Well-being in the workplace

Well-being. Is it just another annoying buzzword, overused on Instagram and soon be consigned to the hashtag dustbin along with #livelovelaugh, #eatclean and #wellness? It does seem to be the latest fashionable concept in the veterinary sector, but I sincerely hope it isn’t just a fad.

Well-being is the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, so it makes perfect sense employers should strive to create environments that support all of those things in the workforce. But how do you do that?

Making little changes

In a fast-paced, changeable job where our clients are faced with financial and emotional decisions in our presence every day, our happiness, health and comfort are always in a state of flux, so no practice can realistically achieve a smug, permanent state of well-being.

What employers, leaders and managers can do is implement measures that colleagues can take advantage of to achieve a sense of well-being whenever possible.

Our practice entered the SPVS Wellbeing Awards 2018 and were delighted we won; though, even if we hadn’t, we benefited greatly from the application process as it highlighted many areas we could make small tweaks to promote healthier lifestyles, open channels of communication, and try to carve out room for recovery from difficult calls in antisocial hours.

Trial initiatives

Here are a few things that we explored to try to promote well-being:

1. A book of nice things

Place a notebook in a prominent place in the office where team members can leave anonymous, positive comments for others. Encourage colleagues to leaf through it when they have time. Good client feedback can also go in the book.

There is, of course, a time and a place for constructive feedback, but this book isn’t for that – it’s only for nice things.

2. It’s not all about cake

Cakes and cookies are great, but how often do you find yourself feeling compelled to snack on them, not because you want to, but because they’re there?

How about a selection of healthier snacks, such as nuts, fruit or yoghurts, freely available in the practice – it helps promote slightly healthier eating without the sugar crash.

3. Ask your team what works for them

We asked willing contributors in the team to give an example of an activity that helps them de-stress then attempted them at our practice meetings. We first tried a three-minute mindfulness session and later had a 30-minute yoga session in the office.

Getting a sense of what others do to take their minds off work was really interesting, and I’m looking forward to trying out things that work for other members of the team.

4. The philosophy board

Our philosophy board allows us to pose questions on the non-clinical aspects of our job. By putting the questions on a whiteboard in the office, the team can make contributions to the discussion in their own time without being on the spot, and we bring the board to meetings.

Sometimes the discussions lead to policies being created, and since we’ve all had an opportunity to provide input, it makes them more understandable and likely to stick. We also use it to have film quote battles, too. We’re not total nerds.

Keeping an open mind

You can check out the Wellbeing Awards website for many great ideas. It’s worth noting that testing and implementing measures to promote well-being in the workplace is helped by colleagues being open-minded about trying new things. However, I think the point should be made to all that no initiative exists alienate them and getting on board is optional.

It goes without saying we are all moved by different things; some would rather stick their head in a bag of eels than meditate, and I acknowledge, while yoga calms me, it may frustrate the living daylights out of someone else.

An inclination to explore and give things a chance helps us all to be that bit more progressive, and I see that as a really positive step for the profession as a whole.