The 5 keys of workplace wellbeing

Published August 2023 | 6 min read
Expert contributors Valerie Ling, clinical psychologist; Angela Wilcox, Chief Officer People and Culture, HCF
Words by Angela Tufvesson

Positive and productive environments where we feel valued and want to be at work are beneficial for workers and employers alike.

If we can thank the pandemic for one thing, it’s been the dramatic shift in the way we work. Gone is a one-dimensional approach to work-life balance and managing stress, and in its place we now have a greater focus on creating positive and productive environments where we want to be at work.

Workplace wellbeing helps promote and maintain good mental health and performance, and helps to attract and retain great talent, explains clinical psychologist Valerie Ling, director of the Centre for Effective Serving, an organisation that specialises in workplace wellbeing.

"A decade or two ago, workplace wellbeing was just about [trying to have] a work-life balance. It’s now about how we feel as part of our community and the people around us when we are at work," she says.

Whether you’re a worker, manager or business owner, workplace wellbeing can help you make a meaningful, valued contribution in your professional life.

What is workplace wellbeing?

Wherever you work, be it in an office, school, shop or building site, workplace wellbeing is “feeling safe, connected and like you belong at your workplace”, explains Valerie. This helps you perform at your best when you’re on the job and helps you flourish in other aspects of your life, according to the Black Dog Institute. The organisation says that workplaces with high levels of wellbeing can better promote positive mental health. This is especially important as mental illness affects one in five Australians each year and is the leading cause of sickness and absence from work.

What workplace wellbeing looks like depends on your needs and those of your workplace. It might be a focus on flexible working arrangements and managing workloads to avoid burnout, or it may be embracing collaboration, open communication and diversity. Or all of these things.

"It comes down to finding out what's working, what's not and what are one or two things that would really make the biggest impact on you and your team feeling like you're safe, productive and valued," says Valerie.

Why is workplace wellbeing important?

Workplace wellbeing offers a win-win in the workplace. For workers, it promotes a healthy, balanced lifestyle and mental wellbeing. Employers can benefit from engaged workers and greater productivity, with research revealing every $1 spent on improving mental health at work yields up to $4 in return.

"There’s been a substantial evolution in workplace flexibility, which allows us to manage our health, caring responsibilities and lives outside of work. For organisations, prioritising people’s health, safety and psycho-social wellbeing, whether they are working on site or remotely, helps everyone perform at their best," says Angela Wilcox, chief officer people and culture at HCF.

How to measure wellbeing in the workplace

Prioritising fun, social connection and positive behaviour among leaders are signs that a workplace has healthy levels of wellbeing, Angela explains.

"When leaders take regular annual leave, work flexibly, prioritise self-care and model healthy boundaries, it creates an environment where teams feel comfortable doing the same," she says.

If the signs aren’t as obvious at your workplace, Valerie says they may be hiding in the ‘informal layers’ of the organisation. "People might be getting together at lunch or for coffee, or organising Friday night drinks, and this may meet the needs of your workplace," she says.

HCF's new state-of-the-art facility for the Member Services team, Parramatta Place in Sydney's west.

5 keys of workplace wellbeing

Keen to improve wellbeing in your place of work? These strategies will help get you and your organisation started.

1. Integrating work and personal lives

Changes to the way we worked during the pandemic, and the move towards more working from home or hybrid working set-ups, mean that our personal and professional lives have become entwined – and there’s no going back, Valerie says.

"Many organisations are trying to work out how to get people back into the office, and it’s important to look at what’s happening in people’s private lives. We must integrate the two," says Valerie.

In Australia, one in nine people are carers, giving care and support to a child, relative or friend who needs help with their day-to-day living. Many people work full or part time while also being a carer, and having flexible working arrangements can help to manage both these aspects of their lives.

A workplace that values worker wellbeing supports employees at different life stages and ages, and recognises the importance of different aspects of life like parental leave and menopause support and awareness.

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2. Mental health awareness

More than half of people with mental health issues (54%) don’t seek help, and mental health literacy is lower among men, older people, Indigenous Australians and people with lower levels of education, according to a report by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Better mental health and wellbeing awareness can help workers and employers identify and address problems if they arise, and can help reduce the impact on health and productivity. The Black Dog Institute has a toolkit for promoting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, which includes the following guidance:

• Take time to have regular, informal conversations with each member of your team. Regular feedback makes it more likely that you will notice changes in behaviour and performance earlier on if they arise and feel more comfortable asking about their wellbeing and mental health.
• Encourage trusting and respectful communications. Always hold conversations in places that provide privacy and respect.
• Make work meaningful. Having regular conversations about how individual roles contribute towards the overall direction of the organisation can help people feel more connected.
• Set the standard. If you see or hear behaviour or conversations that are inappropriate, intervene promptly.
• Be aware of the behaviour you model and the messages you send – whether you’re a team leader or a team member.
• Acknowledge good work and best practice in your team.
• Offer support through organisational resources and access those resources yourself.

"There's a lot more anxiety and depression circulating through our workplaces, and there’s a need for a more sophisticated understanding of how people are coping with mental illness in the workplace," says Valerie.

3. Human connection

"While people value that their organisations have fully embraced flexibility, we also know that human connection is such an important protective factor for mental health," Angela says.

She explains that within HCF, leaders use a framework to guide in-person collaboration. "We have found that most people want to get together, particularly to onboard, support and coach our new
starters, and also for collaboration, learning and social connection."

It’s also important to make sure physical workspaces embrace human connection. Angela says HCF’s new state-of-the-art facility for the Member Services team, Parramatta Place in Sydney’s west, features an auditorium and dedicated coaching, huddle, collaboration and training spaces.

There’s also an outdoor terrace for breaks and social gatherings, a multi-faith and wellness room and a dedicated exercise room offering online exercise classes.

4. Commitment to community and diversity

Contributing to the community promotes a "moral conscience" and a sense of paying it forward, which helps to encourage workplace wellbeing at a personal and organisational level, Valerie explains.

"Are there opportunities to take days off to volunteer? Does management entertain your feedback and input about sustainability practices? It’s about promoting this sense that you stand for something," she says.

It's also important to accept and celebrate diversity and neurodiversity to promote "trust that a workplace understands gender differences, minority differences and psychological safety of the workforce", says Valerie.

5. Open communication

Creating an environment where everyone can speak openly about challenges, in particular mental health issues, can make huge improvements to workplace wellbeing, says Valerie. Especially in the case of burnout – a serious type of work-related stress that affects a growing number of Australians – she says communication between worker and employer is key.

"Open communication is when you have the safety to say to your manager, ‘This isn't feeling right to me, I’m feeling intimidated, I’m feeling exhausted beyond what I can do, or I feel like my role has changed and can we have a conversation about this?’"

The key is to create an environment where workers and employers feel comfortable bringing up any concerns and there’s a sense that they’ll be able to work towards solutions together.  

Access video counselling

If you need mental health support to help with any work-related issues, eligible members^* can access the HealthyMinds Check-in, which is a telehealth consultation with a registered psychologist from PSYCH2U.

Help for better sleep

Thanks to our partnership with Sleepfit Solutions, eligible HCF members^{^} can get a 20% discount on a 12-month subscription to the Sleepfit app designed to improve your sleep and overall wellbeing.