Here at AnyPromo, our interns love to share their tips on different topics.
Here’s a post by one of our interns regarding wellness.
The following is by Kelly Liu. She’s an undeclared major at UC Berkeley.
Have you felt a bit burned out or sluggish recently? Do you wonder why you’re still feeling tired even after getting a good amount of sleep?
While summer can be a time of blissful relaxation and sunshine, it can also be a season of what many call the “summertime slump.”
The summertime slump causes slumps in your productivity and mood due to the often slow and lethargic nature of the season.
Research has even shown that summertime can cause significant plummets in mental health.
Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder causes insomnia and agitation and has been linked with the peaks in suicide rates during late spring and summer.
Doesn’t sound so sunny, does it?
Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to help save your summer from the summertime sadness before it ends and create a thriving, productive workplace.
Not only will investing in wellness prevent burnout for you this season, it can revolutionize your company’s culture and optimize the longevity and well-being of your company as a whole!
Why You Should Care
Burnout and mental health issues don’t simply cause a small slump– they create catastrophic waves that cause huge losses to companies yearly.
Increasingly, big businesses are realizing that wellness isn’t an issue you can simply put a band-aid on.
Even just considering the numbers:
- Companies lose $44 billion in productivity because of untreated depression in the workforce
- In terms of lost economic output, the cumulative global impact of mental disorders is estimated to be $16 trillion (USD) over the next 2o years.
- In the United States alone, around 200 million days are lost every day due to mental health issues, costing employers upwards of $100 billion.
To put that into perspective, these costs emerge from lowered earnings and devastating out-of-pocket expenditures on health services, leading to drastic cuts in other areas, even losing household assets and savings.
And when considering the health risks:
According to the World Health Organization,
“Mental disorder also increases the risk of disability and premature mortality from other diseases – including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions– due to the neglect of the person’s physical health (by themselves, families or care providers)
- Elevated rates of psychoactive substance use
- Diminished physical activity
- An unhealthy diet
- The side-effects of medication.
Along with suicide, these chronic diseases produce a level of premature mortality far in excess of that of the general population”
Significant Benefits of Wellness and Self Care
Wellness benefits everyone by promoting values of self-knowledge and responsibility. By actively seeking good health in all aspects as a goal, those who value wellness can attest to the fact that it is even a necessary leadership quality.
By identifying your core needs not solely in your work life, you are taking initiative to further your self-knowledge and development, which in turn immensely helps your team leverage your skills so you can be the best team player possible.
By successfully acting upon your needs, you are being proactive through responsible communication and planning, remaining honest to others about how you’re impacting the team in the short and long term.
Encouraging everyone to be realistic about their level of wellness at all times is essential knowledge to create informed and successful plans.
It has been proven that wellness programs and EAP’s work. Here are some numbers:
- The economic benefits of expanded diagnosis and treatment of depression have a return on investment (ROI) of $7 for every $1 invested.
- From Chapman, L.S. Proof Positive: An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Wellness:
- Reduces Sick Leave by 27.8%
- Reduces Health Costs by 28.7%
- Reduces Disability Costs by 33.5%
- Reduces Workers Comp Costs by 33.5%
- Saves $5.50 in cost for every dollar invested
Prioritizing sustainable productivity and investing in happy employees is always a win-win for everyone.
A Culture of Wellness: Simple Ways to Make BIG Change
Promote a healthy work/life balance:
Long hours have proven to be extremely unhealthy in the long run, leading to huge losses in productivity.
This often occurs not because employees are inspired to push forward better work but instead because they have a false expectation that “not being the first to leave” is the ultimate goal.
Make it clear and lead by example that the expectation is to produce quality work, not false appearances.
Have Informative Discussions:
Spread the word and break the stigma about maintaining false images of perfectionism. Share information so that everyone can learn to reach their best selves.
Clarify that contrary to the popular belief that self-care is “selfish,” it is really anything BUT selfish. Self-care comes in different forms, and it is centered around perpetuating helpful behaviors in the long run and not destructive ones.
Sometimes these actions might look productive, and other times not.
It is about collective development, growth, and being upfront about needs.
Practice A Culture of Encouragement:
“Employees are happier when they’re treated as real human beings instead of just cogs in a machine. For many people, feeling good about their work is all the motivation people need to work their hardest.” – Neil Patel
Motivation and encouragement can completely change someone’s day. By choosing encouragement as your default, you demonstrate an understanding that there are difficult aspects of everyone’s work and life, helping others feel seen.
Showing kindness also inherently helps spread the concept that as a team, you are here to support each other and work together. Collaboration is key in a team, and that can’t be achieved by tearing each other down with needless criticism.
Putting effort to be as helpful as possible in building each other up is true team building, ultimately earning the best results.
Integrate wellness into your environment:
While putting active work into spreading wellness is an important step, it is also crucial that your surroundings reflect that attitude.
A healthy work environment can significantly alter one’s productivity and energy levels. When you’re not around or too busy to think about wellness, a healthy work environment can do it for you.
For example, at Anypromo, exercise machines, a designated nap room, and motivational quotes help remind us about the importance of wellness in the workplace. It’s important to remind others that wellness doesn’t just happen after work or at home. These simple but clear reminders instantly communicate our work culture.
“You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Changing your environment will help people visualize what wellness can look like in their lives. This makes wellness become a more tangible and achievable goal.
By integrating wellness into the workplace environment, you can show that you practice the principles you preach and truly care about making wellness a constant in your company.
Last but not least, gift!
Offer others generosity and inspire them with tangible items that facilitate their path to their best selves!
It can be a gesture as simple as bringing them some coffee. Show dedication to the team by rewarding others in ways that will help them get a head start on achieving wellness.
Not only will they be thankful for the gift itself– they will be thankful that your company prioritizes their individual growth and wellness, and in turn, they will want to help put in their best work towards your company’s success.
Here’s a place for you to get started: Anypromo offers countless gifts to help your employees grow and succeed. Check my personal favorites here: stress relievers, coloring books, spa kits, candles, massagers, and much more!
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