I meet lots of people who feel stressed at work, don’t take a lunch break and are stuck at their desk for a whole day. Sound like you? Then read on…
A friend of mine worked right near Circular Quay in Sydney for years. I once asked him how often he walked around the Sydney Opera House and got to experience the beautiful Sydney harbour at his doorstep. He said he never did.
Next day he messaged me to say “Got out today, Thank You for the nudge” with a picture of the harbour attached. He had finally taken a lunch break and walked around the waterfront, and felt so much better and happier. It started making him think about things rather than sitting in the building, sighing. Ultimately, this ‘nudge’ prompted him to change jobs and he’s never looked back, except perhaps from across the harbour where his office now lies!
Last week I was lucky to attend “The bottom line Breakfast”. It was organised by gethealthyatwork.com.au. One of the presenters spoke about how much of our day is spent at work. If we eat biscuits, birthday cakes every week, lollies, ‘diet’ coke and all the rest, this becomes a habit that then affects our whole wellbeing. Naomi Simson of SharkTank & Red Balloon spoke about how she is a big believer in the idea that happy people = happy profits. This includes health and wellbeing, that is, if she can look after the wellbeing of her staff, they will look after the wellbeing of her customers.
She shared the secret to success in business is using five pillars to ensure her people are highly engaged and love what they do. These are;
- People Connection – people love working in teams and connecting with each other. Naomi often does face to face meetings whilst out for a walk.
- Be Active – Keep active throughout the day
- Keep Learning – brain training is important too
- Take Notice – Say thank you, make it count
- Our ability to give – Give to others when you can
Get Healthy at Work is a great FREE initiative to help people do just that. The service includes a 10 minute individual wellbeing check for employees in businesses of under 500 staff and a team discussion on how to be healthier at work. There is also the option for employees to have a 10 week coaching program where you get free access to a coach to ensure you are on track.
So bring your trainers to work, pack a healthy lunch, do one walk-n-talk meeting a day and you will be well on your way towards a much happier and healthier you.
And so will your team.
~
YVONNE KELLY – 29th JULY 2016
