Wellness and health are hugely important to me as a leader. And they should be to you too. As someone who has spent 25 years in leadership, it’s such a relief to me that wellness is now finding its way onto the agenda and considered by many businesses to be important.
Because for a long time it wasn’t, with the wellbeing of leaders lagging well behind a focus on results in the pecking order of priorities.
Over recent years, there has been an emerging acknowledgement in the link between those two things. But the pandemic changed everything. It has been a huge force in sharply driving up awareness and increasing the focus on mental health and wellbeing. What we must see now is this priority being maintained, pushed even further, and invested in by businesses and organisations.
Many business leaders are aware of the benefits in investing in the wellbeing of their leaders and teams. Improved productivity, better performance, stronger engagement, fewer days and hours lost due to sickness and mental health issues. The list goes on.
It may be less clear how to go about prioritising health and wellbeing though. Because it’s not just a case of throwing in a cycle to work scheme or subsidised gym membership. It’s about embedding health and wellness into the very core of the business, making it part of the culture, ensuring inclusive access to wellness time and resources, allowing and empowering people to look after their physical and mental health without feeling guilty.
As a leadership coach and specialist Wellbeing and Resilience at Work (WRAW) coach, I have put health and wellness firmly on the agenda in my own business and help other organisations do the same.
The sooner all organisations tie performance and wellbeing together and invest in both, the sooner we’ll have a resilient, sustainable businesses community filled with people able and willing to cope with any challenging times that lie ahead.
According to Deloitte:
- The average ROI for wellbeing initiatives that proactively develop resilience is £11 back for every £1 spent.
- The average ROI for mental wellbeing initiatives due to reduced absence, presenteeism and staff turnover is £5 back for everyone £1 spent.
If that doesn’t make the case, what does?
Comment
How do you invest in the health and wellness of your leaders and teams?
