Tag: Wellbeing

14/05/2021

Fitness and nutrition apps to help your wellbeing

Doing some form of exercise, whether it be walking the dog, going to the gym, or chasing after your children, alongside a nutritional diet, should be something we want to do for our mental health as well as our physical health. Physical activity has been shown to increase your mental alertness, energy and mood, even by just doing ten minutes of brisk walking (1). As we exercise, our brains produce a chemical messenger called ‘endorphins’ that promote a sense of joy after we’ve finished a workout, which helps to reduce stress and pain levels (2).

Nutrition can be tricky, there’s a lot of conflicting advice about what we should and shouldn’t eat, but it’s all about balance. What you eat has been linked to effecting how we feel, so by nourishing our bodies with healthy foods, we’ll also be contributing to healthy wellbeing. Enjoying food with other people also has a positive impact on your wellbeing, by taking the time to talk and listen to one another over a meal helps to form emotional connections and allows you to reflect on the day (3).

Participating in regular exercise, combined with a healthy diet will also boost your self-esteem and make you feel more confident, reducing anxiety and improving your quality of life. ‘I don’t have time’, ‘healthy eating is expensive’ or simply, ‘I can’t be bothered’, are all common excuses for disregarding a healthy lifestyle, but we want to help you. As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, we want to share with you some of our favourite fitness and nutrition apps, to make it easier for you to implement these changes into your lifestyle.

Help to get moving:

Couch to 5K – Couch to 5K is a running plan for absolute beginners. It involves three runs a week and a different schedule for each of the nine weeks to help you reach that 5k goal
Nike Running Club – A library of more than 185 free workouts, from strength and endurance based routines to mobility and yoga sessions, all featuring virtual guidance from Nike Master Trainers
AllTrails – The app offers more than 100,000 hiking, mountain biking, and trail-running maps alongside reviews and photos from millions of users
Yoga with Adriene – A YouTube channel by Adriene that has yoga workouts for all ages, abilities, times, goals and moods and they’re all free

Making meals easy:

MyFitnessPal – An app with an enormous food database, barcode scanner, recipe importer, restaurant logger, food insights, calorie counter and more
Yummly – Over 2 million recipes, personalised to your taste and dietary needs, step by step recipes, and ideas based on what’s in your fridge, so does the thinking for you
Water Llama – An app that calculates how much water you need according to your activity level, weight, climate and gender, then sends you reminders and challenges
One You: Easy Meals – Search over 150 easy, calorie counted recipes across breakfast, lunch, evening meals and puddings. It even makes your shopping list for you

We’re not suggesting running a marathon or cutting out chocolate completely, but implementing a few healthy lifestyle choices will help to improve your overall mental health and get those endorphins flowing.

REF (1): https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-to-using-exercise

REF (2): https://www.calmmoment.com/living/why-exercise-is-good-for-your-mental-health-and-wellbeing/

REF (3): https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/diet-and-mental-health#:~:text=What%20we%20eat%20doesn’t,our%20mental%20health%20and%20wellbeing.&text=Eating%20well%20%E2%80%93%20which%20means%20having,of%20wellbeing%20and%20your%20mood

06/04/2021

How to improve mental health and wellbeing in the workplace

Research consistently shows that employees’ wellbeing levels are higher when they feel valued and supported. Known as employee engagement, they are more likely to perform better and be committed to company goals.

Employees are vital to keeping the wheel of a business turning but it’s important to remember that they are not machines; not 100% task-focused and performing at their best all of the time.

As an employer, have you considered:

Mental health and wellbeing as important matters?
Are your mental health and wellbeing policies reactive and driven by staff events and experience?
Current performance indicators such as recruitment, retention and presenteeism (employees choosing to work while they are sick)?
Do you have an evidence base for measuring the return on investment (ROI) from wellbeing strategies?
Have you established best practice?

Did you know?

It was reported in June 2020 that 31.8% of all sickness absence was due to anxiety/stress/depression/other psychiatric illnesses and accounted for over 470,000 days lost (NHS, 2020). These same factors also were identified as the main drivers for presenteeism, accounting for 50% of all cases pre-covid (CIPD, 2020)*

Any increase in presenteeism (where employees choose to work while they are sick) demonstrates the importance of understanding staff mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Employers should introduce an effective workplace mental health and wellbeing strategy, addressing the following factors:

Workplace triggers for reduced mental health

Workplace triggers for reduced mental health include:

long hours and no breaks
overly pressurised working environments
poor managerial support
poor internal communication

Steps for improving mental health:

Routinely take stock of areas in your organisation where timesheets are excessive and absenteeism rates are increasing. If unnoticed, you won’t have a clear understanding of what’s going on, so any actions taken will be less effective.

