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Why 2018 will be the year for mental health

06.12.2017

It’s that manic time of year again. The silly season at the start of summer. It’s that time of year when our brains are full, our bodies are tired, and everyone is in desperate need of a holiday. With that in mind, there wasn't a lot of Christmas cheer to be found in the recently released New Zealand Health Survey. The headline results reported that while Kiwis are smoking less, we’re “getting fatter and sadder” (headline on Stuff.co.nz). It’s a brutal headline, but the truth is there in the facts. New Zealand has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and one of the worst suicide rates. The stories Over the past year, I’ve met with a good number of people from a range of industries to talk...

Giving back through wellness

06.12.2017

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We all have a responsibility to inspire and enable wellbeing in our community. Here's one idea for your workplace wellbeing programme for 2018. Wellbeing is not on the agenda One of the greatest challenges for not-for-profit organisations/social enterprises is that there is very little (or none at all!) money to spend on employee wellbeing. One colleague from a not-for-profit recently told me that they couldn’t even afford to buy pens for their employees to use. Yet, her organisation works in an area of the community that requires incredible effort, compassion and dedication. They deal with some incredibly complex situations and the staff desperately need some light relief for their own wellbeing. We know employee wellbeing is critical for organisational and individual success, so it got me thinking about what we could...

Building corporate wellness through social enterprise

06.10.2017

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SOCIAL POST There is so much opportunity for corporates to improve employee wellbeing through social enterprise support. As a mentor at the recent Social Enterprise World Forum, a clear message I took away was this: Most social enterprises do all their tremendous work on a shoestring and, while employee wellbeing is something they would love to do, most don't have the money or resources to dedicate to it. Many of the people I spoke to work tirelessly to create change in really challenging areas. A focus on hope and happiness would make a big difference to their energy to keep doing the important work they do. As a corporate, consider sharing your care. We know that giving, reciprocity and community connection are hugely important to wellbeing so by supporting...

Why a fruit bowl is not a wellness plan

28.9.2017

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If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that wellness at their workplace consisted of a fruit bowl, I’d be able to buy an orchard and go into the fruit business myself. Obviously, a fruit bowl is not the juiciest segment of a wellness plan. Don’t get me wrong, I like a fruit bowl. It’s a great start to supporting employee health. However, the weekly fruit bowl doesn’t fulfil all of employees’ wellness needs. At best, it’s a tasty starter. At worst, it’s a “tick and flick” taste test that shows a company “cares”. Go for larger fruit A fruit bowl can be a bite-sized element of a more substantial strategic approach to wellness. With a more satisfying strategy, you can achieve full organisational change. Ask yourself the...

Fuel your fire to ignite your career

27.7.2017

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Being on top of your game is essential at work. However, you need to feed your focus in order to deliver your best. I once worked with a workplace leader who was, by all accounts, very talented. She made strong decisions, had a clear vision for success, and she took a practical and realistic approach to her work. Let’s call her “Sue”. Sue was also a mum, a wife, and a friend. Sue won promotion, leading a considerable change project. However, shortly after taking up the role, the wheels started to fall off. What prompted this failure to gain traction? Suddenly, Sue had to deal with a difficult manager, a huge workload and a workplace culture where there was very little room for error. The cumulative effect was enormous. Sadly, I watched a...