New year, who dis?! The new year naturally brings momentum for healthy changes. Starting something new like a wellness program at work implies change, a step forward toward an eventual goal. Whenever we make an important decision, often the environment will support us.
Why Well-Being at Work?
The decision to implement a well-being program at work varies on the company. Here’s what is trending from our clients:
- We are part of a network transforming a global economy that benefits its people.
- Our CEO wants to create a culture around stability and structure.
- Finance wants to save money on healthcare costs and invest in talent retention.
- Another colleague referred us (thank you!)
What Works in Well-Being, and What Doesn’t
Integrating a well-being program requires patience and perseverance.
Learning and integrating the various aspects of wellness at work happens over a long period of time. Beware: your initial eagerness and energy may not last. This is where vendor partners can be helpful to keep the company accountable for its initial goals. Allow wellness information to seep into the company gradually and intentionally. There is no rush. Many of us want instant gratification, to implement something, and then quickly move on to something else. Yet, real, lasting inner change takes time.
Well-being does not work if you are voluntold to do so.
Our eagerness to learn and the frequency of our practice will affect the velocity of change. A manager can be extremely excited to implement a wellness program, and not have the discipline to follow through with the tasks. If we enroll in a well-being program because we are told to do so, we may fall into boredom, or become lackadaisical.
Show up in body and mind.
Showing up often but in an inattentive way will hamper progress. Ideally, we genuinely want to make a healthy workplace change, are able to carve out time in our schedule, and will maintain patience long enough to allow the knowledge to sink in.
Well-being for a Beginners Mind
A mind that is fresh and open will absorb information like a sponge. Repetition reinforces the knowledge learned by creating a pattern in the mind. A previous student set a perfect example of learning through repetition. They had never experienced a breathing practice before, so they had no expectation of its benefits. They practiced consistently in every session offered- 20 min a day, five days a week. After a few months when they were traveling for work, they experienced turbulence on the plane which always gives them anxiety. In a moment of panic, they remembered their breathwork and were able to calm themselves down.
Growing up, we accumulate obstacles to learning in the form of physical limitations, emotional walls, or intellectual rigidity. Cultivating a beginner’s mind during implementation will allow us to truly grasp the profound depths of well-being at work.
Distractions in Well-Being
The Internet avails us with almost unlimited amounts of information. With so many different vendors to choose from, how can we focus on those that actually improve our workplaces? Gather as much information as possible, read the Founder’s stories, and ask colleagues for requests. Regroup and remember your intention when deciding to follow one particular direction. This will open up opportunities that otherwise would not have been available.
Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew by taking on too many projects. This can create more stress for us and siphons our attention from our friends and family. It’s important to sit quietly and contemplate whether we have the time and resources to commit to well-being at work. For example, a decision to take on wellness requires that you let go of specific activities in order to give the program the attention it needs for success. All of a sudden, your priorities have shifted, and a new kind of workstyle has begun.
In Conclusion
A well-being program holds a solid, grounded energy that provides stability and structure to employees. Deciding to learn and implement a well-being program requires diligence and effort, which will undoubtedly yield fruit over time. Workplace well-being is a company style designed to develop and improve our workplace culture.
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