Leading by example, encouraging discussion, actively pushing full lunch breaks, sensible working hours and recuperating after busy periods.

Simply asking how staff are doing and maintaining clear lines of communication regularly, with monthly meetings, regular one to ones or telephone catch-ups.

How you can boost employee wellbeing

Adjustments to your organisation’s culture can boost employee wellbeing and, in the long run, increases engagement. Wherever possible, managers should be role models for healthier work habits. Steps for increasing wellbeing include:

Encourage team exercise and regular social events to boost staff wellbeing, such as lunch time walking clubs or away days.

Introduce a mentoring and buddy scheme. Some people find it easier to speak to someone who isn’t their line manager.

Involve employees in dialogue and decision making. For example, creating staff surveys or focus groups, or feeding back Board decisions.

Open and supportive workplaces benefit both employees and employers. By supporting your employee’s mental health and wellbeing, businesses should see increased morale, loyalty, innovation, productivity and profitability.

Identifying the signs of poor mental health early on and putting in place wellbeing strategies will help to keep your workforce happy. Keeping the communication open and leading by example are key. Businesses need to show they care about their employee’s mental health from the offset. The Stress Management Society has a variety of useful resources to help businesses with this, which can be found here.

Sources:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-rates

https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/cipd-voice/Issue-25/managing-challenge-workforce-presenteeism-covid-19-crisis#gref

24/03/2021

Five ways to de-stress at work

According to the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK adults have experienced feeling so stressed that they’ve felt overwhelmed or unable to cope with a situation.

Stress can have an impact on both our physical and mental health, including common health issues such as depression and anxiety. Recognising that you’re stressed and learning coping mechanisms to deal with it can really help, particularly in the workplace.

Are you too busy?
Do you often feel overwhelmed by your workload?
Are you finding it challenging to finish tasks?
Do you have little energy left at the end of the working day?
Do you feel overwhelmed when dealing with multiple demands?

Here are five ways to maintain a steady focus throughout the day and reduce those stress levels:

ONE: Reduce interruptions

During the day, we’re dealing with numerous emails, instant messages, phone calls, people popping in and sudden urgent deadlines which crop up. This is distracting and, where you may not be able to control the people who are interrupting you, you can control how you respond to them. Many interruptions are recurring and predictable. Strategies for dealing with interruptions include:

Accepting the interruption
Cutting it off
Diagnosing its importance and prioritising accordingly.

It’s up to you to establish what the criteria are for which strategy you choose. You can educate your colleagues by effectively planning your day; answering e-mails and planning face-to-face meetings at allocated times and closing the door when you need to get your head down.

TWO: Follow concentration with recovery

Do you propel yourself through the full eight to ten working day hours, thinking you’ll get more done? It’s very unlikely and you’re more likely to experience a reduction in productivity, an increase in stress levels and minimal energy left at the end of the working day.

Research demonstrates that a brief period of recovery after an hour of intense concentration, can clear the accumulation of stress. Recovery strategies include scheduling breaks throughout the day to:

walk
stretch at your desk
do a breathing exercise

Did you know?

On average, business professionals juggle between 30 –100 projects at one time
Workers are interrupted seven times an hour and distracted for approximately two hours per day. Four in ten people working at large businesses are facing organisational restructuring
Over 40% of adults say that they lie awake at night, thinking about stressful occurrences from their day

THREE: Eat and sleep well

A well-balanced diet provides the energy you need to keep active throughout the day and the nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay healthy and prevent diet related illnesses.

Sleep is a critical recovery period for the body. Are racing thoughts preventing you from being able to fall asleep? Are you waking during the night with difficulty getting back to sleep? Strategies for eating and sleeping well include:

Eating a low-sugar high-protein diet
If you can’t sleep, practice breathing techniques such as covering your right nostril and breathing through your left for three to five minutes.

Maintaining this healthy lifestyle will directly impact on reducing stress at work, as you will have more energy and better concentration and productivity levels.

FOUR: Take an objective approach

The way you interpret the actions of others in the workplace entirely depends on how you interpret them and are based on your own insecurities. If, for example, you feel as though you need extra resources to complete a project, but your proposal is rejected, think about the reason why. Is it because there simply isn’t the budget, rather than that your project is unimportant?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get to the bottom of why it’s been rejected, it’s best to get a clear understanding of the situation rather than overthinking and feeling disappointed about the rejection.

Changing your way of thinking to ‘how can you work around this?’ and suggesting some workable solutions will make you more effective and will be a positive influence on others.

