Workplace Wellness Programs

Why Workplace Wellness Programs?

Workplace wellness programs empower employees and managers, and help improve job and emotional outcomes in individuals. Evidence affirms that stress, anxiety and depression are the leading culprits lowering performance at work; that these are both preventable and treatable in the workplace, and that workers who receive treatment are more likely to be highly productive. Workplaces are a potentially ideal site for disseminating health and wellness information. Because people are positioned on a common playground, accessing a program is less stigmatizing as everyone’s in it together, and high-quality service can be offered on a platter to them. This way, accessibility, time constraints and procrastination get eliminated.

The recent application of digital means has shown even more promising outcomes as acceptance and outreach get magnified manifold. Engagement and adherence have historically been two major challenges in workplace wellness initiatives. Digital interventions like online wellness assessments, health related messages, mailers and webinars are all showing promising utility and efficacy in this regard.

wellness at work is an achievable goal

Delivery of Socio-Emotional Wellness at Work

Emotional wellness is not a novel concept; corporate organizations recognize it. Some offices have on site counselors or tie ups with visiting professionals maybe once a week, but that isn’t sufficient and doesn’t always do justice to employees’ needs. We assume that if we don’t see a problem, it mustn’t be there. Emotional empowerment is an ongoing and permanent didactic process wherein emotional advancement compliments occupational development.

A number of research articles in journals worldwide repeatedly highlight the role of emotions in facilitating or impeding workplace engagement, performance and success. With that evidence in place, even if workplaces are oblivious to bigger problems like anxiety and depression; they still need to fulfill emotional basics in order to supplement their own employees’ performance goals.

Workplace Wellness Strategies

Work based programs can be designed to meet varied wellness goals. Health is not merely an absence of disease (physical and psychological). It is a state of universal wellness. With that in mind we envision 2 core models of workplace wellness delivery.

Therapeutic Approach

We know that all individuals face health, familial, social, occupational, personal and interpersonal pressure, conflict, and more. A proactive approach involves spreading awareness of problems like anxiety, depression, social anxiety, stage fright, stress, shyness and suicide; destigmatizing them, and offering motivating to seek help. This also challenges and breaks negative attitudes and stigma about psychological problems in general.

Preventive Approach

This aims at promoting positive emotional health, also called ’emotional intelligence’ or ’emotional literacy’. It assists employees in developing emotional and social skills to improve behavior, and support ongoing professional success. There isn’t a direct attack on anxiety, depression or illness that already exists; rather it’s a preventive focus to assure these problems do not arise. It looks at life holistically and teaches how to live whole heartedly.

How Wellness is Imparted

An emotional learning program builds on emotional quotient (EQ) and enhances emotional intelligence (EI). EI is a capacity to recognize and manage emotions, solve problems efficiently, and establish meaningful relationships with others. Work forms a third to a half of people’s existence. So, closely interacting with teams is important. There are different competencies that reflect intrapersonal and interpersonal skills at work. Some of these are explained below, in keeping with Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness

This focuses on the individual’s ability to recognize and comprehend his or her own emotions, personal goals and values. It assists in identifying reactions and moods, comprehending the effects of rejection and becoming aware of choices and decisions one makes while at work.

Self-management

This is the knack at regulating emotions and behavior. After recognizing emotions, one needs to be aware of how to modulate them in different situations. This prevents frustration, protects from depression and anxiety, and makes people welcome any feedback more gracefully.

Social awareness

Social awareness enables employees to read and decipher emotions, understand perspectives, acknowledge differences in opinion, and accept diversity gracefully. It also encourages them to look out of the box, think laterally and enhance their imaginative and creative potential.

Interpersonal Skills

This foundation stone of success is toughened in place by enhancing employee ability to establish positive relationships with colleagues, workmates and managers. Employees with good interpersonal skills are confident and make more rational and responsible decisions.
Socio-emotional skills are never formally taught. The best of employees could fail to perform on account of social skill deficits. Hence learning through interactive exposure, and interesting weekly ongoing tips and suggestions can be targeted. Programs can be designed to involve emotional variables measurements, workshops (seminars and webinars), weekly wellness messages and other customized methods. Manager training forms a large component too, as managers with high EI generate a more positive team climate. This eases the program implementation already, and gives more opportunities to practice social and emotional skills.

Cooperative Work Concept

In cooperative work, employees are responsible not just for themselves but for their colleagues and teams as well So, the focus of wellness becomes – internalizing EQ concepts as well as helping one another. Cooperative work explicitly funds interpersonal intelligence, because the skills needed for social interaction get practiced every day. It becomes a win-win situation and changes the socio emotional climate at work. There is better frustration tolerance, lesser conflict, and healthier mood management. Wellness becomes an everyday affair.

Workplace Wellness Delivery By Dr Shefali

Wellness measurements offered by MindFrames throw light on targetable areas of intervention. This also estimates the psychological climate in the organization at a point in time. Employees and Managers both can fill in online questionnaires, surveys and other assessment tools following which delivery of wellness can be planned through mailers, posters, instant messages, webinars, and more. Programs are best when customized to age, work categories, organizational preference, and the overall emotional need identified.

Employee Assessment

Therapeutic Workshops

Preventive Workshops

Dr Shefali Batra has created diverse tools for emotional wellness evaluation, relaxation as well as mindfulness, all of which can be customized to preference in corporate wellness initiatives. All programs are customized, with flexibility in frequency, duration of workshops, analysis, assessment, educational material, and more. Please connect with us. We’re eager to make a difference.

References

  • Gray, P., Senabe, S., Naicker, N., Kgalamono, S., Yassi, A., & Spiegel, J. M. (2019). Workplace-Based Organizational Interventions Promoting Mental Health and Happiness among Healthcare Workers: A Realist Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(22), 4396.
  • Carolan, S., Harris, P. R., & Cavanagh, K. (2017). Improving Employee Well-Being and Effectiveness: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Web-Based Psychological Interventions Delivered in the Workplace. Journal of medical Internet research, 19(7), e271.
  • LaMontagne, A. D., Martin, et al., (2014). Workplace mental health: developing an integrated intervention approach. BMC psychiatry, 14, 131.

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