How to create a happier, healthier team at work

Even yoga gurus suffer burnout

A couple of years ago the Sunday Times Style Magazine featured a profile on Adriene Mishler, the 37-year-old yoga guru whose platform exploded during lockdown. The article gave the impression of someone with an enviable level of success and a beautiful outlook on the world, but it focused on something a little unusual for a yoga guru. Earlier this year, she suffered serious burnout.

“I remember I told my partner I felt knocked out by anxiety. I am a caretaker by nature, but then that became my job, my world.”

She described in detail the physical impact of having taken on far too much, and by the end of the article, concluded with that age old lesson - practice what you preach.

This isn’t uncommon in the spa and wellness industry. The people who spend their lives and careers trying to make sure the rest of us feel relaxed and restored, often get stressed and burnt out. However, it’s not just therapists. Lots of us suffer from stress, which is natural, but when it escalates it's a problem.

Our approach to employee wellness is changing

The most savvy employers are ahead of the game when it comes to employee wellness, implementing practices that are more than token offerings. Some spa owners, for example, offer wellbeing support that helps to prevent burnout and injury associated with massage with preventative physiotherapy.

Some employers offer Teladoc services, where they can ask a physician any health-related question 24/7, so they are not restricted to office hours. Some also provide financial wellness resources and health screening events as well as fitness classes and nutritional foods.

None of this will come as a surprise in itself, but what’s changing is the motivation. The emphasis is increasingly on providing genuine instead of token support for employee wellness, some of which is preventative, and some of which is about enjoying holistic wellbeing.

There's practical as well as ethical reasons for that. For example, The Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 185.6 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in 2022 in the UK. With the sickness absence rate rising for all age groups, they write that:

"Minor illnesses were the most common reason given for sickness absence in 2022, accounting for 29.3% of occurrences of sickness absence. This was followed by "other" conditions at 23.8%, musculoskeletal problems at 10.5%, respiratory conditions at 8.3% and mental health conditions at 7.9%."

The power of workplace appreciation

However, when we talk about wellbeing at work, we don't just mean in terms of physical or mental health. We also mean emotional wellbeing - feeling appreciated, supported and seen. This is one area where employers can make a significant difference in improving the workplace environment and the experience of team members. For example, A Nectar report of 1,800 full-time employees found the following:

• 83.6% employees feel that recognition affects their motivation to succeed at work
• 77.9% of employees would be more productive if they were recognised more frequently
• 81.9% employees feel that recognition for their contributions at work improves their engagement
• 71% employees would be less likely to leave their job if they were recognised more frequently
• 87% employees felt that meaningful recognition impacts their job satisfaction
• Only 52.6% employees said there are employee recognition programmes at their company
• 71% employees would be less likely to leave their job if they were recognised more frequently

The best ways to look after employee wellbeing

While there’s no one way to look after employee health, the common (and broad) denominator is that it’s important to approach physical, emotional, and mental health, and the things that impact them: diet, money, rest, relaxation, a sense of purpose, a sense of pride in our work, feeling appreciated and more.

What’s clear from a variety of online research and surveys, as well as the feedback we ourselves receive at Spabreaks.com, is that some of the most valuable things employees enjoy are the little and often contributions that make a meaningful difference to each day or week rather than one-off grand gestures.

What's included in an employee wellness programme?

Corporate or workplace wellness programs can include all manner of things that suit the wants and needs of your team. That might be support groups, yoga, exercise classes, social events, team-building sessions, flexible work schedules, financial wellness support, reward schemes and more. There's really no set structure.

Do wellness programmes work?

The CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) reports that fostering employee wellbeing can result in:

• Increased resilience
• Better employee engagement
• Reduced sickness absence
• Higher performance and productivity

Show your appreciation for your team with individual employee rewards and incentives through Spabreaks.com's corporate spa gifting solutions.