Introduction
It’s ultimately up to each of us to prioritize and advocate for what we need to stay well. Well-being consists of mental, physical, and financial dimensions. Some daily actions that put your well-being first are setting clear work hours, standing up to move every hour, and monitoring your finances.
As a result of the pandemic, employee well-being has become a top focus. Whether COVID-19 has boosted or harmed business, employee well-being has been affected.
Organizations have defined well-being consisting of mental, physical, and financial dimensions.
We, as employees, don’t give ourselves enough permission to put our own well-being first, ahead of work priorities. In the age of hybrid work, setting boundaries is one of the most critical steps employees can take to collectively change work culture. Here are a few recommendations on how to prioritize your well-being.
Mental Well-Being:
- Break the habit of checking work messages outside work hours. Notifications off!
- Create an auto-filing system to prioritize important messages and filter out unimportant ones. Most email systems have sophisticated tools for this.
- Set (and respect!) clear working and non-working hours on your calendar and messaging tools.
- When you’re asked to do a new task, always ask when it’s needed by.
- Prioritize tasks often, daily if needed. If you and your manager agree on tasks and priority order, it frees you up to just work your way down the list, which can be a relief in busy periods.
Physical Well-Being:
- Invest in home office ergonomics (e.g., screens at eye-level, a proper desk chair).
- Don’t be afraid to ask that workplace distancing or mask rules are respected.
- Go for a 30-minute walk every day (walking meetings are a great option).
- Get specific on your travel boundaries (e.g., five days a month, trips no more than two days each).
- Stand up for one minute every hour.
Financial Well-Being:
- Aim to have at least three months' salary in ready cash as an emergency buffer.
- Know how much you spend every month.
- Define an amount that you would like to save each month and respect your spending limit.
- Take an audit of all the financial benefits your employer provides and ensure you’re using them.
Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own well-being, and by taking care of ourselves, we’ll become better employees and teammates.
This content was adapted from 14 Ways to Prioritize Well-Being at Work in 2022 from Psychology Today.