The Future of Well-being - The Holistic Approach

Designing a Well-being strategy for long-term impact requires careful thought and consideration. Every organization will have its own unique set of design requirements and each employee, their own unique needs.

Catering for all individual needs is not realistic, however, we must structure the approach around triggering as many key performance drivers as possible. To achieve this, program designers need to take a step back and view the impact on well-being from a variety of angles and with alignment from a range of internal & external stakeholders.

People

Well-being goes far deeper than simply providing access to exercise and yoga classes. With this in mind, program designers must take the time to consider all aspects of the working environment, including systems, processes, safety etc. that may reflect negatively on performance.

The building

Program design from a "people" perspective, must consider the impact on well-being from two angles. The first of which is the working environment itself, so understanding how the building and interior design aligns with individual tasks and end user needs. Secondly, that the end user understands and uses all relevant design elements to maximize performance.

Services

Services are the linking pin between the needs of the end user and the working environment (including the remote environment). Services must take into account the structural and mechanical management aspect of the working environment. Poor maintenance or services that do not align directly to the needs of the end user can be costly.

Six fundamental Design Considerations for Long-term Impact

Technology and Innovation: Providing the tools to do the job and keeping people and businesses on the leading edge of performance.

Care & Services: Priority number one for any organization should be to foster a 'caring environment' that promotes fun, supportive leadership, flexibility and growth.

Safety, Trust & Security: These are primal needs and not to be neglected especially in these challenging times. As more and more emphasis is placed on remote or agile working environment, this particular theme will become ever more important.

Well-being & Harmony: The majority of people will place well-being and health high on their importance list, yet fail to spend a significant amount of time working on this. This can be for a host of reasons, yet in many cases, it has to do with the fact that there are 'basic need gaps' that must be filled prior to them ever embarking on a well-being program. In my view, as long as there is progress in closing these gaps, well-being gains are being made. These are the foundation blocks for long-term impact.

Drive & Purpose: Once we clear the hurdles associated with closing the 'needs gap', looking after our energy levels & sleep patterns, the sky will no longer become the limit. That said, it is very important that organizations revisit the well-being message periodically to provide that all healthy nudge.

Growth & Development: As I mentioned in point 5, the sky will no longer become the limit, unless of course we forget to maintain some of the basic needs. This is where it pay's to take a step back, evaluate where we stand and realign if necessary.