Wellbeingin the workplace

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Wellbeing in the workplace

Wellbeing is a frequently used buzzword but its precise

meaning is not actually very easy to define. To a certain

extent the term ‘wellbeing’ is subjective as one person’s

definition of ‘wellbeing’ may not match another’s; we

measure our own wellbeing based on a set of criteria that

match our own perceptions, beliefs, culture, experiences,

etc. Despite this, there are certain agreed themes that

run through any definition of wellbeing although this

definition is constantly evolving as the world, and the

people in it, change.

WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO WELLBEING?It is generally accepted that wellbeing is a holistic state of

being based on a series of measures, which could include:

- satisfaction with life;

- positive relationships with others;

- autonomy;

- realisation of potential;

- happiness;

- absence of illness;

- psychological wellbeing.

Other than ‘absence of illness’, the majority of the

elements considered to be integral to wellbeing are

connected with mental wellbeing (e.g. social relationships,

dissatisfaction, a lack of a sense of achievement, etc.).

However, physical and mental health are closely related.

Poor physical health can increase the risk of a person

developing mental health issues. Similarly, poor mental

health can negatively impact on physical health.

“In essence, stable wellbeing is when individuals have the psychological, social

and physical resources they need to meet a particular psychological, social and/or

physical challenge. When individuals have more challenges than resources, the see-

saw dips, along with their wellbeing, and vice-versa”(International Journal of Wellbeing).

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Copyright © Health Management Ltd. | PublicAll rights reserved. Health Management Ltd is a subsidiary of MAXIMUS and is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 4369949

Wellbeing in the workplace

Increasingly there is acknowledgement that it is crucial

for the same importance to be attached to the pursuit

of mental health as physical health (‘parity of esteem’),

not least because mental health issues (including

stress, depression, anxiety and serious mental health

conditions) resulted in 15.8 million working days lost in

the UK in 2016 - 11.5% of all absences (ONS, 2016).

POOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING – RISK FACTORSThe European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic

Innovation (EUPATI) has characterised risk factors to

health and wellbeing into five distinct groups:

• Behavioural (e.g. smoking, alcohol, poor diet,

physical inactivity, etc.).

• Physiological factors relating to a person’s body or

biology (e.g. high blood pressure, high cholesterol,

being overweight).

• Demographic (e.g. age, gender, income,

occupation).

• Environmental (e.g. risks in the workplace, social

settings).

• Genetic (e.g. genetic predisposition to developing

certain disease).

In terms of the positive impact that wellbeing

initiatives can have on workers, behavioural and

certain physiological risk factors are the easier to

control. Workers have control over the behavioural risk

factors they engage with and, to a large extent, these

behavioural risk factors can affect the number and

severity of a person’s physiological risk factors.

HEALTH CONDITIONS LINKED TO KEY BEHAVIOURAL RISK FACTORSSmoking: Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable

deaths in England, accounting for more than 80,000

deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a

smoking-related disease and according to figures from

NHS Smokefree:

• smoking doubles a person’s risk of a heart attack;

• smoking increases stroke risk by at least 50%;

• smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer;

• smoking causes 83% of deaths from chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Obesity: According to the British Medical Association,

an average of 24.25% men and women in the UK are

obese. Obesity is linked to a whole range of health

problems, notably:

• Diabetes: Obesity is believed to account for 80-

85% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

• Cardiovascular disease: The link between obesity

and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well known

and obesity is a risk factor for CVD. An overweight

person may develop hypertension (high blood

pressure), type-2 diabetes and musculoskeletal

disorders (MSDs), putting them at high risk of CVD.

• Osteoarthritis: Studies have shown that a person

who is obese is 14 times more likely to develop

knee osteoarthritis than someone of normal weight

(Arthritis Research Campaign, 2009).

• Some cancers: According to Cancer Research

UK, one in 20 cancers are linked to weight

and many types of cancer are more common

in people who are overweight or obese,

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Copyright © Health Management Ltd. | PublicAll rights reserved. Health Management Ltd is a subsidiary of MAXIMUS and is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 4369949

Wellbeing in the workplace

including two of the most common types of cancer (breast

and bowel) and three of the hardest to treat (pancreatic,

oesophageal and gallbladder).

Lack of physical activity: Lack of physical activity has

been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global

mortality (6% of deaths globally) according to the World

Health Organization.

High blood pressure (hypertension): Around half of

people with untreated hypertension die of heart disease

related to poor blood flow (ischaemic heart disease) and

another third die of stroke (Mayo Clinic, 2016).

Cholesterol: Having high cholesterol increases a person’s

chances of stroke, heart attack and coronary heart

disease (as well as other health conditions) so people

with high cholesterol should take steps to reduce it by

making lifestyle changes (e.g. stopping smoking, eating a

healthy, balanced diet and taking regular exercise). They

may also require medication to achieve optimal control.

Physical wellbeing

(taking care of your body)

Mental wellbeing

(how a person is feeling and

the extent to which they can

cope with everyday life)

Social wellbeing

(a feeling of belonging and

social inclusion)

Community wellbeing

(connectedness to the

community and the feeling of

equity between members of

the community)

WELLBEING

The four facets of wellbeing

Facets defined by Dr. Ann Wilcock, an author and founder of the Journal of Occupational Medicine

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Wellbeing in the workplace

These four facets can easily be related to work

environments and overlap in part with a person’s

occupational needs (defined by Dr. Jackie Taylor an

occupational therapist and university lecturer):

• Accomplishment. The extent to which people feel

they have reached their potential, risen to challenges or

notched up personal achievements.

