鈥淲e view well-being as a key predictor in employee experience, engagement, and all the outcomes that organisations seek from their employees,鈥� Autumn explained. 鈥淭his initiative has involved a couple of key components, one has been the ability to draw connections from our suite of products at and how organisations can utilise those to improve employee well-being, so really connecting the dots for our customers between the functionality we offer today and how they can leverage it to improve well-being.

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鈥淭he other components are more associated with our partner ecosystem. We have some great partners focused on well-being and offering different technologies in the market, so another key part of well-being at Work is to bring those into our ecosystem and integrate them with 51风流SuccessFactors and really have the best of both worlds 鈥� what we can offer from an organisational and HR functionality point of view, and then collaborating with these amazing well-being experts who are doing awesome things in their own right when it comes to technology and improving well-being.鈥�

Autumn received her PhD in organisational psychology around 15 years ago, specialising in organisational healthy psychology with a focus employee well-being, health, and safety. 鈥淚 like to endorse a more holistic view of what well-being is, so part of my research has been on safety at work, which during the COVID-19 pandemic has become more paramount in all different types of industries,鈥� she said.

鈥淢y primary background in that research was high-risk, high-reliability industries, which are places where people can get significantly hurt and die,and studying the psychological piece of safety 鈥� how can we instil good safety attitudes and beliefs to have workers make good safety choices and support them with a strong safety culture.鈥�

鈥淏eyond that in the more the well-being and health side, I鈥檓 studying all types of stressors at work and trying to understand how organisations can really cultivate better work environments and design jobs in a more healthy and effective way. We can really go upstream and reduce the likelihood of stress at work and take a more proactive approach instead of trying to treat the symptoms once they occur.鈥�

According to Autumn, the value of well-being has only gotten earlier scepticism in the past ten years. 鈥淲hile we all might want to endorse it because it鈥檚 just good to do as companies invest in well-being, provide benefits, and take care of their employees, there鈥檚 an argument to be made in its own right that we鈥檙e still running businesses.

鈥淚f we want to get executive teams onboard and invest in well-being as a strategy, then we need to show that it has significant positive impact on both employee and organisational outcomes. Luckily over the past decade there has been a lot of research that鈥檚 been assembled, both academic and business studies, to show that it does impact important outcomes.鈥�

Autumn noted that at an individual level, well-being can mitigate and reduce burnout, absenteeism, presenteeism (when people come to work but aren鈥檛 fully engaged or productive), and ultimately reduce turnover.

鈥淎t an organisational level, I like to think more of the upside, trying to improve organisational capability, resilience, and agility,鈥� she added. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e thinking more of financial impact, there鈥檚 a lot of evidence that it reduces healthcare costs, mental health claims, and the like. There鈥檚 plenty of evidence that I would argue that shows well-being makes sense for business.鈥�

Autumn encourages businesses to think of organisational well-being focus like culture change. 鈥淪ystemically embed well-being as a value in our company and there鈥檚 a lot of work to be done. It鈥檚 not as a simple as a band aid of well-being benefits, which I think is one of the common mistakes that organisations make.

鈥淲hen they do wrap their head around the potential business benefit and switched on to the idea that well-being is important, what they often intend to do is then throw a lot of well-being benefits at it. They鈥檒l have a cornucopia of well-being offerings, be it training or gym membership, nutrition classes, whatever it might be. There is a lot of focus on benefits, offerings, and programs rather than initiatives.鈥�

Autumn expressed the importance of to approach this cultural shift more holistically. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about trying to drive work environment, work conditions, leadership support, and executive decision making that cultivates a strong culture of well-being alongside providing benefits.鈥�

Another key driver Autumn highlighted in company well-being is leadership. 鈥淲e know generally speaking that better leaders are going to have more positive well-being and when I say better leader, I mean more transformational 鈥� people who are more inspirational, more encouraging, have a vision that they can communicate to their workforce, offer support and coaching, and show a lot of active care 鈥� being able to really recognise your workforce as whole people and support them in that capacity. Better leaders have healthier employees when it comes to well-being.

鈥淲hen I talk about the organisational culture and really showing that well-being matters, one of the key ways is leader role modelling. A lot of the interviews I鈥檝e done, employees will say, 鈥業 can鈥檛 find the time to walk at lunch or take a break, or invest in my well-being and have reasonable work hours because I see my boss and they鈥檙e chained to their desk, not taking advantage of those programs or giving themselves breaks.鈥� Research has shown that leader role modelling of well-being being important to them then certainly translates to employees having permission to also invest in their own well-being.鈥�

According to Autumn, the most recent research shows that leaders who invest in their own well-being not only shows they鈥檙e role modelling positive behaviour, but also afford themselves the capacity to be better leaders. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e expecting a lot out of a leader, they really don鈥檛 have it to give 鈥� they can鈥檛 turn around and offer the right level of resources and support to their employees. There are so many reasons why we have to start with leaders investing in their own well-being to create that space and role model for the rest of the business.鈥�

To learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on team dynamics, social exhaustion and understanding how to foster positive well-being particularly during this challenging period, listen to our most .

