Wellbeing in the workplace: Why is it important?

By Katie Harding, Narrative Communications

Narrative CommunicationsWe’ve seen an increased recognition of the importance of wellbeing in the workplace over the past few years, but do you really understand what it is and why it’s important?

Wellbeing covers many aspects of the way people feel about their lives, including their home and social lives, how they feel about their own character and relationships, and their feelings towards work.

Whilst it’s not possible for employers to control every aspect of a person’s wellbeing, it has been proven that by increasing the focus of wellbeing at work can actually improve workplace performance – providing employees with a positive link between their personal life and their work life.

So, what can employers do?

• Give employees the opportunity to be creative
Of course, we don’t mean that your employees should no longer follow any processes and procedures you have in place, however involving your employees in decision making or brainstorming sessions can be beneficial.

• Give praise where praise is due
This doesn’t have to be with a card or gift – a simple “well done” can make all the difference to someone’s day.

• Encourage personal development
Offering training, both on and off the job, can help employees to feel valued and also provide them with opportunity to increase the variety of work they undertake, helping to keep the brain stimulated in the workplace.

• Social events and activities
As a general rule, people benefit from interpersonal contact with other people. So bringing your team together for a social event or activity can really help build relationships in the workplace.
For more ideas and inspiration, we’d recommend website such as ACAS.

Wellbeing

At Narrative, we are proud to offer:

• Involvement in decision making
For example, we asked our team to give us their ideas on what our company values should be and they came up with: Creative, Collaborative, Curious, Courageous, Integrous and Excellent.

• Hive
This HR tool allows us not only to collate anonymous employee feedback, but also allows everyone in the company to send ‘high fives’ to anyone they feel deserves recognition. We’ve even tied these in to our company values!

• ‘Narrate It’ sessions
Our own take on CPD for everyone in the business to develop their skills and knowledge across the full marketing spectrum.

• Regular social events
Whether it’s beer/pizza Fridays, a trip to the pub, or a karaoke night, we often get together for a bit of fun outside of work!

Want to know more about Narrative? Visit www.narrativecommunications.co.uk or give us a call on 0191 516 6235.

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