Statistics about unemployment, job retention, and overall job satisfaction are easy to find in the news these days—and many of them don't shed positive light on the status of today's economy and workforce. For example, a recent survey demonstrated that employee satisfaction has hit an all-time low, with just 45% of America's workers satisfied with their current job, as compared with 52% in 2005.
A dissatisfied employee is an unhappy employee, an unhappy employee is mostly likely stressed, and as we all know stress is a detriment to our health. It is not merely an emotional threat, but a physical one as well. When we're stressed, we sleep less, get sick more, and work less productively.
Happiness and a positive attitude are good for business. Improved employee morale reduces workplace stress and triggers creativity and collaboration, and happy employees tend to miss less work. When employees are happy, customer and client satisfaction is higher. Business booms. So, perhaps there is something to be said about positive reinforcement...
Employers need to begin thinking of stress reduction and improving employee morale as an integral part of their business strategy. While effectively managing physical risk factors such as weight, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol is critical, emotional well-being cannot go by the wayside. Here are some tips to promote happiness and reduce stress in your workplace:
Allocate time to debrief, share, and be creative
Studies demonstrate that optimism positively affects multiple facets of your life through:
Stress reduction
Improved immunity
Improved respiratory function
Reduced risk of heart disease
Improved overall sense of well-being
Longevity
Reserving dedicated time to calmly debrief, share, collaborate, and be creative with your coworkers can infuse your team with optimism, reduce stress, and improve morale.
Thank your employees
Positive recognition reduces stress. Receiving a compliment from a co-worker can change a seemingly overwhelming situation into a productive one.
Take a "fit break"We all need intermittent breaks to keep us focused and productive. And when we feel overwhelmed, we may be more likely to use our break to eat an unhealthy snack rather than stretch, take a short walk, or find other productive ways to de-stress. Instead of mindlessly eating a chocolate bar for a snack, try gathering with your co-workers for a quick stretch break or walk around the block. You will return to your desk refreshed and refocused. Physical wellness makes your body happy. When your body's happy, so are you!
Encourage yourself
Sure, it might be easy to see what your co-workers do well, but it's often more challenging to self-reflect and appreciate what you do well. Turn any unproductive negative thoughts you have into positive ones. If you find yourself thinking self-critical thoughts, try putting a positive spin on them and remind yourself that you offer your own skills and talents that provide value in the workplace as well.
Be able to say "no"
Identify your priorities; organize your tasks and commitments. If you find yourself with an overcommitted schedule, say "no" to tasks or meetings that aren't a priority or collaborate with a co-worker in order to effectively and efficiently complete the task at hand.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
March...already?
So has it been a happy 2010 for you so far? Are you still committed to your 2010 New Years’ resolutions almost eight weeks later? In my last blog posting I talked about how a key success strategy in keeping your health commitments is taking the time to understand the underlying causes that prompt you to overeat, abstain from exercise, or worry excessively. If you understand what your triggers are and what your intrinsic motivation to change is, you will have a higher chance of succeeding in your journey towards total well-being. Companies, as well as individuals need to begin thinking about health risks as symptoms and well-being factors as the causes.
People engage more with systems and solutions that treat them like people, rather than a bundle of risk factors. So, health risk assessments and worksite wellness programs cannot simply target physical health factors like BMI, LDL cholesterol, heart health, and nutrition. They must also question job satisfaction, openness to change, resilience and ability to manage stress to name a few. Acknowledging that underlying psychosocial factors are just as important as biometric risk factors, promotes total well-being. Taking a whole-person, whole-population approach to measuring workforce performance improves employee morale, enables companies to build more effective action plans and yields better results.
Currently 65% of America is either overweight or obese and often is a result of overeating and/or lack of physical activity. Humans are social beings and food plays a large role in celebrations and holidays. This is normal and enjoyable. However it becomes important to know if you are eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger. Emotional eating becomes problematic when people eat for reasons such as stress, boredom, sadness or loneliness. Triggers for emotional eating are not always negative. Some people eat when they feel happy or excited.
