We have sadly reached the end of our Health and Wellness hub, but luckily for you, we have one more topic to speak about. Today, we introduce to you Relationships & Social Wellbeing in the workplace. This blog series on Wellness at Work was introduced after we saw the ways in which a few hard years of working from home (WFH) have impacted our day-to-day lives, and now that we’re back in the office, how we can still find ways to build healthy habits, even if our locations for working are continually changing. Previous topics we have spoken about in this series are very relevant to today’s workplace climate, such as establishing Work/Life Balance and Organisation, both with helpful tips to assist you no matter if you’re WFH, in the office or hybrid.
If you catch yourself asking what relationships and social wellbeing in the workplace even refers to, then keep reading, we’ve got you covered!
So, what is social wellbeing and why is it important? Here’s a few little fun facts.
Social psychologists who have studied the human need for belonging for years, have correlated social wellbeing to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Humans have a significant need for belonging and this will motivate their behaviour if this need feels threatened or absent. Positive relationships in the workplace help build emotional resilience and strengthen the connection to work towards a common goal among employees/colleagues. Positive workplace culture promotes an appreciation for workplace recognition. Workplace recognition allows for lower incidences of burnout and results in improved perceptions of the organisation. A happy workplace supports an employee’s wellbeing and success in everything from their social health to their energy levels.
Employers that ensure there is a strong social connection in the workplace will also help employees to form strong relationships with one another. This often results in overall increased happiness, which leads to reduced stress levels, less burnout, reduction in absenteeism, and higher energy.
At PR agencies, we are social creatures in our element. However, this can sometimes lead to social burnout in the office too. Below are some recommendations on how to create a stronger environment for your employees to improve their social wellbeing and relationships in the workplace.
- Create a Designated Social Area
Creating a space away from your computers will let employees know they’re encouraged to socialise. Having a social space will also allow people to indicate to colleagues that they’re happy and free for a chat, without feeling like they’re pulling someone away from their work and distracting them. This area could be filled with some snacks or games to play throughout the day. While the games might seem distracting, it doesn’t hurt to encourage productivity by using other parts of our brains. If your company lacks the space to dedicate a whole room to decompress and socialise, you could set up a couch near a regularly used spot like the kitchen or meeting room.
- Encourage Team Strengthening Days
Introducing events and experiences as a team gives your employees a way to break the ice outside of the workplace. There can be various reasons to have team strengthening days either for celebrating birthdays, internal promotions, or simply as a way to unwind. Having these team exercises help cultivate friendships and relationships with people outside the workplace growing social wellbeing within the workplace.
At Agent99 PR we have a quarterly half day where two team members work together to create a day for the team to enjoy outside the office. We call these ‘Director of Fun (DOF)’ Days and we have hosted events such as going to the movies with lunch, dumpling cooking classes, and pottery making. Through these strengthening days we’ve created a community in the workplace and comfortability to build a stronger emotional connection with our colleagues in the team.
- Demonstrate Care and Empathy
At the end of the day, individuals need to recognise that their colleagues/employees are human and need to be recognised as such. Growing social wellbeing in the workplaces should start with empathy and care and building trust to ensure an environment of emotional and psychological safety. But giving team members the space to think and feel freely without judgement, will help improve the mental health of colleagues to know they have a safe space/person to talk to in the office.
Social wellbeing significantly impacts a workplace, and so if you start to introduce the steps above into your workplace, there will be a noticeable morale boost among your employees. If you’re looking for more ways to improve workplace wellbeing, we have a few blogs to suggest from our series. Click the links for more options on Work/Life Balance, Importance of Exercise and Movement, and Hobbies and Extra Curriculars.
If you would like to find out more about Agent99’s services, visit our page here.
By Agent Claire
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
PR Agency Sydney