FIVE: Prioritise your priorities

With many competing priorities and looming deadlines, it is vital that you define what’s important in urgency order.

The most important things to think about when prioritising is which will have the largest positive impact on the business and those which are best aligned with your personal goals. This requires a good understanding of your organisation’s strategic priorities and how your role contributes to these.

Other ways of reducing stress levels include undertaking reflexology, yoga, workout sessions and off-site activities. Change your mindset to a positive one, including thinking of something you’re grateful for every day and surrounding yourself with encouraging people.

Stress Awareness Month

To mark Stress Awareness Month you can take part in the 30-day challenge, which encourages you to do one action for your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing every day. This is really useful in changing your approach to stress, including establishing what your triggers are and discovering ways of managing your own stress.

This month, put that extra bit of emphasis on your health and wellbeing and hopefully it will contribute to making a positive difference on your stress levels for months to come.

14/12/2020

Four benefits employees would choose over money

Over recent years, the wants and needs of employees have evolved. Findings from Deloitte (Global Talent Trends, 2018), for example, show that organisations don’t prioritise the things that matter the most to millennials, who are the fastest growing segment in the workforce. Many companies focus on profitability, yet the overriding millennial view is that it should be more about people than numbers. Their view is that priority should be to provide a positive social impact in the workplace through:

Job creation
Career progression
Diversity and inclusion

The research also demonstrates that company culture is viewed as the most important consideration for millennials when deciding where they would like to work. An organisation’s mission, vision, values and reputation were rated equally as important when choosing an employer to work for (and also leaving one).

Competitive pay and good benefits do influence an employee’s decision to join and remain at a company, but there are many wants and needs that can be overlooked. From seeing first-hand at Corecom Consulting some of the varied and impressive employee benefits, here are four top employee benefits that we are seeing more and more and which have been the main attraction for prospective employees:

Flexible working

It is apparent that the 9.00am – 5.00pm working day is outdated. 51% of employees say that they seek more flexibility in the workplace. Working parents, for example, scored flexibility in the workplace ahead of pay, with 84% stating that this was their primary priority in a job. Work-life balance came in next at 80%.

For flexibility to work well for both employees and employers, there needs to be a level of trust between them and a culture where this can work efficiently. It involves planning the who, what, when, where and how of work. Employers need to provide the right technology to support remote working, providing the support required for positive flexibility.

Companies who are adopting fixed workplace flexibility arrangements, including reviewing their flexibility policies and addressing the barriers around flexible working are those that are flourishing, with employees being encouraged to take up the flexible benefits on offer. This has reduced workplace stress, boosted mental well-being and encouraged productivity.

Recommended Resource: How Flexible Working can increase Recruitment and Retention (includes Flexible Working Proposal Form for use in your organisation)

Wellness, health and mental wellbeing

Employees need to feel cared for, respected and be able to grow within a company. Activities and initiatives can reassure employees that their wellbeing is at the heart of the business. This can be done through, not just healthy eating and exercise advice, but also through guidance on how to deal with stress and who they can talk to when they need support or advice. Providing physical, psychological and financial support shows employees that their employer really cares about their health and wellbeing.

Need some workplace wellness ideas? Take a look at our Photo Gallery which is full of employee engagement initiatives and activities.

As well as the above, employers should consider offering employees opportunities such as:

Stress relief initiatives
Mental health days
Standing desks
Meditation classes
Exercise/physical activity classes

Perks

Providing perks shows employees that a company prioritises their happiness and enjoyment and that they are invested in them. Common and well received perks that businesses provide to employees include, for example:

healthcare plans
gym memberships
buying extra holiday days schemes
duvet days
day off on your birthday
pizza days

Engaging with your team is recommended to gather some ideas of which perks would add the most value and excitement to their lives. You could, for example, distribute a questionnaire or hold a group brainstorming session in order to gain feedback.

Having a purpose

To ensure employees are happy, stay with and grow with a company long-term, they need to feel like there is a reason behind the work they are doing to give them a purpose. Employers can give employees purpose and ensure that they feel valued through providing:

Rewards
Incentives
Recognition

Letting employees know their work is appreciated and important creates increased morale, motivation and a good culture within the business, which will shine through to clients.

Recommended resource: Five methods to boost employee engagement

Managers can try using Pontefract’s Six C’s of successful leadership:

Connect: regularly engage with people on both an emotional and transformational level
Consider: consider as many options as possible, asking people around you for their input before making a decision
Communicate: when a decision has been made, be proactive in your communication – let people know
Create: make the next step to execute the decision and communicate this with an engaging approach
Confirm: has the decision been implemented? Make sure that you keep people focused and hold them accountable
Congratulate: celebrate and congratulate good work, recognising successes

Every employee will have differing priorities and values which will influence their engagement levels, job fulfilment and loyalty to a company. These obviously won’t be the same for each individual so your engagement approach should consider differing generations, be inclusive and be balanced so that each employee gains value.

