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11 May 2020
by Mike Blake

How to ensure your physical and mental wellbeing strategies are joined up

Emotional wellbeing and physical wellbeing are not one and the same, but neither are they mutually exclusive.

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Research has shown that physical wellbeing and emotional wellbeing are intrinsically linked, so it would be remiss of companies to take a disparate, fragmented approach to wellbeing. 

As we continue to traverse unchartered waters, support for employees’ mental and physical needs will become even more of a pressing issue for employers. 

By taking a more joined-up approach and forging strategies that are interconnected rather than stand-alone, companies can enjoy a more emotionally resilient and physically well workforce. 

The link between stress and lifestyle choices

The Global Benefits Attitudes Survey from Willis Towers Watson found that 61% of employees with high levels of stress are likely to eat unhealthily, exercise infrequently, smoke and suffer a lack of sleep. This compares with just 34% of those with low level stress.

The research found that more than three quarters (77%) of highly-stressed workers eat unhealthily, compared with less than half (46%) of those with low levels of stress, and only 46% of highly-stressed workers exercise regularly, compared to 71% of their less-stressed colleagues.

The study found that overall, highly-stressed workers were eight times more likely to be unhealthy than those with minimal stress – poor health being cited by almost one-in-five (17%) highly-stressed respondents, compared with just 2% with those with low stress levels.

A clear relationship exists between stress and unhealthy lifestyle. The negative psychological, emotional and physical impact of stress on individuals can be considerable, leading, amongst other things, to low energy levels, muscle tension, headaches and feelings of anxiety. Such effects serve only to discourage healthy physical behaviours such as exercise – a medically-recommended antidote to stress – causing a cyclical problem. 

Other factors are at play

But it is not just stress that is contributing to poor physical health and unhealthy lifestyle choices. 

According to Willis Towers Watson’s Health and Benefits Barometer, almost half (47%) of workers in the UK believe that their job prevents them from losing weight. 

Half (49%) of workers who said their job hindered weight-loss said long working hours prevented them from going to the gym.

Other top reasons included having a sedentary job (40%), and long working hours stopping them from shopping for healthy food or preparing healthy meals (27%).

Indeed, work-related stress features high on the reasons given by workers, with 45% saying it fuelled unhealthy food choices and 26% saying it caused a lack of motivation to go to the gym.   

Weight loss will not be a priority for all workers but it is clear that the work environment is not conducive to employees achieving their health and fitness goals – in fact, it can be a hindrance.

This further highlights the need for employers to take an integrated approach to health and wellbeing.  Many factors are at play when it comes to why workers make poor lifestyle choices – or why they are stressed – and the reasons can be complex. 

Tackling the issues head-on

In order to take decisive action and effect real change, employers can look to take a two-pronged approach. 

First of all, companies can look at how to address the root cause of employers’ issues, be these emotionally or physically linked – or both.   

Companies can drill down into employee data, be it employee surveys or absence data, to determine what the stressors or workplace barriers to healthy lifestyles are. By reviewing this data through the lens of both emotional and physical wellbeing, rather than taking a ‘silo mentality’, companies can more easily identify the core health-related issues of their unique employee population, and ‘spidergram’ the secondary, linked issues. 

Proactive steps can be taken to mitigate identified issues, such as offering access to stress management apps, and workplace adjustments can be made, such as introducing flexible working patterns. 

Secondly, employers should look at how they can take a more overarching, preventative approach to health and wellbeing, whilst ensuring that emotional and physical wellbeing are not seen as separate entities.   

A culture of wellbeing must be fostered to achieve this goal, as employees must feel supported in their aim to lead healthier lives and be comfortable in being open and honest about their emotional wellbeing. 

Employers can demonstrate their support by offering a variety of benefits that are proportionate to the needs identified by the employee population. For example, if employees identify a more pressing need for support with their physical health, benefits such as cut-price gym memberships, cycle-to-work schemes, onsite fitness classes and healthy food in the workplace initiatives, could help boost physical wellbeing, which can subsequently drive down stress levels.

If stress is the prevalent issue, companies could focus more on benefits that support emotional wellbeing, such as counselling services, EAPs and resilience training, which could then lead to opportunities to promote and engage affected employees in serotonin-boosting physical initiatives and activities. 

Measuring the effectiveness of these initiatives on both physical and emotional wellbeing will be integral to their success, and regularly taking the pulse of the workplace to identify changes in need is important.  

Emotional and physical wellbeing cannot be taken in isolation and companies must focus on the whole picture in order to make positive strides. If one aspect of wellbeing is deemed more important, or of more significance, it will be to the detriment of the other. In other words, balance is key.   

The author is Mike Blake, wellbeing lead at Willis Towers Watson.

This article is provided by Willis Towers Watson.

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