Empowering Yourself: Taking Charge of Your Workplace Well-being
This week I spent some time gathering insight into experiences of workplace well-being after being asked to write an article for Wellness Professionals at Work.
My own experience of workplace well-being has been varied. I have had managers who champion their employees well-being and embrace any ideas and efforts to further improve this, but with no budget from higher up. I have worked for companies who shout loud about their policies but don’t mirror this in culture and again, don’t provide a budget for well-being initiatives. I have worked in companies/industries where workplace well-being simply doesn’t exist. The unfortunate truth is that in every place I’ve worked there is little to no budget for well-being, and most people working on any well-being related initiatives are doing this on a volunteer basis alongside their full time role.
I want and need this to change.
I am on a mission to get into businesses to make a real and sustainable impact on genuine well-being in the workplace. And therefore I want to keep this conversation going… so please keep me updated with what’s happening for you at work.
In the meantime, I’d love to talk about how you can champion your own well-being at work regardless of your employers commitment to the cause. We'll explore some of our barriers and how we can begin to break them down to reduce stress, create more balance, and find more time and energy for the things that are important to us.
There are many things that stand in the way of us taking care of ourselves, particularly in the workplace. For now I'd like to focus on:
Perfectionism
People pleasing
Lack of fun
1. Perfectionism:
As perfectionists we have high standards and expectations: high attention to detail. We tend to be ambitious and driven and we have an exaggerated fear of failure.
Sounds like a perfect employee! So how does this contribute to poor well-being?
We spend a lot of time and energy overthinking, which usually spirals into a self-critical inner dialogue.
We work longer hours and skip breaks as there are not enough hours in the day to reach perfection, leading to a poor work/life balance.
We struggle to relax as we’re always worrying we could do more, do better.
Procrastination! We’re prime candidates for procrastination. Click here to access my blog on all things procrastination.
Perfectionism is often a sought-after trait in the working world as we do have high standards, we’re very driven and will not stop until we deliver work as humanly close to perfection as possible. However, living in the mind of a perfectionist is tricky and can cause stress, anxiety and low self-esteem.
People pleasing:
Those of us with people pleasing tendencies find it hard/impossible to say no; regularly take on extra work, even if we do not have the time; avoid advocating for their own needs, we say we’re fine when we’re not.
How this contributes to poor workplace well-being:
We are anxious and constantly stressed about what others think: “they’ll think I’m lazy if I say no” “they’ll think I’m not working hard enough if I don’t stay late” “They’ll think I’m useless at my job if I don’t get that done”. “They’ll see me as difficult if I say I can’t work overtime”.
We have a poor work/life balance as we commit to more work than we have capacity for.
We have a lack of boundaries around our time, energy and capacity leaving us with no time to rest and recharge. (Click here for my musings on the importance of rest)
No fun!
It can be very easy to put so much focus on work that we forget to have fun! Or as adults we simply overlook the importance of fun!
How having fun can contribute to workplace well-being:
Having something to do for no other reason than the joy of doing it is so vital to our mental health. It gives us a lovely little dopamine hit, helps us to switch off, de-stress, connect to others, clear our minds, and fill up our cup again.
How do we break these barriers down?
Awareness: Once you know your barriers you can make a choice of what to do.
Fact or Fiction: Are the thoughts in your head based on fact, or are they a story you are telling yourself? Will your colleagues think less of you if you finish work on time or if you say you can’t do that today? Will they think you’re slacking if you take a lunch break and go to that yoga class? Is that piece of work not good enough or is this just what you are telling yourself?
Boundaries: Set realistic boundaries around your time, your energy and workload… and stick to them.
Learn to Say No: Don't overcommit yourself. Learn to say no to additional tasks or projects when your plate is already full to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Rest: Understanding how valuable rest is and making it a priority in your day/week is vital to your wellbeing in and out of work.
Have fun: Find something that you enjoy and keep it high on the priority list.
Shift your perspective: If your friend were in this situation, what would you say to them? What advice would you give them?
This all takes a lot of practice. These are habit of a lifetime things that need to be undone. But it absolutely can be done. Have patience with yourself and keep trying.
What change will you make to own your own Workplace Well-being?
What impact will this have?
As always, I am here to support you through any changes you wish to make. Click here to have a chat about how we can work together.