Who – August 24, 2019

THREE

THINGSYOU

CAN DOTO

IMPROVE

WORKPLACE

WELLNESS

BRONWENSCIORTINO

SHARESHERTIPS

GETINVOLVED

Stepupandbepartoftheteam

thatchampionswellnessinthe

organisation– becommittedto

wellnessbeinga partoftheworkplace

andparticipateinwhatisoffered.

PROVIDEFEEDBACK

Beactiveinprovidingfeedbackto

theorganisationyouworkfor– if

wellnesstrainingisprovidedandit

missesthemark– letthemknowwhat

trainingyouthinkshouldbeoffered.

Givethemfeedbackonwhat

othersareaskingfor.

TAKERESPONSIBILITY

Don’tsitbackandwaitforyour

organisationtoprovideyouwitha

wellnessprogram.Takeresponsibility

andfindthethingsyouneedtotopup

whateveryourorganisationdoes

(ordoesn’tdo).

If youneedhelporarefeelingburnout

fromwork,getintouchwitha

counsellorviayourEmployeeAssist

Program.Youcanobtaintheirdetails

fromyourHumanResources

departmentoryourcompanyintranet.

Issuesdonotneedtobeworkrelated.

AlternativelycontactBeyondBlueon

130022 4636.

EMPLOYEES

REPORTTHATTHEY

HAVETAKENTIME

OFFWORKDUETO

FEELINGMENTALLY

UNWELL

S N

EMPLOYEES

21%

so you’ll be pleased to know the Global

Wellness Institute recently declared

‘workplace wellness’ is one of the three

core areas of wellness that will receive

the most attention (read: funding) in

the coming years. That can only mean

good news for employees because one

thing that shows up time and again is

the unspoken expectation to work long

hours, to be available on email after

6pm and not take a lunch break.

If that’s your experience, it’s time to

change the culture by changing your

ways. Taking a lunch break is something

you can do today. You might feel it will

impact the limited time you have to do

your job, but a 15-minute walk provides

fresh air, exercise and ‘me time’ – three

things that are renowned for creating a

sense of wellbeing. Getting involved

on a company level will have an even

wider impact.

WELLNESS IN

THE WORKPLACE

Bronwen Sciortino runs wellness

programs for companies and says,

“It’s really important that organisations

engage their workforce to establish

wellbeing programs and ensure they are

regarded as useful.” As she notes, times

have changed and the line between

work and home life have become

blurred. As the Viacom numbers

show, we’ve ‘normalised’ burnout,

because if your hand hurt 94 per cent

of the time you’d probably seek help

or take some action to change it.

Taking a walk at lunchtime might

sound too simple and it’s certainly not

the ultimate cure for workplace fatigue.

With global institutes like the World

Health Organisation naming burnout

as a common workplace burden,

it makes sense for each of us to take

matters into our own hands and

involve the powers that be. •

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