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Wellbeingin the workplace
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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
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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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
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 [email protected] www.healthmanltd.com
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