When the severity of the Covid-19 crisis was becoming apparent and we were told we were heading into the first lockdown, we heard often that we were ‘all in the same boat’.
I found that analogy unhelpful. During this pandemic we've gone through some exceptional changes and challenges. This has impacted people in so many different ways. So I think it is much more helpful to say that we're in the same storm, but we're all in very different boats.
Wellbeing isn’t one-size-fits-all
It’s vitally important that this is recognised in the workplace. A one-size-fits-all approach to employee wellbeing won’t be truly effective, for the very reason that we all react in our own way to life’s challenges.
For example, for some people the pandemic has brought health anxiety. For others, it’s meant financial worries. For others still it’s caused pressure on family life, perhaps because of working from home, added caring responsibilities or home-schooling. We're all dealing with different challenges under the same heading of Covid-19.
This is why, if a workplace wellbeing programme is to be truly effective, firstly leaders need to be supported to talk about mental health in the workplace. They need to be given the skills to recognise that their team members might be in distress or struggling.
Empowering your teams
Employees should be empowered to understand, acknowledge and take responsibility for their own wellbeing, and provided with the tools and resources to so. We also need to recognise that there are many different learning styles, so a workplace wellbeing programme needs to take account of this too.
Whether your business is in ‘survive’ mode or you’re working back up to ‘thrive’, build in time for your staff to focus on wellbeing - and build a culture where good mental health is seen as central for everyone.
Above all, remember - we may all be weathering the same storm, but your employees may well be in many different boats.
Beam Development & Training supports clients from large corporates to freelancers with wellbeing. We offer a range of workplace wellbeing packages, from fully-bespoke programmes delivered in-house, to our eLearning Wellbeing Library featuring a full range of on-demand workshops and courses - all featuring a range of learning styles.