05/11/2020

Top Tips for Surviving Lockdown #2: How to recruit and manage remotely, stay healthy and be productive

Yes, we’re back in lockdown for the second time (Lockdown #2).

For many of us, lockdown has transformed the way that we work, providing increased benefits such as flexibility and working remotely. As a result, this has had a positive impact on our health and wellbeing.

Some employers and managers have definitely experienced some challenges whilst recruiting into, onboarding and managing their teams in the new remote set-up. Others, such as fully remote organisations, who have already become accustomed to this way of working, have been a great assets at this time. Below, they share their knowledge and learnings in this area.

With restaurants and gyms closing once again, it’s important that you stay fit and healthy by eating ‘good’ food and exercising regularly. Scroll down for some cookery classes and fitness tips from some of our favourite Corecom Consultants to help you do just that.

Have days at home where you feel unproductive? Could you manage your time better? Then take a look at the tips and techniques below.

Interviewing, onboarding and maintaining your culture remotely

Remote interviewing

We focused on video interviews and here’s how to make sure you can set up a robust end-to-end remote interview process.

Remote onboarding

How do we make sure we can keep our companies growing by onboarding new starters while working remotely? How can we make sure we are creating a welcoming culture, passing on all the key knowledge a new starter needs and remain productive? Click here to find out how.

Here’s are some pointers from Andy Norton from FOOTASYLUM and Mark Swarbrick from Bink about remotely on boarding new starters:

Starting a new role?

With quite a few candidates starting new roles over the next few weeks here’s our guide to successfully onboarding yourself from home in the first 30 days of a new job.

Effectively managing remote tech teams

Royd Brayshay, Director at NewRedo and Riccardo Cocetta, Director of Engineering @Auth0 have provided some useful advice on effectively managing remote tech teams. Click here to find out what they recommend

How to cultivate your virtual culture

If you have a strong culture built on relationships formed back in your office environment, how can you make sure the same camaraderie is sustained and even developed with everyone working from home again? Here’s a few hints and tips of how to cultivate your virtual culture

Health and Wellbeing

It’s getting cold, but keep moving

Yoga has been found to:

Lower stress and improve your mood
Increases your flexibility
Improves your muscle tone, strength and posture
Benefits breathing and lowers blood pressure
Helps you lose weight

Give it a try with our instructional video:

Did you know that our beloved Daniel Butterfield used to be a personal trainer and bodybuilder?! We asked Danny to take us through seven exercises to keep you fit during Lockdown #2. Click here to get a sweat on with Danny Butterfield

Have a deck of cards to hand? Here’s another simple and effective workout to keep you active.

Working up an appetite?

Our Corecom Consultants have been busy in the kitchen, cooking their favourite recipes.

Click here to see Danny Butterfield cooking up a Vegan Pad Thai storm

Click here to watch Sam Hameed prepare Harissa Lamb with a Pomegranate Cous Cous Salad

Productivity and time management

Finding it difficult to switch off when working from home?

Then try the Pomodoro Technique, which is proven to:

be more productive
help with your work/life balance
makes switching on and off from work mode easier

Click here to read more about it and how to start implementing it into your life

How to plan your day

Using a Day Plan (especially right now when the majority of us are working from home) can be really valuable for helping you to manage your time, improve your productivity, stay motivated and reduce your stress levels.

Click here to find out how to best plan your day and to download our free template to get you started straight away

30/06/2020

Furloughed or working – How your employees are feeling and how you can support them

The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant economic impact on UK businesses, with many employees being furloughed – according to Statista, as of 28 June 2020, approximately 9.3 million jobs, from 1.1 million different employers were furloughed in the UK as part of the government’s job retention scheme.

Those who are on furlough have had to adapt to a substantial change in their everyday lives. As a result, their wellbeing is likely to have been affected. As an employer, here’s what you need to know about how they may be feeling, how you can support them during this time and how you should handle your employee’s return to the workplace:

How furloughed employees might be feeling

How your employees are feeling will depend entirely on their personal circumstances. Those with caring responsibilities for children, the elderly or vulnerable people will have welcomed being furloughed, but there are those who will have found these circumstances challenging.

