Constant Corporate Communication: Has 9 to 5 become 24/7?

These days, your corporate wellness is almost inextricably linked to your entire wellbeing; if things are going well at work your home life is better, while workplace stress sneakily feeds its way into your relationships and personal time. Somehow, work has infiltrated your entire life, whether it’s because of the constant emails to your smart phone, or the joint efforts of the media and your education which urges you to become as good as or better than the next person. It’s not the nine to five anymore; work is omnipresent.

 

It’s easy to see how this inability to escape the stresses of work can wreak havoc on your wellness; persistent high levels of stress can result in all kinds of health problems such as a weaker immune system, headaches, stiff muscles and even issues with your sexual health. Then there are the mental health problems; feelings of insecurity, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating and growing dependence on unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g. smoking, drinking and overeating.) Put that all together, and you’ve got the recipe for a downfall.

 

According to Michael Hogg, author of The Age-Nostic Man: The Secrets of Anti-Ageing for Men, some employers believe that workers should reduce their own stress levels by making more of an effort to care for their own health and simplify their lives. ‘I have certainly seen cases where the chief cause of stress has been a company and the behaviour of its management,’ Hogg notes. ‘More men are realising that work is not the only source of fulfillment in their life, which can be a major help in fighting against stress. More of us are looking for greater flexibility just as much as women. However, with an ever-changing society, flexibility is becoming much more apparent and not always easy to organise.’

 

The truth is it’s not as simple as pointing the finger at your work and shouting “that’s the culprit”. You mental health is a balancing act which is affected by a number of different factors. For example, you may have been born with less favourable genes when it comes to mental health, or you may have experienced a major emotional trauma such as losing your job or a loved one. Then there’s the inward pressure you put on yourself – how often do you push yourself to achieve unattainable goals and targets? You may be surrounded by others who inadvertently add to your stress by pressuring you to achieve or do things. Your partner, family members or friends want the best for you, but may be taxing your mental health by encouraging this.

 

While there are these factors at play in your mental health, there are elements that you can control. As a society, we celebrate “hard workers” and, in this economy, working as hard as you can and getting enough money to support your family is certainly a concern. However, as this inward and outward pressure is taking its toll on your health and personal life, you need to find a happy medium. Hogg elucidates, ‘I did meet a business author and small-time entrepreneur recently who started his own business in his late 30s just so he could have greater control over his own work-life relationship. He had several opportunities to grow the small central operation but declined each time…Making it larger would mean him spending more time doing the things he didn’t want to do.’

 

You don’t have to quit and start a business just to get a better work-life balance. This weekend, try to cut yourself off from all technology, and take the time to think and re-set your priorities. List the things that make up your life, and prioritise them in terms of what will be important to you over the next 10 years. You won’t have solved your problems by Sunday evening, but focusing on what’s important to you will help to frame your future behaviours.

Categories: health, health problems, life, Mental Health, Priorities, Stress, technology, time, work, work life

How Much Exercise Do You Need to Do? Well, It Depends…

How much exercise do you need to do a week to lose weight? It’s a simple question, and don’t we all wish there was a simple answer? Unfortunately, weight loss wellness isn’t a matter of a one-size-fits-all rule or equation; it depends on you as an individual. Life, health and people are complicated, and so there are many variables that determine how exercise affects your wellbeing.

 

1. Your goals: You might want to lose a few pounds just to get into that new dress, or you may be going for a full body revamp. Everyone has different goals, and this means that the amount of exercise that’s right for you will be different to what everyone else needs.

 

2. Your level of motivation: What’s motivating you towards your goals? Are you looking forward to looking better? Feeling fitter? Overcoming a medical condition? Whatever it is, you need to choose a motivation, as this will help determine how much exercise you will need to do.

 

3. Your current fitness level: Let’s be realistic; if you’ve never exercised in your life, you’re not going to be able to start intense, hour-long gym sessions or start running marathons. You need to work out how much you’re actually able to do, and then build on this progress with time. Maybe your goals or motivations say you need to do X amount of exercise at Y intensity, but you need to gradually get yourself to that point first.

 

4. Your energy levels: This is similar to your fitness level, but your energy level is how much exercise your body can cope with each day. This variable will change over time, as you’ll have more energy the more you exercise, so, again, it’s all about building your way up to it.

 

5. Your time: You may want to exercise for a few hours a day, but if you’re juggling work, family and having some sort of a life, it’s just not possible. This means you might need a few creative solutions, like working out when your kids are asleep or when you’re on your lunch break. You could try involving the family in the fitness plan or just exercising more efficiently by yourself. If you don’t have time for an hour-long walk, try jogging or running in the time you can spare.

 

6. Your priorities: Even with the best of intentions, you’re not going to achieve your fitness goals if, on some level, you believe there are more important things in life than exercise, or you feel selfish for spending all that time on yourself. The truth is, your health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance; as these serve as the firm foundation for everything else you do. Being fit and strong gives you the energy to be a better parent, friend, spouse and worker, and to follow other productive pursuits instead of slouching in front of the TV.

 

7. Your programme: The exercises you chose will determine how much you need to do to achieve your goals, both on a weekly basis and in the long-run. Some activities burn more energy, and some have a longer lasting effect on how much your body will burn even when you stop exercising. The optimum programme will include aerobic exercise (such as walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming and martial arts) and strength training exercise (like weight training, resistance band exercise and circuit training). This is because the former burn the most in-workout calories, while the latter increases the amount of energy your body burns at rest and during everyday activities.

