Tag: Wellbeing

If you haven’t heard of the rise of the ‘conscious clubbing’ culture, it’s time to get your head around the idea of sober, early morning raves. Yes you heard us, these morning parties, coined as the ‘healthy way to enjoy a party without drugs or alcohol’ have been taking off in recent years. Morning Gloryville are just one team hosting early morning raves across London to wake you up before work – and when they came to our neck of the woods to celebrate their 4^th Birthday we couldn’t resist.

While most of us were struggling to get out of bed last Thursday, a couple of members from the Jump team joined over 1,000 other party goers at the Morning Gloryville birthday bash on a rooftop beach in Brixton. We arrived at 7am and were perked up with glitter, coffee, healthy shakes and Rawsome vegan snacks. As we made our way onto the dance floor (in this case a sandy beach) we found yoga classes, massage angels and a welcome team offering hugs. The party attracted people of all ages in their beach themed party gear, with some as young as toddlers getting on stage to enjoy a guest performance from none other than Fat Boy Slim.

So what are the benefits? Early morning parties do wonders for your personal wellbeing, which is all about how happy and healthy you feel, by getting you to dance and enjoy yourself in in a playful and fun environment far detached from your day to day. Partying sober, also known as ‘detox dancing’, encourages a shift away from alcohol-fuelled evening fun. Getting up early and heading to a rave certainly challenged my daily routine, boosted my mood and woke me up for the day. We can see why conscious clubbing has such a big following – and will definitely be attending next time. 

At Jump we know how important it is to promote personal wellbeing among your employees to create a happy and sustainable working environment. We’re experts in changing behaviour towards health and wellbeing using our incentive schemes, web platforms and communications campaigns, which is why Universities and companies across the UK are working with us to engage their staff.

Find out more about the Jump programme.

On average, we spend at least 50% of our waking hours at work. But are we really awake? A lot of us sit at our desks for so long that our body starts to shut itself off, leading to physical and emotional fatigue as well as the daily post-lunch battle to keep your eyelids open. The good news is we can take positive steps to try and counteract this tiredness! 

Here are some daily actions that can contribute to a happier, more fulfilled work life: 

Don’t sit still for too long.

I had a teacher at school who, if she saw the slightest hint of a yawn, would make you stand up and do 10 star jumps in front of the whole class. As humiliating as this was, it actually worked. I would be more alert and focused for the rest of the class. NHS advice tells us that when you sit down for a long period of time, certain parts of your body start to shut down. Less blood and oxygen get to your brain, which leads to lower brain activity and poor focus and concentration. So in between tasks, get up and walk around the office, stretch and get blood flowing to your brain! 

Go for a walk during your lunch break.

Another great way to get moving is to go for a walk during your lunch break. Taking walks – especially in parks or nature – is not only conducive to a creative, sharp, and concentrated mind but has also been proven to reduce stress, improve mood, and reduce social isolation. It’s also important to get outside the office and give your mind some time to relax and take a break from emails and answering phone calls. Enjoying those small moments of calm is essential for looking after your mental health and wellbeing. 

Get enough rest.

There are so many reasons why sleep is important for the healthy functioning of both your body and mind. Physical and emotional wellbeing are highly dependent on sleep and the more you sleep, the better you will be at making decisions, solving problems, unleashing creativity and feeling in control of your emotions. So switch the TV off early and make sure you get at least 6-8 hours of restful sleep to feel happier, healthier and more alert at work.

Cut down on stimulants.

While it’s tempting to reach for the caffeine and sugar every morning, try not to overdo consumption in either of these areas. Research has shown that high doses of sugar and caffeine lead to the inevitable crash a few hours later, usually after lunch when your body is working hard to digest your food as well. Instead, keep your brain hydrated with plenty of water! 

Get the office engaged and incentivised!

As we spend so much of our lives at work, it is really important that you feel stimulated and motivated in your work environment. One way to do this is to engage with other staff. Don’t hide behind your computer screen all day – connect with colleagues not just outside of work but also in and around the office. A great way to get staff talking is through workplace schemes that encourage friendly competition. Our Jump scheme incentivises staff to engage in activities that promote wellbeing and sustainability in the office by rewarding them for hitting their environmental and wellbeing targets. It’s a great way to get the office talking and engaging with each other.

Find out our more about the Jump Programme

Employee engagement is a buzzword that has been around for a long time, but what does it actually mean, and what are the benefits to organisations?

There are many ways an organisation can engage its employees.  This article explores both the theory and practice, especially in relation to the social side of sustainability. I’ll highlight two best practice examples from this vast galaxy of programs, initiatives, and missions, one from either side of the Atlantic, one a niche NGO and the other a high profile brand.