Some employees may feel that they are not valued by their employer and may have concerns about whether they will be made redundant. Other common feelings include a sense of guilt if they are aware that their colleagues are very busy and those who live alone are likely to feel isolated. Many will have experienced anxiety and challenges relating to the following:

Fear of infection
Social isolation
Juggling childcare
Caring for a vulnerable relative
Financial worries
Illness
Bereavement

Continue to support furloughed employees based on their individual circumstances

Be clear and honest, explaining why you are making the decisions you are and what your intentions are for the future. Try to be sympathetic towards the feelings of your employees, which will be entirely different based on the individual.

If you haven’t already, plan your meetings by individual so that you can tailor it based on their situation. Things that you should consider include:

Whether the employee lives alone
Whether the employee has caring responsibilities
If they have underlying health problems
Whether their home circumstances are problematic

For those that live alone, you should be mindful of their mental wellbeing during this time. Some people may be experiencing increased relationship issues, family health problems, domestic violence or financial difficulties. It may be useful to provide details of local support groups, organisations and charities for those who need help.

If you have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), many include counselling services and advice on family and financial issues and both furloughed and working employees should be encouraged to use this.

Keep encouraging furloughed employees to communicate and to develop

Continue to schedule frequent wellbeing calls with furloughed employees so that they can talk about how they are coping. This should help those who are feeling isolated. If you haven’t already, set up a group call with other furloughed employees where they can share tools and tips amongst one another. Ask about their mental wellbeing and encourage conversations around this.

Ensure that you are frequently revisiting and setting new goals with your employees, including:

Training and development – it’s likely that they may have already gained some new skills whilst on furlough. Are there any additional skills that they would like to learn or develop?

Volunteering – if you haven’t already, suggest that they help local charities and support groups as this can provide great advantages to a person’s mental wellbeing

To make sure that your employees continue to feel part of the larger team, encourage them to keep in regular contact with those who are on furloughed leave. Sending newsletters and employee updates to furloughed employees will also help.

Returning employees to the workplace

It is likely that many of your employees will have continued working and taken part in telephone and video meetings. Despite this, they will still need to adapt to working in an environment with their colleagues, with some taking more time than others through this period of readjustment. Some employees will have concerns about travelling on public transport and ensuring social distancing. They may still be adjusting to the substantial change which we have all encountered and the workplace that they were familiar with and accustomed to may now feel very different.

If you have an EAP at your organisation or access to Occupational Health advisors, ensure that your employees are made aware of the services that they have access to.

When returning employees to the workplace you should implement a re-induction process, encouraging and supporting managers to conduct one-to-one meetings with every employee upon their return. The focus of this should be on health, safety and wellbeing. Open and sensitive conversations should be had with each and every individual to ensure that you provide an effective return to the workplace. This is particularly important for those who have been furloughed. The points for discussion should include:

Any changes to the company’s products, services or procedures
Agreed changes to work duties or tasks
Any changes in supply arrangements
How specific customer enquiries or problems should be dealt with

Although you should not try to change previous terms and conditions, some employees will want to discuss new working arrangements or a phased return to work based on their individual domestic situations as a result of the pandemic.

Ensuring an inclusive culture

It is vital for every employer to ensure that every employee is returning to a caring and supportive environment. Individuals and groups of employees will have been impacted by the pandemic in varying ways, based on their role in the organisation and their own individual circumstances. For example, some people will have been furloughed on 80% or full pay, whilst others will have continued working and may have experienced increased workloads.

There is a possibility that there may be some negativity from some employees given the vast differences in the personal and work experiences of each individual and the challenging nature of the lockdown. Any underlying tensions should be dealt with sensitively and reduced where possible.

Be mindful that employees with health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities may not be able to return to ‘normal’ working as quickly. Also, there will be some individuals who may have experienced mental health challenges and will require support in overcoming any difficulties that have an impact on their role.

Communication with your employees is vitally important. Whether it’s good or bad news, keeping employees in the loop regarding plans for the business will allow them to make individual decisions and provide them with some reassurance during uncertain times. Feeling supported and valued by their employer and feeling that their health and safety is a priority to you, is key to their wellbeing.

31/03/2020

The Benefits of a Day Plan [with downloadable template]

In our distracted world, we tend to underestimate the benefits that time planning can bring to our lives. Making the time to write a Day Plan could vastly improve your work-life balance and can transform your stress levels, focus, productivity and overall happiness. Here are the benefits:

Helps you manage your time

Do you often run out of time and not get everything done? This is most likely because you are not planning your time effectively. Many people will go from one task to the next without thinking about what they need to do that day and what their priorities are. Using a Day Plan means that you can schedule each task, event, appointment or meeting, so that you set expectations and don’t run out of time. Setting goals and outcomes will help you to stay focused and hopefully provide you with some additional time to spend with your family or doing something just for you. Don’t just add work commitments to your plan – make sure that you are scheduling time for you and your friends and family too. Spending quality time with your friend, parent/s, partner, child/ren and doing things you enjoy will make a great difference to your overall wellbeing.

