Why Wellbeing is important in Business

Posted: September 06, 2021

Wellbeing is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.’ However, most would agree that wellbeing is a much broader concept. Whilst wellbeing includes happiness, it also includes other things, such as a person’s health, how connected they feel to their environment, their sense of purpose, and how in control they feel of their own circumstances.

Many of us strive for good wellbeing but not everyone has it.

We appreciate that what is important for one person’s wellbeing will not work for another. We’re all different and have different needs. When a person’s physical, emotional, or mental needs are not being met then their wellbeing will often suffer. The demands facing us at work today are significantly higher than for previous generations. We’re required to manage greater workloads, deliver higher levels of productivity, and cope with increased job uncertainty.

The modern work environment has been described as VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.* These factors can really impact on what a great day at work looks like for employees, specifically in relation to the amount of stress that they are exposed to.  

To do your best work, you should feel both energised and engaged. If your needs aren’t being met then the opposite may be experienced and then AVEVA has a problem. Therefore, we must create the conditions that ensures your wellbeing is looked after. We must empower you as an individual with the right support and tools to enable this to happen.

We want to equip individuals and their managers with the skills, knowledge, and understanding of how to manage the causes and effects of stress at work and reduce the risk of harm. In this we can reduce sickness absence and support individuals when they feel they need help.  

We also aspire to drive inclusion and a sense of belonging amongst our employees. If we feel that we belong, our self-esteem and feelings of self-worth improve and, in turn, so will our wellbeing. We do recognise that not only is this the right thing to do but, by doing so, we’ll help to cultivate a more motivated, engaged, and high-performing workforce that will help drive greater organisation success. It’s a ‘win-win’ and ensures that we, together, build a sustainable organisation.

As employees, we’ve a responsibility for looking after our own wellbeing. For example, participating in work related wellbeing initiatives, such as accessing the Employee Assistance Programme on our Wellbeing hub, and taking care of our health outside of work. Talk to your colleagues about what you are doing, share your stories and successes, and encourage others to also look after themselves.  

However, wellbeing is a difficult concept to both define and discuss.

But that should not be a reason in and of itself for not doing so.

If we can support one another, if managers can have open and thoughtful conversations with their team members, and if we feel empowered in seeking support, the rewards both as an individual and as an organisation are hugely compelling.