At UBC, we champion wellbeing as integral to our continued excellence as a post-secondary institution and to create happier, healthier, and more sustainable communities, both on our campuses and beyond.
For UBC staff, as well as many other Canadians, the workplace is where we spend a substantial portion of our day. For better or for worse, workplace environments have the ability to substantially impact our health and our overall sense of wellbeing.
Extensive evidence shows that an improved sense of wellbeing can have a hugely positive effect—not only for individuals, but for organizations as a whole.
The Sun Life-Ivey Canadian Wellness Return on Investment Study reports that “Wellness programs save about 1.5 to 1.7 days in absenteeism per worker over 12 months, or an estimated $251 per employee per year in savings. And, according to a recent Gallup Poll, individuals who feel a strong sense of wellbeing and a high sense of employee engagement are “30% more likely not to miss any workdays because of poor health in any given months, and miss 70% fewer workdays because of poor health over the course of a year.”
In addition [MD1] to lower absenteeism, higher productivity, and high levels of adaptability, workers with a strong sense of wellbeing are also more likely to cite their organizations as being “excellent,” are less likely to seek employment elsewhere, and are more likely to volunteer their time. These are all outcomes that can contribute substantially to an organization’s success.
Findings like these offer a compelling argument for the importance of incorporating wellbeing in our environments, particularly those we work in and therefore spend much of our time in.
Prioritizing wellbeing—physical, mental, social, and ecological—seemingly supports the success of both the individual and the organization.
However, despite the obvious benefits, these studies suggest that wellbeing can often fall by the wayside when individuals must juggle a myriad of responsibilities—work, family, academics, volunteering—in an overly stressful manner. This is often to the detriment of important health predictors like eating well, moving frequently, getting enough sleep, and feeling supported by colleagues and superiors, which can lead to the problem of “presenteeism” — a situation where you are present at work but unable to fully perform your job function due to a health problem.
A systematic literature review showed preliminary evidence that “some workplace health promotion programs can positively affect presenteeism,” particularly those that offer organizational leadership, health risk screening, individually tailored programs, and a supportive workplace culture.
Research suggests that we should therefore view wellbeing in the workplace as vital to our success and crucial to improving opportunities for excellence. Doing so holds the potential to help us live, work, and learn, better than before.