Helps to improve your productivity

Many people relate productivity with their work but it’s also as important to be productive at home. This could mean scheduling shopping, cleaning, clearing out and other home projects that you keep putting off. Regardless of what the task is, a Day Plan will keep you on track with individual tasks – you should move through them and on to each more efficiently and effectively.

Helps to reduce stress levels

Are you or have you ever felt overwhelmed because of a hectic schedule? Stress can be caused by too many demands and trying to remember, deal with and process these. As well as these internal influences, external influences also affect our stress levels. A Day Plan will enable you to move from one responsibility to the next without missing something, being late or having to cancel or reschedule. You’ll notice a big difference to your mood when you’ve achieved your big three targets for the day and this will prevent you from being too hard on yourself.

Remember: Use your Day Plan to schedule self-care activities

DOWNLOAD DAY PLAN TEMPLATE HERE

Helps you to stay healthy

Use your Day Plan to keep you physically healthy by keeping track of your diet and exercise. Scheduling regular activities such as a morning workout and fresh air outdoors in an afternoon when you have finished work, will keep your mind and body healthy. This should also contribute to reducing your stress and anxiety levels.

Helps you to free up more time for creativity and growth

Once you have mastered the art of daily planning and you are sticking to your schedule for your ‘must-do’ daily activities, you will start to see that you have more free time to undertake creative activities. This might be a hobby or activity that you enjoy, or why not try something new? Make sure that you are utilising the time to reflect, learn from your experiences and grow.

Helps you to stay on track

As you mark your tasks as complete on your Day Plan, you should acknowledge this as a success. This should boost your mood and give you the drive to complete the next task. Likewise, you are kept on track as you focus on what is important to the business. Your planning will help you to answer the who, what, why, how and when questions about your business or project.

Tip: Don’t just give yourself a large ‘to-do’ list – this will become demoralising and impractical

Planning your time can greatly reduce your stress levels as it provides you with clear direction for achieving your goals. Planning can also help you to prepare for obstacles as it enables you to create a contingency should you encounter any unexpected problems. Planning serves as a way to monitor and evaluate progress as you work – scheduling your daily activities clearly illustrates whether you are achieving your goals.

Download our Day Plan Template – give it a try and see what benefits it brings to your work-life balance.

08/01/2020

You’re attracting employees but are you retaining them?

Why investing in the long-term wellbeing of your employees will bring your company greater success

Familiar with the terms ‘employee wellbeing’, ‘flexible working’ and ‘company culture’? These are widely used phrases, commonly used in job adverts, aimed at attracting prospective employees to a company. On the surface, these perks are appealing and in keeping with modern ways of working, but the question is, do they really add value to the lives of your employees?

Rather than using ‘perks’ as ways of enticing prospective employees, forward-thinking companies are now looking at building long-term plans which support the development, retention and wellbeing of their employees.

Are your employees happy and engaged?

A strong company culture is formed as a result of a healthy and well-balanced workforce. If your employees are performing at their best, this will extend to your team and company. Research demonstrates that employee productivity and wellness come hand-in-hand, with those who feel happy and engaged at work showing higher levels of effort and achievement.

Putting the time and money into your employees’ health and wellness is an indirect investment into your business’ productivity, which is very likely to result in an increase in company performance. Neglecting the health and wellbeing of your employees is likely to result in them leaving the company for roles which offer them better growth and development opportunities. This can be costly as replacing these employees, particularly strong ones, results in time, resources and money being spent recruiting and training new staff members.

How to increase employee engagement and productivity

Investing in the wellbeing of your employees and your company culture doesn’t mean providing a fully stocked kitchen, table football and games console. Obviously, these are great additions to the workplace, but they won’t mean much to your employees if you haven’t also implemented robust cultural support systems.

Investing in your team’s growth and development, both in and outside of the workplace, is likely to substantially increase employee engagement and productivity. Supporting your employees in their growth and providing them with opportunities to extent this, will show them that they are valued and important to you, beyond the obligations of their role.