• Affirmation. In how far people value themselves and

feel they are valued by others.

• Agency. The perception of having control in the

workplace and being empowered to make decisions.

• Coherence. Too much organisational change,

restructuring and transition can threaten continuity,

which can threaten workers’ sense of connection and

identity.

• Companionship. Good relationships with colleagues.

• Pleasure. Enjoying work and the working environment.

• Renewal. The extent to which workers feel a sense of

inner peace and feel energised even when workloads

are significant.

The extent to which people are physically and mentally

well, fulfilled by work and feel a sense of belonging, is

likely to affect their wellbeing and the extent to which

they are engaged and productive.

Wellbeing is a holistic state of

being based on a series of measures,

which could include satisfaction

with life, positive relationships with

others, happiness, absence of illness,

psychological wellbeing.

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Copyright © Health Management Ltd. | PublicAll rights reserved. Health Management Ltd is a subsidiary of MAXIMUS and is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 4369949

Wellbeing in the workplace

POTENTIAL OBSTACLES TO WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACEThe environment in many workplaces is changing rapidly

and macro changes to the way we work brought about by

worldwide phenomena such as globalisation can threaten

wellbeing:

• Global competition.

• A faster pace of life than ever before.

• Technological advances (it is more important than

ever to be up-to-date with the latest developments

in order to remain competitive).

• Pressure to work productively. Figures from the

Office for National Statistics in 2015 showed that

output per hour in the UK was 15.9% below the

average for the other G7 countries, and output per

worker was 16.6% lower.

WELLBEING, ENGAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITYMost people would agree that healthy employees will

generally be more productive and there are two main

ways to achieve health and wellbeing amongst workers:

• Looking after worker health in the workplace

(minimising hazards and risks) in a bid to reduce

accidents and sickness absence, which is a major drain

on an organisation’s productivity and profitability.

• The promotion of a healthy lifestyle and good

health and wellbeing to reduce the risk of workers

becoming ill in the first place. This can come from

employers with attempts to promote healthy

lifestyles, and from workers making the effort to look

after their own health and wellbeing.

Workplace

Employee

promotion of good healthand wellbeing

better healthincreased motivationand engagement

improved productivity

succesfulbusiness

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Copyright © Health Management Ltd. | PublicAll rights reserved. Health Management Ltd is a subsidiary of MAXIMUS and is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 4369949

Wellbeing in the workplace

The benefits to employers of promoting health and

wellbeing in the workplace

In Dame Carol Black’s 2008 review of the working age

population (‘Working for a healthier tomorrow’), she

identifies a number of benefits over and above pure

financial motivations:

Fulfilling corporate social responsibility. Employers

have a duty of care towards their workers and are

obliged by law to protect them from risks and hazards in

the workplace. This responsibility should be extended

to include the promotion of health and wellbeing,

especially as most workers spend a significant proportion

of their waking hours in work.

Competition. With increased workforce mobility and

movement between jobs, employers need to work

harder to keep hold of valued staff. Workers who feel

valued and have a sense of wellbeing at work are less

likely to look for alternative employment.

Reducing absence costs. The costs of sickness absence

are significant so an investment in the promotion of

good health and wellbeing to prevent illness may well

help organisations keep their costs down in the longer

term.

WAYS TO IMPROVE WELLBEINGRecent research has identified some main ways for

people to improve their overall wellbeing:

Stay connected. Good relationships with family, friends,

neighbours and colleagues are important and tend to

make people feel happier.

Remain active. Research has shown that physical

activity increases our mental alertness and energy,

and improves our mood. It can also improve our self-

esteem and reduce stress and anxiety (Mental Health

Foundation).

Take notice and be ‘mindful’. When we are busy it is

easy to let life pass us by. It is all too easy to lose our

connection with what is going on around us, which can

be isolating. Taking this a step further, the discipline of

mindfulness encourages people to take notice of the

present moment in order to enjoy life more and learn to

understand themselves better.

Keep learning. Understanding new concepts or learning

new skills can have a very beneficial effect on a person’s

sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

Give to others. Acknowledging the needs of others

and helping them can be very rewarding. This could

include anything from a ‘random act of kindness’ (e.g.

helping an elderly person across the road) to longer-

term charitable or community projects. Giving to others

makes us feel better about ourselves and improves our

feeling of self-worth.

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Copyright © Health Management Ltd. | PublicAll rights reserved. Health Management Ltd is a subsidiary of MAXIMUS and is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 4369949

As one of the UK’s leading

occupational health providers, Health

Management, a MAXIMUS Company,

helps organisations promote and maintain

the physical, mental and social wellbeing

of their employees in all occupations.

We help your organisation manage and

advise on employees’ health at work and

the impact of work on their health.

Our broad, cross-industry experience enables us to

target the specific needs of your organisation,

taking a flexible approach to managing the health

and wellbeing of your people. In this way, we

strive to help you improve the wellbeing of your

organisation's staff and your organisation's

performance, productivity and profitability.

Your tailored programme may be delivered at

your offices through our nationwide network of

physicians so your employees are seen close to

where they live, which reduces unnecessary travel

and costs. Alternatively, we can offer other flexible

solutions including mobile health units and national

telephone-based support. Whatever your need, we

deliver the required occupational health services to

your employees in a professional and friendly way.

We have over 50 of our own clinics throughout the UK and Ireland, and access to an additional managed network of 250, so our expert medical advice is always close by.

Find out today how we can help your business be the best it can be.

0845 504 1000 info@healthmanltd.com www.healthmanltd.com

Registered Office: Ash House, The Broyle, Ringmer, East Sussex, BN8 5NN