Stressed at work….. you are not alone.

Best of Today opens box on workplace wellbeing

A new workplace wellbeing programme to reverse the trend of increasing stress levels in workplaces has been picked up nationwide.

Best of Today has been created by seasoned Executive Coach Anna Gibbons to help cultivate positive mental health within workplaces, which is proven to minimise stress, increase productivity, increase creativity, and give workplaces a reputation that they are good places to work. She says that 91 per cent of employees at companies that support wellbeing say they feel motivated to do their best.

Gibbons says that despite only being officially launched this month, a number of national and global companies across diverse industries have already subscribed to Best of Today, including New Zealand companies in the legal and industrial products sectors, and global companies in the FMCG and agricultural sectors.

“Personal stress is one of the leading causes of performance dropping at work, and worryingly in 2016, stress in New Zealand workplaces increased by almost a quarter from the year before, with an estimated 6.6 million workdays lost through absenteeism,” says Gibbons. “This supports what I have observed in my work around the country – that not every workplace is prioritising wellbeing. This is why I have createdBest of Today, ensuring it has within it the dimensions of Hauora – spiritual, mental and emotional; physical; family and social; and land and roots.”

Gibbons says the eight-week Best of Today programme highlights areas that are often neglected but require attention for wellbeing – communication and connection, knowing and living your values and purpose, cultivating mindfulness, and getting back to the basics of sleeping, eating and exercising. 

“We know we’re supposed to spend less time looking at screens and more time connecting with ourselves and with others,” says Gibbons. “But in modern environments, this is harder and harder to do. The greatest gift an employer can give is time for employees to pause during the workday, to show their people they care about them. 

“That’s why physical boxes, delivered to participants throughout the programme, are a fundamental component of Best of Today. These are filled with tools, techniques, and gifts that help people put everything into practice, both at work and beyond. This is an entirely unique delivery method for a workplace wellbeing programme in New Zealand – a “pick up and run with” wellbeing programme for any team,” Gibbons says.

Paul Bell, Managing Director of New Zealand human resources and recruitment firm Intepeople, which partnered with Gibbons to develop the programme, says employers around the world are looking for initiatives that are going to create deeper engagement.

“Best of Today is about creating a truly authentic human experience inside the workplace,” says Bell. “It’s a very targeted way that companies can say: your family and your loved ones are as important to us as you are as an employee. It shows that an employer fundamentally cares.” 

Global food company Pic’s Peanut Butter was one of the first companies to take up the challenge, with founder Pic Picot saying he recommends the programme wholeheartedly.

“We’re very keen to make sure everybody is being heard, and to do anything we can to make people’s lives better,” Picot says. “Best of Todayhas been one of the real groundbreakers in doing that.

“One of the things I really appreciate with the Best of Today boxes is that it shows people we’ve made a big commitment to bringing these ideas to life,” he says. “You want your people to get the best out of their lives. And if they get the best of their lives, they’re going to make the best of their contribution to the company.” 

Interesting facts:

• 22.9% increase in stress across New Zealand businesses
• Estimated 6.6 million workdays lost annually through absenteeism
• Amounting to an estimated $1.45 billion across the country
• New Zealand workplace survey by BusinessNZ and Southern Cross Health Society

·       91% of employees at companies that support wellbeing say they feel motivated to do their best. 

·       89% of employees at companies that support wellbeing are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work.

•  Survey by the American Psychological Association 

·       Benefits of high workplace wellbeing include 31% higher productivity, 37% more sales and 3 times more creativity

·       Costs of low workplace wellbeing include 2 times the amount of sick leave, 2 times more workplace conflict, 2 times more injuries, and 3 times more cardiovascular episodes

• The Working Well Guide from Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand 

See more at www.bestoftoday.co.nz  and enquire admin@bestoftoday.co.nz