Employee burnout is a major problem across all industries. It causes steep drops in productivity and high attrition rates in companies. Businesses lose their best talents as these bright stars quit and move to different places. Some are trying to address the problem through various health and wellness programs within their companies. These can include weight loss challenges, step challenges, mental health awareness campaigns, and work-life balance initiatives. Their presence should be communicated to the employees so that they can avail of the services and increase engagement. Before tackling more of these, it would help to get a better sense of the differences between health wellness and wellbeing.
Health
Health is defined in different ways by different sources. Many dictionaries refer to health as a state in which a person is free from illness and injury. If you’re not sick, then you’re healthy according to this definition. Some feel that this is a limited perspective since health deals more than just obvious illnesses and injuries. It is also based on the absence of a negative situation rather than an actual positive situation. The World Health Organization offers a more broad definition that equates health to a state of well-being in the physical, social, and mental aspects. This is a much higher standard than the first one.
Wellness
As for wellness, it is not a state of being but rather a lifestyle or a set of habits that are geared towards the achievement of better health. It is a process that is continually refined to provide the best outcome for individuals and groups. This aims to have a balanced approach to well-being using the latest knowledge and technologies.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing has multiple dimensions, as of which need to be addressed to make a person truly healthy. Physical wellbeing is just one of these dimensions. Individuals who are physically well have the energy to do what they want and need to do. This is the foundation of everything since a person who is physically unwell may not be able to tackle other aspects of life and work effectively.
There is also health wellness and wellbeing which manifests in having meaningful friendships. A person doesn’t need hundreds of friends but there needs to be ample social support and deep relationships. Meanwhile, community wellbeing refers to the feeling that a person likes where he or she lives. Career wellbeing is liking what you do each day and financial wellbeing is the ability to manage money well.
No Comments