Enhancing health and happiness at work

Ever wondered how you could improve your wellbeing at work? With the blurring of our personal and professional lives, there are greater pressures on our time. Consuming more content than ever before and getting distracted by a plethora of devices, we seem to have fewer hours in the day to get our work done. As a consequence, we’re putting more pressure on ourselves to perform in the office. Last year, stress and mental health disorders overtook back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders as the biggest long-term health problem and cause of sickness absence for the first time. So how can we improve our health and happiness in the workplace?

Here, I offer my top tips to avoid stress and build personal resilience…

Maintaining health and happiness at work

Top tips to avoide stress and build personal resilience

The benefit of wellbeing@work:


  • Health related costs are reduced on average by 41%
  • Happy, healthy employees take 41% fewer sick days
  • Employees who are healthy in mind and body stay 80% more "on task" (compared to 40% for unhappy employees)
  • Lower attrition rates - healthy and happy staff are 81% less likely to look for a new job

1. Take a break

Working hour after hour without a break is not productive. Take a break or go for a coffee to clear your mind. Instead of sitting in a meeting room for hours, organise a walk or talk meeting to discuss the topics on the agenda with you colleagues.



2. Build strong, Positive relationships

Get a solid support network around you for reassurance when needed. They will help you have fun together but will also help you solve problems. make time to meet with colleagues, family and friends face to face. Sharing thoughts over drinks or going out for lunch together will lift your mood.



3. Laugh out loud

People tend to lose their sense of humour when stressed, but laughter is the best medicine as it relieves tension. Place a photo of your family, pet or favourite hobby on your desk or on your screen. Science has proven that a quick glance at something you love always makes you smile.



4. Be mindful

Mindfulness will help you focus your attention on your thoughts and emotions, through practices such as meditation. Use tools like guided imagery - a technique that directs the imagination through narration. This is an excellent form of relaxation and combined with deep breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, can be used to reduce your heart rate.




5. Learn from experience

If you make a mistake, accept what has happened and move on. Don't dwell on what could have been and most importantly, don't let it define you.





6. Reduce email overload

Set a zero email ambition to declutter your inbox. Pick up the phone or go and talk to colleagues. Switch off the new email alert, and set allocated times in your diary to look at email. Introduce a social business network, like blueKiwi, to encourage innovation and creativity.

7. Embrace flexible working

In the digital era, we're more connected than ever. Equip yourself with the communication tech and collaboration platforms to work with colleagues virtually, whenever and wherever you are in the world to ensure a better work/life balance.


8. Set yourself goals

Gloals will enable you to measure yourself against personal targets and will give you some direction and drive to know where you're going, both in terms of career and personal objectives.


Learn more about how you can improve your health and happiness in the workplace...


atos.net/wellbeingatwork

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About Marianne Hewlett
View all posts by Marianne Hewlett
Senior Vice President and member of the Scientific Community
Marianne Hewlett is a Senior Vice President at Atos and a seasoned marketeer and communications expert. Passionate about connecting people, technology and business, she is a member of the Atos Scientific Community where she explores the Future of Work and the impact of technology on individuals, organizations and society. She is a strong ambassador for diversity and inclusivity – and particularly encourages female talent to pursue a career in IT – as she believes a diverse and happy workforce is a key driver for business success. As an ambassador for the company’s global transformation program Wellbeing@work, she explores new technologies and ways of working that address the needs of current and future generations of employees. A storyteller at heart, she writes about the human side of business and technology and posts include insights into the future of work, the science of happiness, and how wellbeing and diversity can drive success.

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