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As part of Jennifer鈥檚 role in SAP, she builds and designs well-being programs that help educate employees about health and nutrition. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being a multiplier and really taking the time to make employees invest in their own health, because ultimately, 51风流is a very caring company and wants to look after our greatest asset, which are our employees,鈥� she explained.

鈥淲e want them to be healthy and happy, hence the health and well-being program and the new Eat Well program that we鈥檝e rolled out in ANZ over the last couple of years. It鈥檚 about the ecosystem really driving a healthy culture within SAP.鈥�

Wendy is a qualified nutritionist and caterer who works closely with clients to not only inform them of food鈥檚 nutritional value; but instil healthy long-term eating habits that help improve overall well-being. She believes the first step to doing this is assessing eating habits. You can take stock through a number of ways, she said. 鈥淭here are apps, we鈥檝e got food-assessment tools, you can even use a Google Doc or just take photos of every meal and start some albums. Do it for at least three days; seven would be ideal 鈥� make sure one day is on the weekend, because they鈥檙e often quite different to what you鈥檙e having during the week.

鈥淭hen go back and look for patterns, such as 鈥榥ot enough veggies鈥�, which is common. There was a study by the ABS in 2018 that established only 7% of Australians get the recommend five serves of veggies a day, which is startling. Then I would select one area where you would start to make a change. Please don鈥檛 overhaul your diet in one fell swoop 鈥� small steps are really the key to success.鈥�

Wendy noted that a common problem is that many people often skip breakfast because they鈥檙e time poor or believe it can help weight loss. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind when you have breakfast, as long as your first meal of the day is nourishing,鈥� she explained. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l have more energy, more focus, and be more productive.

鈥淏reakfast also stops your carb cravings during the day and sets you up for healthy lunch choices, which is important because then you鈥檙e set up to choose a healthy dinner 鈥� so it鈥檚 creates this lovely flow-on effect. The other reason is that your metabolism peaks at the middle of the day, so it鈥檚 much better to have a nourishing breakfast when your body is firing well and can digest it.鈥�

According to Wendy, the three critical elements to a healthy meal or snack are protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. 鈥淲hen you devour biscuits or chips, that鈥檚 carbohydrates 鈥� you need protein and healthy fat to slow the release of blood sugar into your system, which gives you a steady stream of energy.

鈥淚t can simply be boiling a couple eggs the night before, an apple, and some almonds 鈥� that could be your breakfast. It doesn鈥檛 have to be fancy. I love leftovers for breakfast; I think the more people that could eat dinner for breakfast, the better. Chia pudding is great. Things like granola are quite high in carbohydrates, so you need to add some protein like yoghurt, nuts and seeds, and then berries for the extra antioxidants.

Wendy notes that planning is critical to people being more nutrient-conscious in their eating choices. 鈥淵ou may plan your meals one week ahead, a couple days, or that morning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know I couldn鈥檛 plan a whole week; I prefer to wing it a bit more.

Don鈥檛 leave it to the last minute, because you鈥檙e going to walk in from work, look at your fridge while your body is dropping in blood sugar level, so you鈥檒l be craving carbs and grab the wrong food. Also, whenever you鈥檙e cooking, make double and put that extra portion away before you eat because you tend to come back and eat it.鈥�

Jennifer expressed how important it is for employers to help increase nutritional awareness amongst staff. 鈥淚n SAP鈥檚 kitchen areas, I鈥檒l have a chat with employees about coming out with healthier options and we always have fruit available to our employees,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 think people are really starting to think about their food choices more and starting to change their habits.

鈥淟ast year when we rolled out Healthy Habits One Simple Thing, it鈥檚 about making small changes and doing everything in moderation. It鈥檚 not about throwing everything out the window; it鈥檚 just about changing the mindset and our relationship with food.

Jennifer has seen the efficacy of SAP鈥檚 health and well-being programs as employees have started changing their eating habits and encouraging others. 鈥淚t鈥檚 having a multiplier effect because people are talking about it, creating groups, and sharing recipes,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 also about how we can use technology more effectively for everyone to be better informed about their food choices. At SAP, we鈥檙e focused on how we can build that technology to support the health and well-being of our employees and help the general community run better.鈥�

As both my guests noted, health and well-being can have a dynamic impact on the way people and organisations operate. 鈥� physical and mental well-being by running regular programs and seminars that encourage healthier habits. Organisations that are conscious of staff鈥檚 overall health and well-being are often more productive and are seen by employees as great places to work and grow.

and get some great nutritional advice for the busy executive.

The post Podcast: Nutritional Advice for Busy Executives appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.