Whilst there are hundreds of definitions of this field, a particularly well- rounded one comes from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Engagement is: “being positively present during the performance of work by willingly contributing intellectual effort, experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connections to other”. They make a useful distinction between emotional engagement (driven by a desire to do more for an organisation) and transactional engagement (drive to earn a living and progress).An influential book in this field is Drive. The author Daniel H Pink looks at the science of motivation, and concludes that extrinsic ‘carrot and stick’ drivers are very 20th century. He encourages organisations to focus on three intrinsic motivators, or emotional engagement as defined by the CIPD, that can be summarised as autonomy, mastery and purpose.  Employee engagement connected to sustainability is, of course, particularly useful for boosting purpose as a motivator, as is demonstrated in the two case studies following. 

Engagement Benefits 

Whole books have been written on the benefits of engagement. To summarise, they are; employee satisfaction, productivity, retention and recruitment, innovation and profitability There is some very robust data to back this up.  For example, Gallup found companies with highly engaged workforces outperformed their peers by 147% in earnings per share, and had: ·      41% fewer quality defects ·      48% fewer safety incidents ·      37% less absenteeism In the competition for talent, it is key to offer a competitive salary and ensure people can grow in their role, but there is clear evidence that pay performance and job satisfaction are not highly correlated.  A meta-analysis of the literature in this area found only a 2% overlap between these two factors. There is now also increasing evidence that sustainability can help employee engagement. The 2013 book, “Talent, Transformation and the Triple Bottom Line“, found that initiatives created growth in overall employee engagement.  Interestingly, a ‘halo’ effect was generated as a strong programme raised engagement rates also for those who did not take part.  Furthermore, a global survey by Bain found that nearly two-thirds of respondents said sustainable business is extremely important to them. There is still progress to make, though. In the Ceres report “Gaining Ground“, they found that whilst more companies were utilising sustainability engagement, only 6% of companies were in what they termed ‘Tier 1’ for systematically embedding it. 

Taproot – inspiring intentional thinking 

For many, when we hear “pro-bono”, we think of law firms donating staff time. In fact, this term can refer to the donation of any service, and the US- based Taproot Foundation is an exemplar in this broader field. I recently had a conversation with Lindsay Firestone Gruber, their MD of Advisory Services, and was inspired by the work they are delivering to both provide social and commercial value and engage employees. “We work with our clients, both the corporates and non-profits who benefit from the skills share, to build the biggest impact possible. Taproot helps source and vet the organisations to ensure they are really ready.  It is very important to us to evaluate and better understand the impact we have on the NGO’s and the communities they serve.”  “There is a recognition that experiential learning opportunities can be much more powerful than classroom-based simulated scenarios. The employees of our corporate clients get to use their existing expertise in an unusual setting with a new challenge and different people. This stretches them in a way that really helps to take their engagement to a new level, and is often explicitly incorporated into talent development programmes. Whether the pro-bono project is one day for exec development or three months for high potentials, this all enables the employees to think intentionally.” Taproot’s programmes therefore not only support people’s intrinsic desire for purpose, but also help them in their mastery of their personal skills sets, two of Pink’s drivers. 

Warburtons – engaging communities and employees

The conversation with Michael McDermott, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Warburtons Bakers, was similarly stimulating.  As a business, they started out in 1886 with a corner shop, and are now the second largest grocery brand in the UK after Coca-Cola, employing 4500 people. Still owned by the Warburtons, it is clear the ethos of the family pervades the organisation. Michael enthused, “People are always looking at ways for business to gain value beyond salary and live the values to match our strap line, ‘From Our Family to Yours’.” Michael highlighted many areas where they are making excellent progress in sustainability, which could easily fill a whole article in itself.  An area, which seems particularly relevant to employee engagement is their community investment strategy, ‘Family Matters’. This is not just about passively giving money; it is a pro-active engagement with their communities, which has involvement of staff at its core.  From their ‘Community Service Volunteers’ to how they involve employees in choosing their national charity partner, the company is always looking at ways of engaging their people. Michael observed that everybody in the business, including the Warburtons family, were delighted when they were included recently in the Top 25 Best Companies to work for. In the area of ‘Giving Something Back’ they were rated particularly highly. It is possible that the company wouldn’t have got into this prestigious list without the excellent work they have done in this area.

It is evident, therefore, that this success is creating a virtuous loop which will keep building benefits both for staff, society and the business. I hope this brief, hyper-speed journey through the galaxy of employee engagement has given a glimpse into how organisations can benefit from implementing programs, and that the couple of quick stops made for a quick overview inspires employers and employees alike to become active in participating in this vital area of working life. 

This article first appeared on www.ethicalperformance.com.