Wellness in an organization is like wellness in our homes, relationships or health.
In each of these situations we have to actively pursue it. Too often we develop a myopic view – perceiving only what’s right in front of us – instead of seeing the big picture.
This can lead to the slow degradation of the state of well-being.
Business wellness encompasses many different factors, and it’s critical to be aware of the different areas that need to be healthy.
<RELATIONAL WELLNESS
Relational wellness speaks to the connectedness of people, how they relate to one another.
Each person in your organization has value. It doesn’t matter whether he or she is your main idea-generator or someone who runs out for coffee.
Knowing that the organization recognizes their contribution, and that the head of the company genuinely cares about them, significantly changes employees’ work attitudes.
• Foster a sense of community where common goals are explicitly shared.
• Engage in healthy conversations.
• Don’t hide behind your staff when challenges are looming – be there in the great and the tough times.
• Be up front and honest.
• Don’t micromanage – allow team members to do their jobs.
• Recognize when, and where, you have to give up ownership of projects so the person hired to manage them has control.
Ultimately, the goal of relational wellness is creating cohesiveness and a sense of purpose that lifts up each member of your organization.
<ATTITUDINAL WELLNESS
Different from relational wellness, this creates an organization that positively affects all bottom lines (not only financial). Purposefully pursue a healthy attitude, and then expect the same from everyone in your organization.
• Let go of ego-driven decisions.
• Don’t expect perfection. Often, it is unattainable.
• Be a team player – whether that team has two or 2,000 people.
• Respect each person as a critical cog in the wheel.
• If you’re prone to paranoia or huge personality swings, develop a more level attitude. Just as children mimic what they sense from caregivers, employees and clients are affected, too.
<FINANCIAL ALLOCATION WELLNESS
Financial allocation wellness requires knowing exactly what assets are available, and then using them in ways that best reflect your company’s corporate culture.
Obviously, there are an almost unlimited number of ways to use your capital. Those choices should reflect the best interest of your organization and corporate mindset.
<PHYSICAL WELLNESS
Regardless of whether you work from home or manage a large business with thousands of employees and multiple locations, physical and mental health are affected by your spaces.
Everything we present to vendors, clients, employees and ourselves makes a statement about how we feel. Environments that are poorly maintained, unattractive, difficult to navigate through, unorganized or less than functional negatively change how we process.
• Are workstations, offices and buildings comfortable and clean? Do they work efficiently and allow for easy movement?
• Aim for a zen, versus cluttered and chaotic, environment.
• Do an annual spring cleaning – recycle, repurpose and remove anything that’s never used.
• Encourage ownership of each employee’s space – everything from personal photos to the ability to choose comfortable chairs. It creates comfort.
• Consider small, but meaningful, changes that may be doable: a quiet room, a refrigerator stocked with free bottled water, plants that connect the outdoors to the indoors.
<TIME WELLNESS
Time is one of our most valuable commodities. There can’t be enough said about the value of each hour, yet choices regularly are made that don’t honor the importance of the minutes that slip through our fingers.
• Banish meetings that last longer than two hours. Aim for 45 minutes; after that, meetings tend to become unproductive.
• In obligatory staff gatherings, eliminate unnecessary chitchat, set a timer and adhere to a strict stopping point.
• When you have a situation or person in crisis, immediately deal with it.
• Manage your multitasking. It’s a resource we often use to move through a day or period, but to effectively juggle all the proverbial balls that are in the air, it’s necessary to prioritize.
• Take 10 minutes each day to be quiet and still. It may become a most valuable daily ritual.
<PRACTICAL WELLNESS
What’s practical varies significantly from organization to organization. The key is to make changes that create positive results.
• When possible, give employees the ability to manage the way they work – whether that’s controlling their schedules or allowing telecommuting.
• Can you offer “flextime?” It’s one way to give staff the ability to tailor the week and add balance to their lives.
• When possible, allow your team to create work environments that foster creativity and work well for their personal style.
• Be aware, at least peripherally, of what’s going on in people’s personal lives.
• Have a plan for working with staff members when they’re stressed or have concerns.
Being open to sometimes simple adjustments that can affect your organization is an important component of good leadership. Often, very basic, practical changes can yield huge dividends.
Kay McLane, owner of the Emmaus-based firm Kay McLane Design LLC (www.kaymclane.com), specializes in staging, organization and interior design. She writes the blog Peace Full Home (www.peacefullhome.com), leads workshops on design, staging and life enhancement and can be reached at 610-966-9794.
