well’. Now, when viewing this word, what jumps out to me is the word ‘be’. I am yet to hear anybody talk in the workplace about improving welldoing at work yet ‘doing’ is far higher prized over being.

Think about it though: when have your best ideas, innovation or thoughts arisen? For me, it’s never when I have been up against it and highly pressured. Usually it happens when I am just ‘being’, for example when I’m at the gym, walking, or perhaps in the shower etc.

HR and employee voice is critical to moving the dial on this conversation and, yes, that will take time but time is always an investment and never a cost.

To that end, after reviewing the CIPD’s introductory video on the topic of wellbeing, I was saddened to hear that, “there is a growing pressure to do more with less”. This is not untrue, but why is this and are we challenging this enough as HR professionals, and indeed as individuals, within the workplace?

We can all consciously step into this conversation and increase our levels of accountability and consciousness around this agenda.

Root causes

Rapidly rising mental health diagnoses are costing the UK economy £34.9bn per annum – the equivalent to 15.8m lost working days. Employee engagement is also persistently low, with just one in three employees being fully engaged at work for over a decade, according to research by Gallup.  

Instead of understanding the root causes of these, however, it appears that many organisations and leadership teams are just applying ‘sticking plasters’ to the problem – indeed they seem to prefer this method to properly addressing what are fundamentally deeply human topics.

Wellbeing strategy

The CIPD video goes on to make some very good suggestions about the focus areas that could make up an effective wellbeing strategy, including:

• Health promotion
• Good working environment
• Flexible working
• Positive relationships
• Opportunities for career development
• Healthy management style

I would assert that intentional, human-centered organisational design with listening, wellbeing, mindset, vulnerability and curiosity baked into a role-modelled culture are far more likely to support and amplify all of the above six cited areas whilst delivering exceptional outcomes as a result.

Human-centered work design supports wellbeing

Interested in some proof? Here is a previous HRZone article outlining how this value creation led to improvements in every one of the six areas cited above.

A wellbeing strategy in and of itself may impact health promotion and flexible working but is highly unlikely to progress the other four areas unless it is co-created, owned and accounted by every single person across the team and/or organisation.

What if all of the HR, L&D, wellbeing and training budget, for one year, was spent on helping colleagues understand how the mind works?

HR and employee voice is critical to moving the dial on this conversation and, yes, that will take time but time is always an investment and never a cost. Language and intent is key.

Together we can help turn around such desperate statistics such as that displayed below, showing that men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.

A forward-looking, collaborative and strategic HR profession retains a unique position and cross-functional view to drive this agenda. We need to understand the needs of both the workforce and the organisation, and to deliver the benefits of wellbeing throughout the business at every level and in every corner. Until we start looking at root causes, however, the current lack of impact will persist.

There is another way

What if all of the money and resources that are currently being channelled towards wellbeing were innocently being misdirected? What if all of the HR, L&D, wellbeing and training budget, for one year, was spent on helping colleagues understand how the mind works? What if we are all innately well before our over thinking, fears and anxiety kick in?

Part of my own ‘awakening’ journey to living a more conscious life has come about by understanding exactly this; how the mind works. You can learn more about that in this podcast and also this one.

I assert that if we start there, we will see rapid increases in wellbeing, connection, performance and importantly, an increased sense of belonging.

How we intentionally design our organisations so that they are more socially responsible will link this article to part two of this three-part series.

Next steps

As this article comes to a close, I want to leave you with some reflective questions:

• Do you believe that your work and personal life need to be kept separate? If yes, I invite you to review and challenge the assumptions that sit below that belief, just to ensure they still serve you.
• What does wellbeing mean to you personally and your organisation and how can you engage the hearts and minds of all in the development and role modelling of best in class wellbeing?
• How do HR and the senior leadership engage around topics of wellbeing currently? What is working well and what could be improved?
• Could and would you run a training experiment on understanding how the mind works?

Finally, I love this quote from a recent article by Peter Done: “After all, employee health is your business’s wealth.

This is such an important point to remain consciously aware of.

We invite you to share your comments, challenges and reflections below, as we would love to continue the conversation within the HRZone community.