Workplace Wellness
Increased wellness in the workplace has positive effects on other life aspects. Julian Mason-Espin talks to us about the adjustments we can make to achieve just that.
No matter where you work, you spend a lot of time there. Increasing wellness in your workplace will have positive effects in other aspects of your life and it will make your work time more enjoyable and productive. I found that adjusting the following five areas has been helpful to me: physical environment, clothing, people, and food and water.
1. Physical environment
We don’t have too much control over the environment we work in yet it is helpful to take ownership of the few pieces you can control.
If you are at a desk, consider uplifting photos, sunlight, plants, and motivational imagery that might add an element of kindness to the professional space. These types of items can also generate discussion when co-workers notice them. Regarding sunlight, I recently moved my desk closer to a window and I have noticed the difference first hand. In the winter months, consider using a light that is specifically designed to address seasonal affective disorder. This seasonal condition can be especially problematic for people who work indoors in offices.
If you are not at a desk and you are moving around, consider the way you engage with the environment. Is your body well-protected from sun, temperature, humidity, and other potential risks? Are there items you can make use of, like sunglasses, ear plugs, orthotics, or braces that can make your work more comfortable and safer?
I have even used industrial strength earplugs in office environments to give myself deeper silence to work in whereas others prefer music or white noise while they work.
2. The clothes you wear
Professional clothing that is uncomfortable can be like a small stone in your shoe, it will slowly aggravate you. Worse still, uncomfortable clothing will make you less professional and less productive since you won’t be able to focus as well as you could if you were comfortably dressed.
While you can’t wear sweat pants to most workplaces, you can shop for clothing that is comfortable and appropriate. In my experience, light clothes that breathe and don’t fit too tightly are ideal. Of course, you want the clothes to look good too! Giving, and receiving, kind compliments among co-workers is an under-used method for increasing wellness in the work environment. So, let your coworkers know when you like their style.
3. People
Because humans are so complex, social interaction at work can be healthy, unhealthy, and everything in between.
If the social interactions you are facing at work make you feel bad, consider changing something. The solutions here range from small adjustments to extreme career changes: perhaps you change your work schedule, your team, your department, your company, or your profession. Working in a toxic environment is very unhealthy and sometimes you may not even realize how toxic an environment is since you are accustomed to it. If you are concerned about a toxic work environment, speak with someone outside your company, who you trust, to gain that external perspective. Although it may feel risky, taking action to move away from a toxic environment is empowering and healthful.
If you have healthy social relationships at work, certainly be grateful because that isn’t a given. And, in that case, make excuses to connect with your co-workers and to develop good functional relationships.
Since the physical environment is important to wellness, it can be fun and social to team up with co-workers to decorate an office environment for the season. This doesn’t need to be lavish: a pumpkin in the fall, for instance, adds color and playfulness to a workspace.
Give high-fives or fist-bumps often. And, recognize birthdays and other milestones among your co-workers.
If you work from home, it can be challenging to be as social as you could be in an office or in the field. Building up a social network that works for you is an on-going project that increases wellness and can be especially helpful for those who work from home. I am a member of a Toastmasters club and I find that provides me with a group of professional colleagues. If you don’t have a strong social network at work, or if you work from home, consider organizations like that as opportunities to develop your network and your wellness.
4. Food and water
Packing healthy meals for work is one of the healthiest practices I follow. While it does take some extra time and attention, it pays dividends in terms of financial savings and also in terms of control over my diet.
I pack multiple healthy snacks of foods that I know sit well with me. Sometimes I’ll pack more than I need because I’d rather have food and not need it than need food and not have it. With this approach, I generally avoid instances of scrounging around hungry at 4pm and settling for low-quality calories like fast food.
I also drink a lot of water — staying hydrated is important in any work environment. If you are seated, it gives you a great excuse to get up regularly and move around to get the water. If you are mobile when you work, find water bottles (and bathrooms) that work for you. Just like a plant wilts without enough water, human wellness requires hydration to peak.
Improving mental health and wellness
Increasing workplace wellness will have ripple effects throughout other aspects of your life, including your experience of mental health. The workplace is unique in that we spend so much time there, separated from family and friends and seeking to optimize performance. There are heightened unique stresses in the workplace, such as reporting to a boss, and increasing workplace wellness makes those stresses more manageable. While you cannot control all aspects of your work experience, optimizing those aspects that are within your control can yield increased efficacy on the job, heightened creativity, an improved experience at work, and enhanced mental health.
