Today, 8 September, is R U Ok? Day, a day that encourages people to share meaningful conversations with those around them. It’s great to see this day filter from personal to professional as many businesses utilise this as an opportunity to check in on the wellbeing and mental health of their teams.
When thinking about workplace wellbeing, R U Ok? Day is a great time to begin discussions and initiatives, but a year-round approach to wellness in the workplace will foster happy, supported, and empowered teams.
To give you some insights into what other small businesses are doing to promote wellbeing in the workplace, in this article I’ll be exploring how HumanX, a small business located in Sydney, is checking in with staff on R U Ok? Day, and the practices they have in place to support staff all year long.
R U Ok? Day
HumanX HR’s leadership team are encouraging team members to spend their time doing something that brings them joy on this day, while also providing a safe platform to share their experiences. They are utilising Shouta Biz, our digital gifting platform to shout their employees a flexible gift card that can be used anywhere they desire.
Creating a workplace where people feel confident asking and answering “R U OK?” in combination with a sincere and meaningful gesture can help open up important conversations.
Seek out memorable moments
The team make an effort to celebrate memorable moments big or small, recognising and rewarding team members in the moment, instantly. Sometimes this will be a celebration, other times it will be about connecting with challenges and rewarding the participants via Shouta Biz. Working in a geographically dispersed team, finding ways to connect is incredibly important to the team.
Celebrating moments big and small is a great way to motivate and engage staff throughout the year and help them feel as though their efforts are always appreciated.
Asking the team what they want
The leadership team is constantly checking in with employees to ask what they value. Not every employee will share the same values, and what might be important to one person, isn’t to another. Checking in with staff and taking on board feedback is paramount in creating wellness initiatives that work for your employees.
Work-from-anywhere approach
They are re-thinking flexibility and balance with a trust first approach providing employees with the freedom to work where they work best, wherever that may be. They implement structured collaboration days and focused work time. This is an ever-evolving area where they continually strive to do better.
COVID has shown us that flexibility in the workplace is extremely important to employees, and we now know that most jobs can be done from home, or in a hybrid setting. Allowing staff flexibility where possible can be a great opportunity to improve productivity and overall wellbeing.
Respect that wellness looks different for each human
Employee wellness influences all areas of their business, including systems selection, job description, workplace procedures and more.
A holistic approach to wellness that is embedded into every facet of the workplace can set your company apart and help you become an employer of choice.
Nine-day fortnights
The team offers a nine-day work fortnight, and are looking at trialing a four-day work week in the future. Work-life balance is important to everyone, looking at ways to bring more flexibility into the workplace is always a good idea if it works for you and your team.
Mental health and wellbeing impacts every business. A year-round approach to wellness in the workplace is vital. Mental health and emotional fitness educator, Bill Carson said, “If you have more than three or four employees, it’s extremely likely at least one of them is experiencing mental health challenges. Right now it’s the number one cause of work absence and incapacity.”
When thinking about how to implement wellness initiatives in your workplace, checking in with staff to find out what is important to them is a great place to start. Why not begin the conversations today, R U Ok? Day, by asking staff how they are really doing.
