Danger, Wellbeing Initiative Ahead

Aware of the fact that the title is clearly clickbait, this is a subject that requires an amount of what Keats called a negative capability. Clearly the idea that companies should spend time talking about worker wellbeing is not a bad one, it’s a good one, however there’s often a huge elephant in the room when it comes to these initiatives. The danger comes from the fact that many leaders are promoting wellness initiatives whilst presiding over the workplace repertoire that is causing the wellbeing problems in the first place, and ignoring that fact completely. All over the world there are time consuming, energy sapping, and most infuriatingly, patronising initiatives being delivered to people whose choice seems to be endure or leave, but if you choose to endure we’re going to give you a “happiness calendar” (yes that is a real thing provided on a real major project) where we will give you some suggestions like “enjoy photo’s from a happy time” which will offset the torpor of the current environment.

There is plenty of scientific support for most of the solid suggestions put forward in the wellbeing initiatives, and there is great work being done by great people in that space. The big BUT here, is that if the current culture/environment is causing the problems, concentrating on wellness schemes is putting a tissue on a gaping wound.