In the desperation and opportunities posed by the mental health challenges, the wellbeing industry is thriving.
'The high vibes tribe is well-meaning but ultimately shallow' - Colleen Godfrey
Are we expecting too much from Corporate Wellness Programs?
Corporate wellness programs are often met with mixed reception. Some see them as a welcome and long overdue recognition of the critical role of work in managing health. Others see them as a suspicious attempt by the organisation to keep them happy and compliant and justify ridiculous workloads. An example of such a critique can be found here.
There’s the uncomfortable truth. Wellness Programs, such as those including yoga, gym membership, health guest speaker events and meditation classes, sometimes come across as the panacea for all ills. The availability of such initiatives can be relied on by managers to the extent they tune out to more subtle cues and patterns that are best detected in the bump and grind of regular work rhythms.
That’s not the role of managers, right? Traditionally, no. With the mental health crisis and devastating chronic illness trends, this is changing. People managers and leaders across the board are being called on to dig deeper and connect wider into their organisations ecosystems and culture.
Workplace Wellness is not a game of Lego
Workplace wellness programs are usually an add-on and therefore struggle to penetrate deeply and influence the underlying characteristics of organisations. They are designed on broad brush assumptions that reflect populist notions of health and wellness and typically try to redress mechanistic work systems designed around the needs of numbers, bureaucracy and technology.
These programs cannot shelter staff from the ever present fear that their jobs will be terminated. They cannot reduce the threat posed by external markets and changes to regulations nor offer clarity of roles and responsibilities when the goal posts keep moving faster than the systems that support them can adapt. It is impossible to design and deliver programs at scale that take into account the needs of particular groups or business functions.
It’s not all bad news.
What can Leaders do?
1. Model balanced discussion on wellness. There are trade offs we make and difficult work life balance choices that inevitably upset others. Sometimes the glass is half empty. Overdoing positivity can leave people feeling worse and rob attention from generating other options and conversations. Sometimes working a late night can be the best way for a single parent who is homeschooling to get the real work done. This calls for a conversation about deep rest.
The Opposite of Toxic Positivity is 'tragic optimism': the search for meaning during the inevitable tragedies of human existence, and is better for us than avoiding darkness and trying to ‘stay positive’ (Scott Barry Kaufman from Victor Frankl's Mans Search for Meaning).
2. Invest in self-inquiry and reflection.
Self-enquiry involves taking responsibility for our beliefs, choices, and perceptions and noticing how these bias how we interpret other people and events. Time and energy spent in sound shadow work practices is directly related to our capacity to hold space for others. Shadow work recognises we keep parts of ourselves that we fear would not be welcomed, accepted, or loved by others. These figurative shadows influence our decision making and ability to recognise and attune to other peoples’ communication. Listen to Jordan Peterson's account of how your shadow can show itself in an inability to say no.
3. Model deep rest (not all rest is equal!) The restorative value of a binge weekend at home with Netflix does not have the same effect as a weekend holiday in the bush. Time off may mean making up the lost time with your children and catching up with what they need. Some of these cherished activities do not offer a deep rest. The best understanding of deep rest is found in oriental medicine and high performance sports.
As my Aikido Sensei writes, deep rest creates living calmness. Living calmness is where we can be very still but immediately able to sprint into action if needed. This contrasts to dead calmness which appears calm but is effectively energetic collapse or avoidance.
4. Reframe work communications arising from a sense of powerlessness, fear and disconnection. Jokes about working late at night and not having time for holidays feed the old narrative. Jokes are also funny but remember people joke when they are struggling and when teams are burnt out, this joke becomes a catch cry instead of an effective call for help. Leaders are attuned to interconnectedness and our call to service requires speaking out of turn and actively make time to not turn a blind eye. Time-off and saying no can be a sign of commitment to sustainable work and productivity.
A message for you
Despite the remonstration to speak up if you are struggling, it’s all too human to assume this applies to other people and not you. Learning to ask for help is a whole new set of circuitry that requires practice in an environment of safety, warmth and resonance often over a period of months. Wellness Programs and wellness banter can be like a booster shot. This is a test of patience as our culture ruptures into these new ways of working.
My recent article on Your Wellness Cohorts touches on the varying needs of different staff members. Knowing where you, your close teams and communities currently fit can help identify a more customised wellness approach.
Feel free to share your comments on this post. You can contact me at kate@katemcneill.com
McLean, K. (2016) Harmony is Success. A&A Book Book Publishing
Photos: Getty Images
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