Categories: energy, exercise, fitness level, Goals, hour long, nbsp, Priorities, time

Stand Up for Yourself: Finding “Me Time” As a Teacher

Contrary to popular belief, teachers don’t finish work at 3pm, or spend the entire summer holiday period at the beach. You get up early, set up your classroom, spend all day with children – which isn’t everyone’s idea of fun – then you tidy up, go to meetings, do your marking, plan your lessons for the next day, oh, and try to have some sort of home life too. If a work-life balance is vital to corporate wellness, then teachers need a helping hand more than most!

Prioritise – Write down everything that’s important to you, including your family life, interests and, yes, work. Decide when you’re going to dedicate your time to each thing. That way, you’ll be able to see if it’s more vital that you take your kids to see a film, or whether you need to spend more time on your lesson planning for that monitored session.

Be firm – If you don’t have time or the ability to do something at work, tell people politely and firmly. It can be hard to say no, but once you do it one time it gets easier (and you can always offer to help out on another occasion.)

Set aside Me Time – You’re not just a teacher, a parent or a friend; you’re you! As an individual, you need to fight for your time just to be you, so schedule it in! This could mean meditating, reading your book, sitting outside and watching the clouds go by, or even going for a run to get those wellbeing-boosting endorphins pumping.

Change your internal monologue – If you’re the kind of person who stresses “If I don’t get this marking done, I won’t be able to see my friends this weekend,” rearrange your perspective. Try saying, “I’ll just finish this marking and then I’ll contact my friends.” Negative colleagues can breed negative thoughts, so try not to get involved in too much ranting and venting behaviour. Sometimes you need to let off steam, but the perpetual moaners will bring you down. In a similar vein, don’t spend your time fretting about future problems or “what ifs”; the problems that you know already exist are the only ones you can influence.

Categories: Me Time, Priorities, teacher

Would You Give Up Money or Stability for Work-Life Balance?

Work-life balance is the pinnacle of corporate wellness; that delicate equilibrium of career, family and individual time. However, not only is work-life balance the ideal you strive for, it’s a must-have employment condition workers are demanding over attractive pay packets. This is according to a survey by recruitment business OneShift, which found that 45% of us rank work-life balance as the number one priority for any job.

 

The results of the study revealed that just 20% of workers see remuneration as the top priority and 26% believe contribution to career development is the crucial factor at work. But surely job stability would win out over the ability to finish the work day at 3pm? Not according to the 1,500 people surveyed; 69% reported that they would trade the security of full-time employment for a job with flexible work hours, and some of the respondents had even resigned from jobs that couldn’t offer flexibility. 7% threw in the towel due to poor work-life balance, while 8% felt forced out because of horrible bosses.

 

OneShift managing director Gen George, 22, commented on why today’s workforce is shunning the traditional nine to five jobs in favour of shift work, job sharing, contract and part-time work. George noted, ‘There is an emerging shift towards prioritising work-life balance. Being able to have the power of choice and have flexibility is so important.’ This shift is the most prominent in the Gen Y demographic, as fewer and fewer of those born after the 1980s stick with the ideal of buying a house and staying there until it’s paid off. George explained, ‘They’re in love with the idea of jumping on a plane to live and work anywhere they like. It’s all about getting out there and seeing new things.’

 

George hatched the idea for OneShift while waiting for a month to start a job working on a boat in the south of France. She had postponed university to live and work in Europe for eight months from June 2012, but became frustrated at the lack of shiftwork sites for casual workers, and so set up a similar site when she returned home. With the new survey results under her belt, George now hopes to further cater for the workforce’s demands for flexible hours, by integrating a 12-month calendar into each job-seeker’s profile so they can block out any days or weeks they may be unavailable.

Categories: generation Y, Priorities, Research

Organise, Realise, Prioritise: Using Your Time Wisely

According to Marcia Wieder, a leading expert on visionary thinking, ‘One of the most frequent, burning questions I get asked by my clients is how to effectively balance their career and family…Our home and work worlds are constantly changing and colliding, expanding and contracting – as does the tide. You can, however, put systems in place to help organise your career and bring more harmony to your home while still taking amazing care of your family so that everyone is happy (including you).’

Restoring a work-life balance begins with organisation. While you may already have a calendar at work for meetings, projects and deadlines, having one at home can help you keep family wellness in place. Have a calendar or white board visible to your entire family, so that everyone can fill in important dates, grocery lists, doctor appointments, etc. This will make it easier to plan your day at work.

However, you need to be realistic about what you and your family can expect. You may want a high-flying career, time together as a family, time for just you and your spouse, good diet and exercise, a spotless house and personal time, but something’s got to give. Tell yourself it’s ok if the laundry piles up for a few days or the oil doesn’t get changed at 3,000 miles. Just because something doesn’t get done, it doesn’t mean your world has fallen apart.

Yet, when you’re setting your goals, you should think long and hard about your priorities. With your work and home calendars sorted, you may want to use those spare blocks of time here and there for finishing reports or getting ahead of the game, but remember that corporate wellness also means knowing when to stop working. If you have a space on the calendar when you’re all free, even if it’s for 20 minutes, do something as a family such as making food together or going for a walk. If the kids are at a party or sleepover, take that time to recharge your batteries or nourish your relationship. Whether you simply have a bath or go out for dinner, those moments can make it far easier to go to work the next day.

Categories: Organisation, Priorities, realistic expectations