10 workplace wellbeing boosters

1.  You, your attitude, behavioural patterns and thinking processes ?

That’s right, you alone could be the most powerful wellbeing booster. You along with your attitude and actions that you take not only in a workplace, but in general. Ironically, however, oftentimes we are the ones dragging ourselves down.

We see our work in a particular way. The most important thing to learn is that our thoughts don’t reflect objective reality. They are subjective, therefore others could perceive our situation completely differently. Still, their point of view isn’t any more objective than ours. But, interestingly, we, ourselves, are capable of changing the perspective and seeing things in a new light.

Imagine that you feel bored at work. Tasks seem to be the same all the time and nothing new happens. You don’t get to learn anything either. You can go blaming your employer straight away and think that the sole satisfactory solution would be to change your job. What if you tried to change your workflow, instead? To approach tasks differently, to set some benchmarks for yourself and raise them higher. It might be that there are other tasks you could take care of if you just ask. Maybe your employer would be happy to pay for some training that would help you in your work if you just suggested one. You can’t always wait for others to think about your needs, especially when you don’t communicate them.

Apart from trying to see things more objectively, questioning them and trying to proactively find solutions you can improve your wellbeing in many ways by making small adjustments. In the course of this article, I will share with you some tips on how to do it exactly. It doesn’t mean at any rate that employers or HR Specialists shouldn’t care. It’s part of their job to care about you, but bear in mind that your workplace wellbeing lies in your hands as well. You can take action anytime and not only by deciding between leaving this job and starting a new one. Taking action isn’t limited to asking others either. Changes you make within your attitude, behavioural patterns and thinking processes are the most powerful ones.

2.  Communication ?

Transparency, Openness and Feedback-friendly culture are a must. You probably have heard it over a million times, but it doesn’t change the fact that people still don’t put it into practice. They choose to listen selectively to what they want to hear, instead of having someone’s wellbeing in mind.

Giving and receiving effective feedback (not the one that only serves as an emotional outlet) benefits your job performance along with the meaningfulness of your work. If you don’t receive any, just ask your teammates. If you find their feedback not helpful enough, try to ask more open-ended questions. Apart from that, you can encourage others by setting a feedback-friendly example yourself.

The other thing standing in the way of your wellbeing could be complaining. Complaining seems to be harmless, even seems to be advisable when you want to break the ice with someone. When you make complaining your habit, however, it can immensely accentuate your job downsides and create a dreadful perspective in which you don’t see your accomplishments. Don’t fall into that negative thinking spiral and try to share with others some positive thoughts. Being proud, successful, or just happy doesn’t make you a braggart. It can make you feel more satisfied with your life, though.

3.  Relationships and teamwork ???‍??‍?

Firstly, some of you might still believe that one should maintain strictly “professional” relationships with his colleagues. Between tasks and deadlines, however, we still have relationships with those around us and it’s up to us whether we make them enjoyable (and still effective), or stiff, tense, and shallow ones. Being kind and friendly doesn’t stop you from being effective. Rather, it’s the other way around. Not only will you be more motivated to just come to work, but you will probably find support and feedback whenever you need it. We spend far too much time at work not to enjoy it. If you don’t know how to start connecting with people, which is obviously difficult given that right now people mostly still work from home, you can talk with HR specialists and let them organize a meeting. If this option doesn’t suit you, invite one colleague for a meeting or if you feel like it, initiate a small gathering of people. Start small and without burdening expectations, just try to have a pleasant time with your teammates.

Secondly, as much as you care about your responsibilities and successes, do not forget about your teammates and their needs. Even if someone works in a completely different department, don’t neglect his contribution to your firm’s success. Everyone is important in an organization. You are not only a member of your project team, but also a member of the bigger team (your company as a whole). Treat everyone equally, their position notwithstanding.

4.  Leadership ?‍♂️?‍♀️

It’s not easy to find a good leader, so when you do find one, don’t forget to appreciate him. Criticizing comes almost naturally to us, thus we should use it wisely. If we notice that our leader doesn’t manage tasks effectively, then let him know, but please do so in a constructive way. It’s about communication all over again.

If your team lacks a leader, maybe you could become one. Taking on this responsibility might seem intimidating, but it can be something you excel at. Seeking opportunities to grow and to inspire others could promote not only your wellbeing but also your colleagues’.

5.  Recognition ?

You know this warm feeling after someone thanked you for doing a great job? After a while you find yourself driving back home still thinking about it, smiling. Yet, too rarely people are willing to open themselves so as to praise someone, especially when nobody praised them in the first place. Positive feedback helps to grow and stay motivated, increases job satisfaction, and promotes a conducive atmosphere in a workplace. The good news is that if you give someone recognition, he is highly liable to do the same in the future. Nobody praised you when you did good? If it’s not part of your organization’s culture they might never do so, unless you show them how it is done. In fact, giving and receiving positive feedback is a mutually enjoyable experience. Give it a try ?

