18 Jan Are Your New Year Resolutions Selfish?
Each year many of us reflect on the 12 months that have flashed passed. The high’s, the low’s, the achievements and the what if’s. As the year ends, many begin to focus on the year ahead. The opportunities, the dreams and the challenges we will face. It is common during this period that people make ‘New Year Resolutions’. Some are geared towards our Bucket List and some are just for fun, however many New Year Resolutions are often focused on our health. TIME magazine reported among the top resolutions each year are weight loss, giving up smoking and increasing exercise. Sound familiar?
The reasons behind wanting to improve our own health include increased energy, for our family, to increase confidence and improve our general lifestyle. So why are these goals all about you? Does that not seem to be a selfish approach? Why not become a leader for a state of improved health for all of those around you?
As an organisation, improving the general health of employees will undisputedly improve your bottom line. Improved health and wellbeing in the workplace has demonstrated positive influence on presenteeism, absenteeism, productivity, retention and culture. On average, as reported by Comcare (Benefits to Business: The evidence for investing in worker health and wellbeing) Wellness programs have been found to;
- Decrease sick leave absenteeism by 25.3%
- Decrease workers compensation costs by 40.7%
- Decrease disability management costs by 24.2%; and
- Save $5.81 for every $1 invested in employee health and wellbeing.
So why not set some New Year’s Resolutions to improve the health of your organisation and everyone in it?
2018… The Year For…
Whatever the goal of your organisation, whether it is weight loss, developing healthy habits, increased exercise, reduced stress or improved mental health, setting milestones towards these will have a profound impact on the working group.
So how do you get started? Choose a measure that you believe your team will respond to (or better yet, why not send out a survey and ask them what they would like to work towards?)
Partner with experts. You’re an expert at what you do, at Altius Group – we are experts at what we do. Altius Group have a specialised team to design, promote and deliver your Wellness Initiatives. Altius Group have delivered evidence based Wellness Initiatives throughout Australia which have demonstrated statistical change and sustainable outcomes for participants. If you want to achieve the result, don’t do it alone.
Take a baseline measure of the group. Altius Group have accredited Exercise Physiologists and Psychologists who can conduct a Workplace Health Screening of your employees. Your Workplace Health Screening can be designed to measure Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure, Depression, Stress and Anxiety levels, Flexibility or Cardiovascular measures aligned to your 2018 goals.
Outline your Wellness Initiatives and commit to a plan. As with all goal setting, having a clear plan on how you are going to achieve your end state will improve your chances for success. This is no different. It is important you have a clear plan for 2018 outlined on how you and your organisation are going to make positive changes for sustainable improvements. The plan should be transparent so all team members can see this is not a one-night fling.
Stay focused and keep it fresh. Most New Year’s Resolutions fail within the first month. Let Altius Group design Wellness Initiatives scaled to your organisations size, culture and budget needs. Wellness Initiatives don’t need to be expensive and can combine internal campaigns or competitions throughout the year, or be aligned to partner with charity organisations. Ultimately, we can create something unique that works for you and inspires your team.
Come the end of 2018, Reward yourself and know that 2018 was a year for not only personal growth but also positive change for those around you. A year committed to developing positive, healthy habits with your colleagues will lead to positive reflection and a sense of achievement. As an organisation, you will have a healthier team; they’ll feel enlightened, educated and more energetic. Ultimately, you will have achieved a positive impact on your bottom line through investing in your most valuable asset – your people.
Let 2018 be the year that you and your organisation realise your health potential.
Altius Group provide expertise in people risk services including prevention and management of physical and psychological injuries. Altius Group consists of specialised businesses which cover a broad spectrum of individual health, wellbeing and rehabilitation interventions to ensure your organisation can realise the financial and commercial potential of a healthy, engaged team.
For Altius Group enquiries please contact referrals@altius-group.com.au or call (02) 9112 6020
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