In order to create an environment focused on progress and development, consider providing your employees with continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for both their job roles and for their lives outside of the workplace. Things that have worked well for successful companies include, for example, providing:

yoga classes – one per week with the objective of destressing and refocusing
online courses, workshops and conferences – with the objective of broadening networks, employees establishing themselves within the industry and becoming known as an ‘expert’
lunch and learn sessions e.g. with a financial consultant or life coach – with the aim of helping people achieve their goals in life

Companies that don’t look to implement the above are likely to experience more challenges and barriers when trying to achieve success and happiness. They will lack the support, guidance and teamwork required to overcome shifts in their environments and to successfully get to the other side.

Those providing their employees with new ways of thinking and behaving are those who are much more likely to proactively and effectively stay one step ahead, deal with changes to their business environment and to thrive.

Continuing learning, growth and development for you and your employees will empower you with the knowledge, ideas and methods to make new achievements, both professionally and personally.

02/07/2019

Six stress-busting apps to make you more productive

Most of us are working around the clock, have our mobile phones with us everywhere we go and are taking work calls and answering e-mails out of hours.

Mobile phone apps are a great way to listen to music, play games and order your groceries whilst on the go, but they could also transform your productivity and reduce your stress levels at work too.

Here are six stress-busting apps you should try to make you more productive at work:

Start the day with Wakie

Find it hard to get out of bed in a morning? Then Wakie could be the app for you.

Turn your alarm clock off…because a stranger is going to call you for a quick chat at the time of your choice!

If that’s a bit too strange for your start to the day, why not be the one to wake others? Yes, you can make the calls and help fellow sleepy heads come around more quickly in a morning.

Be more productive with Focus Booster

Have you picked up your cuppa, sifted through your inbox and made a start at planning your day? Make your working life more productive with Focus Booster which will assist you in breaking your work down into 25 minute intervals, followed by breaks, using the Pomodoro Technique and some additional fun features.

Transform your project planning with MindNode

Got a meeting to discuss a project you’re currently working on or some new work? Award-winning MindNode is a mind mapping tool which allows you to formulate a visual of your brainstorming session. All you need to do is to put your project objective or subject in the centre of the spider diagram and the app allows you to add in your thoughts and comments for increased clarity and focus.

Struggling to remember too many passwords?

LastPass is your solution; it securely stores all of your passwords so you don’t have to remember them all. It will even remember those crazy complex high security passwords with its clever encryption technology. Just remember not to forget your LastPass password!

End the day with Headspace

Take care of your psychological wellbeing with Headspace, which is beneficial for stress and anxiety reduction and increasing creativity and focus. The app introduces the practice of mindfulness meditation, including what you need to do and how it will improve your life.

Remembered something as you’re drifting off?

If you’re one for waking in the night with an idea or something you’ve forgotten to do, get Google Keep; a note taking app developed by Google. It allows you to add notes, create lists, set up reminders, upload photos and record audio. You can even write your shopping list which will pop up when you arrive at the supermarket. Share your list with someone – simply tick the item off to let your other half know that you’ve picked it up. This app is great as it syncs across your devices, therefore you’ve always got your important lists and reminders with you.

For further advice and guidance on managing stress and wellbeing in the workplace, take a look at the resources below.

22/05/2019

Leeds Wellbeing Week is fully embraced by Corecom Consulting

This year, as part of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy at Corecom Consulting, employees actively signed up to take part in events and workshops for Leeds Wellbeing Week.

Gemma Robinson, Operations Director at Corecom Consulting, said:

“At Corecom Consulting we are passionate about the health and wellbeing of our team and this year we actively encouraged employees to participate in Leeds wellbeing week. Lucile from MindIt organised some fantastic events, which the team and I thoroughly enjoyed.

“Internally, the team took part in a wellbeing themed sales game where some of the prizes included; massages, facials, graze snack boxes and sports equipment. Some of the team swapped public transport for cycling to work too, a great way to boost productivity levels.”

To kick start the week, Georgie Lynskey and Julie Mombielova attended a workshop on ‘Communicating with Less Conflict’ which involved thought-provoking topics on growth and overcoming limiting beliefs. It provided practical techniques and learnings on how best to deal with stress and enhance confidence.

Employees also enjoyed a healthy Lean Lunch and presentation on Nutrition for Everyday Living by Nutritional Therapist, Lisa Chothia. They were taught to understand the benefits of good nutrition for wellness which can affect gut health and immunity.

Myles Dacres, Recruitment Consultant, said:

“I thought the talk was very beneficial and I took a lot from it, including how to eat better and improve my energy and mood as well as mental performance. I’ll definitely be eating healthier and smarter now, just by adding berries and more colours to my meals, to help balance blood sugar levels and improve concentration at work.”

