Mawlana Hazar Imam has often spoken of the central importance of quality of life. In Islam, quality of life extends beyond physical wellbeing, and includes the preservation of sound mind. Enjoying healthy and happy lives is key to thriving and living to our full potential. In a speech in Toronto in 2014, Hazar Imam said, “We are a community that welcomes the smile.”
The concept of ‘Wellbeing’ has become an increasingly widespread subject of discussion, especially within the workplace, from small start-ups to large multinational organisations. However, despite the growing interest, many organisations only pursue wellbeing initiatives as a cursory exercise. Initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness Week are great examples of this, with plenty of organisations conducting workshops or talks throughout the week but falling short by not following up the rest of the year. Arguably, the most effective way to implement wellbeing initiatives in an organisation is by ensuring they are being pursued consistently and effectively throughout the year, rather than sporadically.
It is important for employers to empower their staff to work on wellbeing initiatives that encourage both personal health and happiness, as well as strive toward familiar targets such as increased performance, engagement, and productivity. The first step, however, is to explain why wellbeing is worth the time and effort. One way to illustrate the benefits would be to invite a specialist into your organisation and run a workshop, ensuring all staff attend.
What is wellbeing, and how does wellbeing benefit our work?
The official definition of wellbeing is ‘the state of being happy, healthy, or comfortable’, which can be interpreted in many different ways. Wellbeing can be divided into four main areas: mental health, physical activity, sleep, and nutrition. All four aspects impact one another - for example, people that sleep less than seven hours a night are 30% more likely to be obese than those who consistently get nine hours - with sleep also impacting mental health, nutrition and physical activity levels.
There is a plethora of research that highlights how better wellbeing is directly correlated to increased productivity in workplaces, when integrated correctly. For example, a study from The Lancet noted how an increase in employees’ physical activity levels improved engagement and productivity at work. According to the Australian Government agency, Comcare, wellbeing programmes in the workplace have been shown to reduce absenteeism by 25.3% on average, and organisations with robust wellbeing initiatives experience three and a half times more creativity and innovation from their employees. According to Deloitte, organisations have seen a return on investment from wellbeing interventions between 1:2 - 1:8.
A study published by the Mad World Summit recently concluded that improved staff happiness and health doubled in-year sales (from £1 million - £2 million) along with reducing absentee rates, and significantly increasing productivity rates.
How to integrate wellbeing into an organisation
The most effective way to integrate wellbeing practices into an organisation’s culture is to develop a dedicated strategy, and to implement it throughout the year. It would also benefit the organisation to have senior-level management participate in the programme in order to encourage participation.
Four steps to developing your wellbeing strategy:
- Highlight why wellbeing is essential. Explain the benefits of the strategy clearly and simply, noting key elements that will affect employees’ work life as well as their general health and happiness.
- Set the parameters of your organisation’s wellbeing strategy. Once you’ve decided on developing a wellbeing strategy, it is crucial to identify areas of need and improvement for the implementation of the programme. An external consultant or agency can also carry out a confidential audit to ensure accurate results.
- Develop a bespoke wellbeing strategy. Setting priorities in line with your organisation’s needs and budgetary requirements is key, especially when trying to implement new initiatives. Some examples could be developing one-on-one wellbeing plans for executives and employees along with a remote worker action plan, and specific initiatives for different departments with sustainable and impactful results.
- Implement your wellbeing strategy. A wellbeing consultant or trained internal staff member can help to implement a programme, supported by a team of those well-versed in carrying out the programme, across all levels of an organisation over a sustained period of time. The strategy should be implemented continuously to ensure successful implementation and ensure it is not just a box-ticking exercise.