People who eat for emotional reasons often experience feelings of guilt or failure after overeating. Emotional eating can interfere with weight management, setting off a destructive cycle of overeating and dieting. To take control of emotional eating, you’ll need to identify emotional eating patterns and devise strategies to overcome trigger situations.
According to Compsych, a national Employee Assistance Program provider, if you can identify your patterns then you can actually implement a strategy to overcome overeating.
Identifying Patterns The best way to identify eating for emotional reasons is to keep a food journal. Use the "5 W's" method: Who you were with? What did you eat? When did you eat? Where did you eat? Why did you eat?
Note how you were feeling and how much was eaten as well. Identifying emotional eating triggers will help you develop strategies to overcome destructive behaviors.
Tips for Overcoming Emotional Eating
> Identify and recognize times of negative and self-defeating statements such as, "I can't do this" or "I failed." Replace those statements with positive comments such as, "This is hard but it will be worth it" and "I will learn and make a better choice next time."
> Before reaching for food, rate your hunger from 1 to 10, 10 being ravenous. For ratings of 5 or less, eat an apple. If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, emotions are probably driving the urge to eat. Food will not satisfy a person eating for emotional reasons. Look for other positive and productive ways to address the issues.
> Find alternatives to eating to help you deal with stress. Go for a walk, read a book, listen to music or do deep breathing exercises.
> Try the three-bite rule. The most pleasure comes from the first three bites of food. After that, senses become dulled. Take three bites of your favorite indulgent foods and focus on fully enjoying them.
> Chewing a strong mint gum, breath mint or brushing teeth right after a meal may deter the urge to go for seconds or dessert.
Remember wellness is a journey, not a destination. Aim for progress, not perfection. Expect ups and downs; they are part of the learning process. Remain focused and celebrate your successes. Every small victory is a step closer to obtaining your goal.
People engage more with systems and solutions that treat them like people, rather than a bundle of risk factors. So, health risk assessments and worksite wellness programs cannot simply target physical health factors like BMI, LDL cholesterol, heart health, and nutrition. They must also question job satisfaction, openness to change, resilience and ability to manage stress to name a few. Acknowledging that underlying psychosocial factors are just as important as biometric risk factors, promotes total well-being. Taking a whole-person, whole-population approach to measuring workforce performance improves employee morale, enables companies to build more effective action plans and yields better results.
Currently 65% of America is either overweight or obese and often is a result of overeating and/or lack of physical activity. Humans are social beings and food plays a large role in celebrations and holidays. This is normal and enjoyable. However it becomes important to know if you are eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger. Emotional eating becomes problematic when people eat for reasons such as stress, boredom, sadness or loneliness. Triggers for emotional eating are not always negative. Some people eat when they feel happy or excited.
People who eat for emotional reasons often experience feelings of guilt or failure after overeating. Emotional eating can interfere with weight management, setting off a destructive cycle of overeating and dieting. To take control of emotional eating, you’ll need to identify emotional eating patterns and devise strategies to overcome trigger situations.
According to Compsych, a national Employee Assistance Program provider, if you can identify your patterns then you can actually implement a strategy to overcome overeating.
Identifying Patterns The best way to identify eating for emotional reasons is to keep a food journal. Use the "5 W's" method: Who you were with? What did you eat? When did you eat? Where did you eat? Why did you eat?
Note how you were feeling and how much was eaten as well. Identifying emotional eating triggers will help you develop strategies to overcome destructive behaviors.
Tips for Overcoming Emotional Eating
> Identify and recognize times of negative and self-defeating statements such as, "I can't do this" or "I failed." Replace those statements with positive comments such as, "This is hard but it will be worth it" and "I will learn and make a better choice next time."
> Before reaching for food, rate your hunger from 1 to 10, 10 being ravenous. For ratings of 5 or less, eat an apple. If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, emotions are probably driving the urge to eat. Food will not satisfy a person eating for emotional reasons. Look for other positive and productive ways to address the issues.
> Find alternatives to eating to help you deal with stress. Go for a walk, read a book, listen to music or do deep breathing exercises.
> Try the three-bite rule. The most pleasure comes from the first three bites of food. After that, senses become dulled. Take three bites of your favorite indulgent foods and focus on fully enjoying them.
