Why support for wellbeing starts with one’s self
As employers, we can do a lot to promote the wellbeing of our people. But we cannot do it alone. We need to work ‘hand in hand’ with our people.
Arguably the most fundamental first step to safeguarding good mental health is one that only employees themselves can take. Self-care is vital. It helps each person manage stress, prevent burnout, and develop their own emotional resilience.
That’s why this year’s Health Week, which was marked recently across the global SUEZ Group, focussed on self-care. The theme for the week’s activities was ‘Caring for health: starting with yourself’.
The programme began with a webinar for colleagues worldwide explaining how self-care enables us to recharge and maintain balance in our lives at work and home. Regular self-care routines help improve mood, reduce anxiety, ward off depression, enhance our focus on tasks and goals, and increase productivity.
Having said that, it’s hard to avoid getting caught up in the day-to-day hubbub of life and demands of work and family. Many of us need some kind of prompt to make us pause for a moment, check in with ourselves (and others), and take that important first step toward protecting and improving our own wellbeing.
‘Huddle’ discussions during the Health Week programme, designed by our Wellbeing & Inclusion Manager, Beth Burton, provided that impetus. The message shared by team leaders with colleagues was simple: When we take time to look after our own health and wellbeing, not only do we feel better at work and at home, but we can also better support others.
Three simple steps for better mental health
During these group discussions, we asked three things of everyone:
- Do a simple self-health check: Take a moment to notice how you’re feeling. Be honest with yourself. It helps you spot when things are starting to feel difficult, so you can take small steps to relieve stress before it builds up.
- Check in with a colleague: Take a moment to ask: ‘Are you OK?’ It’s important we make time to support each other and create space to talk when things might not be OK.
- Start your own wellbeing action plan: Our huddle cards included a QR code link to a template for people to draw up their own wellbeing action plan. Amid the daily pressures of life, having an action plan and reviewing it regularly – we recommend every month – helps people stay focused on their health into the future. The plan doesn’t need to be extensive. Identifying no more than three areas to focus on is more realistic and achievable.
In our huddles, we also discussed the little things we can do to look after our health. What makes us feel our best at work. What signs we might look for if a colleague is struggling. How we can remind ourselves to check in with each other regularly and to review our wellbeing action plans.
And we encouraged employees to use their action plans as the basis for positive conversations with their line managers about their health and wellbeing.
What does a wellbeing action plan look like?
Everyone’s needs and sensibilities are personal, and any plan should start with an honest assessment of one’s wellbeing needs and goals. It’s important to stress here that a wellbeing action plan is a highly personal manifesto, only to be shared in confidence if the individual wishes to; whether that be with family, friends or their line manager if they feel any necessary workplace adjustments or tailored support might be beneficial.
It helps to focus on each of the different dimensions of wellness in turn. Our template lists eight, corresponding with the priorities set out in our Wellness Charter. Our Wellness Charter was drawn up by a cross-section of our employees in 2019, and it has provided the framework for the wellbeing policies and programme we have developed over the last six years.
The eight areas range from the job-related to emotional, financial to social, work environment to inclusion and diversity, and physical health to mental wellbeing.
As well as personal wellbeing goals, our action plan template addresses work-related goals and home-life considerations. Employees are encouraged to outline any specific adjustments needed in the workplace to support their health and wellbeing. It’s important too that people acknowledge the impact of domestic factors on their mental wellbeing and other health issues and think about the support they may need to manage them better.
How can we support people’s wellbeing?
We have various support mechanisms and networks in place at SUEZ. The action plan encourages employees to consider how these can help them achieve their wellbeing goals. Some examples:
- Personal wellbeing: Regular check-ins with colleagues and line managers to discuss wellbeing and workload. Using our clear communications channels to raise concerns, not only with team managers but also via their local HR representative, Regional Wellbeing & Inclusion Officers and volunteer ambassadors.
- Work-related wellbeing: Our open and collaborative culture encourages teamwork and inclusion, fostering a supportive work environment. Beyond our comprehensive Occupational Health and other employee wellbeing support services, employees can be assigned a buddy or mentor to provide additional support.
- Home-life considerations: Our employee assistance programme, WeCare, entitles all employees to free counselling and various resources to support wellbeing. Further resources are provided via our You@SUEZ web platform provided by Reward Gateway. Our HR team can also recommend external support services.
From action plan to activities
Wellbeing plans are designed to help people think about wellbeing as a whole (through those eight different dimensions) and to inspire action. It challenges the author to list three practical steps they can take to achieve their short-term goals and also to set longer-term goals for their health and wellbeing. For example, to go for a 10-minute walk every day for the next few months. And then, within three to six months, establish and maintain a regular exercise routine building to 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
There are lots of other activities that can support each of the eight areas of wellness. That might mean learning a new skill to enhance job-related wellbeing – through our comprehensive training and development programme, including an e-learning platform with hundreds of learning modules. Or, in terms of inclusion and diversity, joining one of our employee-led networks that act as support groups for people from minorities, veterans, LGBTQIA+, working parents, and many more.
What happens next?
The next steps are down to our employees, but the feedback during and since Health Week has been extremely positive.
I know that looking inwards can be a daunting or disquieting prospect. It’s understandable that many of us put our own health and mental wellbeing on the back burner sometimes, perhaps paying more attention to other people’s wellbeing or ‘more urgent’ matters.
Regardless of what actions follow, drawing up a wellbeing plan is inherently worthwhile as an exercise in introspection. It helps us understand ourselves and others better, which is the first step to taking better care of oneself as well as family, friends and colleagues.