Here at McIvor Marketing, focusing on our staff and customers’ wellbeing is at the core of our business. With that, our owner, Heidi McIvor-Allen spent 7 months taking a positive psychology class about how to create wellbeing through an amazing organization called “The Wellbeing Lab“. As you scroll down this page, we will continue to add more and more resources around why wellbeing is important along with your very own “tool-kit” to implement within your workplace or home. If you have any questions, please reach out.
Wellbeing is our ability to feel good and function effectively at work. It is synonymous with high levels of mental and physical health (Huppert, 2008; Keyes, 2002; Ryff & Singer, 1998). In cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental studies, high levels of wellbeing have been shown to be associated with a range of positive organizational outcomes, including:
Employees with higher levels of wellbeing have been found to be learn more effectively, be more creative, have better relationships, be more pro-social in their behavior, feel more satisfied in their jobs and perform better (Chida and Steptoe, 2008; Diener et al., 2010; Dolan et al., 2008; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).
By helping employees to maximize their personal resources, supporting them to function to the best of their abilities individually and collectively, and producing a positive overall experience at work it appears, it is estimated employees are up to eight times more likely to be engaged when wellbeing is a priority in their workplace (New Economic Foundation, 2014; World Economic Forum, 2010).
Employees with higher levels of wellbeing are able to work longer and more effectively due to their improved goal attainment and levels of resilience. It is estimated the healthiest employees are almost three times more productive than their unhealthy colleagues (Medibank Private, 2005; World Economic Forum, 2010; PwC, 2014).
Healthy workers take up to 9 x less the annual sick leave absences of unhealthy workers (2 days annual sick leave compared to 18 days for an unhealthy worker). It is estimated that workplace health programs can reduce sick leave by up to 30% (Medibank Private, 2005; Dishman et al, 1998).
Employees who take an unfavorable view of their workplace’s commitment to health and wellbeing are four times more likely to leave in the next 12 months. In contrast, 64% of those who take a favorable view indicate they are likely to stay for the next five years (World Economic Forum, 2010).
Employees with higher levels of wellbeing are more likely to take early action and seek help rather than risk poor health. It is estimated workplace health programs can achieve an average of 32% reduction in workers’ compensation and disability claim costs. (Chapman, 2003)
Presenteeism and health claims alone, it is estimated that for every $1 spent on improving wellbeing, companies are likely to see a return on investment for action of $2.30 in benefits for the organization (PwC, 2014).
Think about all the conversations you have throughout the day and how many of those are just “filler” conversations. No depth and no direction. There are so many amazing resources out there to help take ALL your conversations and interactions with your colleagues, staff, family, and friends – and really make them matter. Below is a short list of starter ideas for simple ways to make your conversations more powerful.
Starting every meeting with something positive that is going on within your organization can change the whole mood of a meeting and provide that positivity that you and your staff need to fuel the rest of the week!
Idea: Before you get into the updates & action items for the week, go around the room and lead the conversation for everyone to share one thing they are proud of from the past week.
A generative question “generates more questions” and sparks conversation. It invites curiosity and encourages us all to wonder. Generative questions typically stem from “what if” and “how would”. When we talk about wellbeing, we like to take this one step further. Think about the everyday questions that you ask when passing a colleague in the hall or messaging them on your in-office slack… “how are you” is a perfect example of this. 90% of the time, you will probably get a ONE WORD ANSWER of either “good” or “fine”. That didn’t really generate a conversation or spark curiosity, did it?
What are the questions you typically ask to spark a conversation with others? The everyday questions you take for granted.
What words can you tweak to help someone explore this OLD question in a new way with a positive and generative spin?
OLD QUESTION: How was your week?
NEW QUESTION: What lit you up this week?
OLD QUESTION: What’s on for the weekend?
NEW QUESTION: What are you most looking forward to this weekend?
After an assignment big or small, implementing the learning loop can help strengthen your team, improve psychological safety and make you & your team all more successful.
After taking some time to reflect on the act and assess how you did, then you get to focus on what will you adjust or try next. This is a very powerful step in the learning loop and if you start implementing this personally or professionally, we are very confident that you will reap the benefits.
Recap what you did. Sounds simple but summarizing the assignment, the new habit you are working on or a big client pitch is important for this 3 step proccess.
What went well? Where did you struggle? What did you learn? Those three questions are super powerful. By reflecting on anything in your life personally or professionally - you have the ability to make adjustments for next time.
A tiny habit behavior is something you do at least once a day, typically it takes you less than 30 seconds, and that also requires little effort. Researchers estimate that 40% of our days are mere habits which equates to a little more than 6 HOURS a day!
"You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."
If you’re having trouble changing organizational habits, the problem isn’t the people. The system consists of the organization’s policies, procedures, rewards, environment, and much more. If these make behavior change hard then change will not happen.
Fix the system by making habits easier to form.
Make it Obvious.
Make it Attractive.
Make it Easy.
Make it Satisfying.
One idea generated by the staff at McIvor Marketing was to create a #wellbeing channel on Slack (our in-office chat) in order to create a safe space for all team members to participate and share positive wellbeing quotes, articles, and tips to care for our wellbeing. Below are some of our favorite quotes so far. Feel free to use these quotes with your team along with our list of articles and resources.
There are so many amazing workplace surveys and quizzes you can take with your team and then after you take them, create some mini-lessons with your team on how to use the information to make your team even stronger. Here are a few of our favorite resources to ponder.
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