6.  Fairness ⚖

Apart from giving people recognition they deserve, there is also a question of assuming responsibility for things that didn’t turn out as they should have. If you can’t get yourself to do so, think about what is stopping you from accepting your blame. Are there people waiting for you to slip? Toxic relationships are toxic as long as you let them be. Nobody can win in such a configuration. Being fair both stems from and results in self-confidence. It shows you as someone trustworthy and ambitious. When someone wants your failure, then be above it, thus defeating him in his own game. Learn from your mistakes and let others learn from them. It is hard to learn when you don’t even admit it. There is nothing to be ashamed of unless you foolishly don’t accept the guilt or repeat your mistakes countless times.

7.  Challenges and Growth ?

What can you do if you feel stuck, without chances to grow? Your job isn’t challenging anymore? Sure, you could try it somewhere else. But you are not obliged to wait for someone or something to challenge you. Who can know better what there is to improve than you? Set yourself personal goals both short-term and long-term, analyse your situation, define your strengths and weaknesses. Work on your skills and develop new ones, having in mind what path you would like to take in the future. You can do all that at your current work. Don’t postpone your growth in search of a convenient trigger.

8.  Meaningfulness ?

Sometimes organizational mission and values are well defined, thus facilitating finding meaning in your work (or sometimes confusing you even more). Other times you struggle to grasp what actually is your purpose and role within this firm. You can find yourself questioning your contribution’s value. Many people feel as though they don’t have any influence on a firm’s success. Nonetheless they spend many hours hunched over their desks, feeling more and more meaningless. There are some remedies to this, for example feedback and recognition that you already know of. Moreover, setting goals, developing strategy and mastering task management can come in handy. The very first thing you can do is to list down your responsibilities and see what connects them and how you can measure them. Don’t hesitate to ask someone about their responsibilities. Socializing is not only enjoyable, but also immensely informative. Staying connected with people adds up to a meaningful work environment for you can see a bigger picture (and smaller one at the same time). So, you get to better understand relationships within your firm and causal effects of your actions on individuals and the whole organization.

9.  Autonomy ?

Doing solely what you are told and in a way that someone else came up with can effectively hinder your growth. Sometimes you have plenty of autonomy (or even too much) and oftentimes you don’t and you feel like you have to report every bit of your work and obtain consent for everything. Becoming a specialist means that you are taking more and more independent decisions. If it is not happening, then, again, I would advise to approach it proactively. This is about turning off a fixed mindset and realizing that we feel as we feel not because someone is forcing us to work this way, but because we are acting and interacting in a certain way. Of course, the way we act depends on how others interact with us (and many other factors), but that doesn’t mean that is unchangeable. It is a reciprocal interaction. If we change the way we work or communicate, the second part will try to adjust its behaviour. We have the power to change our work environment.

10.   Flexibility ?‍♀️

Sometimes in order to find a workflow that suits us best we have to test it, but it doesn’t necessarily imply change of job. Small adjustments can work wonders. Flexibility can not only boost your wellbeing but also job performance. Your company might be more or less flexible. Whereas how flexible you are at work depends mainly on you.

Some flexibility enhancing ideas:

?‍♂️ If working from home works best for you, prove it to your boss by running a performance analysis. Usually remote and in office work have their unique pros and cons so consider including them both in your workflow (it might be easier to start working remotely for just one day a week and then increase the frequency).

?‍♂️ Another type of contract of employment might ameliorate your workflow’s flexibility.

?‍♂️ Breaks can increase productivity and cognitive flexibility but try to spend them in an enjoyable or relaxing manner. Don’t start eating your lunch while still on a business call – that’s not a break.

Final Thoughts

In this article I share with you some thoughts on how to improve your wellbeing by making small adjustments within ourselves and our environment.

I decided to do so, because repeatedly I see people with great possibilities who limit themselves by making negative assumptions. Feeling helpless, powerless is overwhelming and makes us run from problems. Oftentimes it means going from one job to another and falling into the exact same scheme and then running off again.

Sometimes the workplace environment is amazingly conducive and as a wellbeing officer I prioritize wellness of employees. However, if you choose not to seek reason behind your dissatisfaction (apart from external and not malleable ones) and refuse to work on potential solutions, then you might fall into that scheme, where you are constantly searching for something better without actually knowing what it is that you need. The grass will always be greener on the other side, if you don’t take any constructive action.