Employee Culture, Flexible Working
5 April 2019
At the start of Stress Awareness Month, Rebecca Kelly, friend of Cognition24 and owner of Haelan Therapy, discusses work-life balance and the importance of taking time out for yourself.
I had the opportunity to travel up to Manchester a few months back to spend some time on the couch with Heather Cassidy from Media Sound Wave, a Manchester-based production company who provide a positive news source bringing you shows to improve your business and your health and wellbeing. I was also joined by Chris Pimlott creator of a work-life balance app called My Shift Planner and Helen Burgess from On Point Coaching to discuss the impact of the work-life balance on companies and individuals.
The work-life balance is a term we hear everywhere now but is it firmly stamped on the map for corporate companies? Do wellbeing strategies exist as the norm or are they still an exception? Are individuals aware of their wellbeing and how it may be affecting their lives if they don’t have it in check?
Over 11.7 million days are lost in the UK per year due to staff taking time off for stress-related illnesses. And this is just the people that stay at home and call in sick! Who knows how many people still drag themselves into work feeling under par…are they working to their full potential? Is their business getting the best out of them? Possibly not. I think it is fair to say that this statistic could be considerably higher. But even as it stands at 11.7 million, this is quite frightening.
As Helen suggests during our chat on the show, when companies look at the culture of their business and bring into focus their core values and align them with the way they operate and run their business, they can begin to support their staff and create a healthier and more productive workforce at the same time. For example, if you are a company which says family values are really important to us and we want to support our workforce but are then sending emails at 10 pm at night…will you be getting the best out of your staff? Do companies know what their staff want and if not, do they ask? Is the wellbeing of their staff at the top of their agenda?
People who are working whilst living with chronic stress or anxiety run the risk of serious health problems. As I discuss with Heather, Chris and Helen, simple treatments such as massage, reflexology or meditation on a regular basis, even once a month, can enable people to take time out to connect back with themselves; to get out of their heads and create a space to relax and switch off. At Haelan we encourage individuals to take time out for themselves and for companies to adopt wellbeing strategies which support their staff.
Please take a few minutes to watch the show and our rich discussion which provides a great overview and some good food for thought…take a look and let me know your thoughts.
[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/gjtKE9mF7wc’]
