The Future of Wellbeing. Co-Created, Authentic and Flexible.

According to a recent survey, the top three HR priorities for 2024 are:

• Health and wellbeing
• Employee engagement and satisfaction
• Work/life flexibility

On the surface, it sounds positive. However, the narrative has been the same for years, despite evidence of an increasing divide between leadership intentions and employee experience.

Take a moment to consider individuality.

Every single employee holds distinctive value forged by personal beliefs, financial needs, work preferences, and state of wellbeing. True leaders understand the unique dynamics of individuality and are able to harness this diversity to foster innovation and co-create a healthy and thriving workplace alongside employees, that is both impactful and profitable.

Historic notions of wellbeing - perks, pizza, away days, mission statements etched on walls, are primed to make way for co-created workplaces that invest in people, internal tools and resources.

In practice the scope, potential and impact could be significant. Consider,

• 60% of UK employees believe trust is foundational to their sense of belonging and mental wellbeing. The process of co-creation has the power to build bridges, uniting a workforce. Ongoing collaboration reinforces the sentiment.
• Psychological safety plays a significant role across an employee's overall wellbeing permeating not just the workplace, but home and social environs too. This state requires each employee to be accepted for who they are, not fearful of the impact their diversity may play (gender, age, race, religion), or the type of role they hold (part time, flexible, remote or office based), supported by the right leaders, with the right tools and processes.
• Physical and nutritional wellbeing is personal and emotive. It is not the role of a business to 'fix' the individual employee, rather provide access to the right facilities and resources. Quick wins are as easy as swapping ultra processed sandwiches with soups, salad bowls and hot bowls or replacing the biscuit jar with a fruit basket.

Workplace wellness in 2024 requires companies to focus on improving life at work, rather than the lives of employees outside of work. Facilitating good health, moving away from treating the symptoms of stress, to focusing on the root cause, reducing the proliferation of perks, to focusing on life within the workplace - culture, leadership, resources, colleagues and experience.

How to make your new year resolutions sticky

I shared this piece pre-Christmas, however given many will have already discarded them, it is a great reminder on how to actively pursue the changes you want to see.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀

• Two-thirds of Brits (66%) will be setting themselves New Year’s resolutions for 2024, (35 million Brits).

• 97% of Gen Z will be making resolutions, along with 8 in 10 Londoners

• Health based resolutions are most common, followed by improved finances.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆:

Choose Selectively:

↳ Choose 7-10 carefully selected goals for the year

↳ Too many goals leads to a greater chance of failure

↳ Consider body, mind, spirit, family, love, community, finance and career

Make them SMART(ER):

↳ Specific, Measurable, Action, Risky, Time-Keyed, Exciting, Relevant

Goals by Importance:

↳ Aim for 2-3 goals per quarter, ranking them by importance

↳ Break them down into monthly and weekly actions

Write them Down and Keep them Visible:

↳ Keep goals visible and part of your daily routine

↳ Writing goals down increases the chance of success by 40%

↳ When we can see our goals clearly, they become a constant reminder

Incremental improvements, Reviewing Frequently & Sharing Selectively:

↳ Making tiny changes can lead to remarkable results over time

↳ Review each goal, asking, What’s the next step I need to take to move toward this goal?

↳ Don’t share your goals with anyone who is not committed to helping you achieve them

Fun fact: Only 9% of people who make resolutions keep them!

PS: Have you set your goals for 2024? If so, how are you keeping them visible?