Additional wellbeing activities organised by Corecom Consulting and undertaken by the team included:

Lunch time Pilates sessions
Health shots
Free fruit
Picnic in the park

Looking for advice on health and wellbeing?

Get hints and tips for how to implement health and wellbeing into your teams in the following guide: Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace.

06/02/2019

Team promote wellbeing with meditation, fitness MOTs and health shots

Corecom Consulting is dedicated to ensuring that its employees’ mental health and physical wellbeing are cared for. In light of this, the team have taken part in a Wellbeing Month during January where they have been shown how to take good care of their bodies and minds.

As part of the initiative, employees experienced a relaxing guided meditation session, hosted by Kevin Whittington – Managing Director at Nooksrest. They were provided with advice and techniques for sleeping better, coping with a busy workplace and methods for day to day relaxation. Kevin said:

“Meditating gives you the opportunity to put things into perspective and to learn skills to deal with stress and anxiety.

“The wellbeing coaching and mentoring provided as part of the Nooksrest session allows employees to think about their mental health and to make changes in their habits before mental ill-health becomes an issue.”

Additional wellbeing activities organised by Corecom Consulting and undertaken by the team included:

Pilates Mondays
Smoothie Fridays
Homemade Ginger & Apple Health Shots
Breakfast omelettes
Sight and hearing health checks
Mini Health MOTs, including body weight, blood pressure and BMI
Physiotherapy sessions
Free team gym sessions during and after office hours
Healthy Tuck Shop, including detox teas, fruit, healthy snack bars and nuts

Regular team goal sharing to increase shared motivation levels
‘Dry January’ (for those who dared)

Gemma Robinson, Director & Head of Operations and Georgie Lynskey, Head of Business Analysis and Senior IT Appointments, attended a wellbeing course together, hosted by reputable recruitment professional, Mike Walmsley and Katie Maycock. Gemma said:

“It was really eye opening to meet with likeminded CEOs, directors and leaders to share and discuss health and wellbeing initiatives. Stress is very common in the workplace, affecting digestion, physical health, mental health, relationships and productivity.

“At Corecom Consulting, we are committed to ensuring that employees take healthy measures to prevent stress and anxiety. We have been running our annual wellbeing month for the last four years and this year we will be delivering our health and wellbeing initiatives throughout the whole year. We firmly believe that a healthy, happy and supported workforce is the key to a successful business.”

In celebration of successfully reaching the end of a very healthy month, the team was rewarded with a nutritious breakfast, whilst sharing their key successes and achievements from the month. Take a look at ‘The Breakfast Hash’ below:

‘The Breakfast Hash’ – Sautéed bacon, poached egg, spinach, chorizo, sweet potato and avocado

Jonathan Sanderson, Managing Director at Corecom Consulting, said:

“The team have all had their own separate goals to achieve; some have dipped their toes in and some have taken the initiative very seriously and done a full detox, strict diet and exercise regime. The team have experienced real benefits whilst doing so; feeling healthier, having more energy, being happier, comradery, clear thinking, increased mental strength, positivity, sleeping better and feeling better overall.”

Health and wellbeing – we recommend…

There are a wealth of health and wellbeing initiatives you can implement into your teams. For hints and tips read the following guide: Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace.

31/01/2019

Are you prioritising mental health and well-being?

Organisations vary considerably in how proactive they are in promoting employee well-being. Health and well-being in the workplace can never stand still – it should constantly evolve. When people are happy and feel good, businesses can thrive. An effective well-being programme can provide mutual benefit to companies, employees, economies and society as a whole.

Did you know?

Two-fifths of employers have a standalone well-being strategy
55% say well-being is on the agenda of senior leaders
Almost half report that line managers are bought into the importance of well-being

Source: www.cipd.co.uk

Health and Well-being at Work Survey 2018 by CIPD

Do you view mental health and wellbeing as important matters?
Are your mental health and wellbeing policies reactive and driven by staff events and experience?
Do you monitor performance indicators such as recruitment, retention and presenteeism (employees choosing to work while they are sick)?
Do you have an evidence base for measuring the return on investment (ROI) from wellbeing strategies?
Have you established best practice?

Watch Wolter Smit, co-founder and CEO of TOPdesk, address the importance of hiring great employees and the importance of what you do once you have found them. He discusses how you can bring company principles such as freedom, trust and responsibility to life, as well as how to ensure that your company is empowering employees and providing a work environment where employees feel cared about.

Here’s what you can do

As an employer, you should ensure you are recognising the following:

Workplace triggers for reduced mental health
Steps for increasing mental health
Steps for increasing wellbeing

To learn what these are and for further advice, take a look at Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace – what to consider and steps for improvement