> Chewing a strong mint gum, breath mint or brushing teeth right after a meal may deter the urge to go for seconds or dessert.
Remember wellness is a journey, not a destination. Aim for progress, not perfection. Expect ups and downs; they are part of the learning process. Remain focused and celebrate your successes. Every small victory is a step closer to obtaining your goal.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Contented New Year!?!
Contented New Year! Sounds odd, doesn’t it? You want to wish happiness to everyone close to you. If you are a bit more generous with words, you may even add, “Wishing you health, love, and prosperity in 2010.” Why these words? Because we know that happiness comes from health, inner peace, stability, and a fulfilled life.
Over the last 12 years, working in the wellness industry, I have come to realize that simple truths equally apply to both personal and business situations. One of these truths is that people want nothing more than to be happy. Since people spend nearly a third of their life at work, wouldn’t it be natural to assume that a lot can and should happen at the workplace that could contribute to a person’s happiness?
Workplace wellness programs started out as a tool to achieve lower health care costs through controlling health risk factors among an organization’s population. With experience, managers and wellness experts learned—-much like doctors did over long centuries—-that a quick fix to a symptom will not cure the disease.
Human beings and human organizations are complex and constantly changing. They are affected by internal and external events, so simply addressing physical risk factors without addressing psychosocial risk factors will only provide temporary relief, if that. Think about health risks as symptoms and well-being factors are the CAUSES. Why do you smoke? With whom? Triggered by what? It is as critically important to rigorously measure health risks, biometrics AND underlying casual biopsychosocial factors. This gives the whole picture of total wellbeing.
So what is a holistic wellness program? The key to shifting the wellness paradigm is understanding that there are at lease four distinct components to a person’s well-being: physical health, financial health, personal health and professional health.
In my experience, balance comes from addressing and working on the key elements of well-being all the time by making wellness a priority. A holistic approach embedded in the corporate culture can and does work for long-term return on investment. Naturally, the workplace won’t replace individual accountability for many aspects of life; it can actually encourage it with the right communication style, effective reward system, and a powerful social force that comes from having wellness champions on your teams.
A new year always brings with it a certain openness that allows people to explore new ideas, and I would encourage HR professionals, executive management, and leaders to devote a meeting in January to discussing happiness and how the workplace does or could contribute to it. You might find your team to become the most animated and engaged you’ve ever seen them in your conference room.
Over the last 12 years, working in the wellness industry, I have come to realize that simple truths equally apply to both personal and business situations. One of these truths is that people want nothing more than to be happy. Since people spend nearly a third of their life at work, wouldn’t it be natural to assume that a lot can and should happen at the workplace that could contribute to a person’s happiness?
Workplace wellness programs started out as a tool to achieve lower health care costs through controlling health risk factors among an organization’s population. With experience, managers and wellness experts learned—-much like doctors did over long centuries—-that a quick fix to a symptom will not cure the disease.
Human beings and human organizations are complex and constantly changing. They are affected by internal and external events, so simply addressing physical risk factors without addressing psychosocial risk factors will only provide temporary relief, if that. Think about health risks as symptoms and well-being factors are the CAUSES. Why do you smoke? With whom? Triggered by what? It is as critically important to rigorously measure health risks, biometrics AND underlying casual biopsychosocial factors. This gives the whole picture of total wellbeing.
So what is a holistic wellness program? The key to shifting the wellness paradigm is understanding that there are at lease four distinct components to a person’s well-being: physical health, financial health, personal health and professional health.
In my experience, balance comes from addressing and working on the key elements of well-being all the time by making wellness a priority. A holistic approach embedded in the corporate culture can and does work for long-term return on investment. Naturally, the workplace won’t replace individual accountability for many aspects of life; it can actually encourage it with the right communication style, effective reward system, and a powerful social force that comes from having wellness champions on your teams.
A new year always brings with it a certain openness that allows people to explore new ideas, and I would encourage HR professionals, executive management, and leaders to devote a meeting in January to discussing happiness and how the workplace does or could contribute to it. You might find your team to become the most animated and engaged you’ve ever seen them in your conference room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
