Wellness Days - Trend or Essential?

Wellness days- Trend or Essential?

Article by Katelyn Dawson our Well-being Consultant.

Have you ever been at work, completely overwhelmed and exhausted, and thought, I can’t do this anymore? Well, you’re not alone.

In a 2023 study, a staggering 46% of employees worldwide reported experiencing burnout. This figure goes up to 68.5% for Australian employees. Burnout is physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion, quite often all three at once. This is a serious problem in the workplace. It leads to high rates of employee absence, long term sick leave, low productivity, and high staff turnover. Obviously, the way we do things is not working.

Employers have been noticing the problem, both in themselves and in their workers, and have decided to find a way to prevent burnout from happening. Enter “wellness days”.

Wellness days are dedicated days off, usually quarterly, for staff to see to their physical and mental wellbeing. Some companies allow their staff to use their wellness day however they would like. Each person knows their personal needs and can arrange it themselves.

However, other companies plan their staff wellness days, arranging a variety of wellbeing activities. These are commonly days of fitness classes, nutrition classes, health screenings, stress management classes, massages, or meditation sessions. The idea is to help the employees take care of themselves so that they are in good mental and physical shape to contribute to the company. The interesting thing is -it works!

Companies have found that their staff are happier, healthier, and more productive. They are also more loyal to their employer. As the success of wellness days is taking the corporate world by storm, more and more smaller companies are taking them on board. Even a self-employed business owner should take the time to schedule themselves a wellness day. When the price of ignoring your health is so high, why wouldn’t you?

So, you’re convinced, you want to organise a wellness day! But what should you do?

To start with, try to make it a full day off from work. No work calls, no emails. Some of these ideas are perfect for groups, some are better suited for a private wellness day. There is an activity for everyone.

*Yoga

*Pilates

*Fitness classes

*Dance classes

*Stress management classes

*Therapy

*Nutrition course

*Massage

*Reflexology

*Spa or Sauna

*Spending time with animals

*Gardening

*Creative writing

*Art

*Walking and hiking

*Mindfulness and meditation

*Catching a live comedy or performing arts show

Remember, we only have one body and one mind. We need to take care of ourselves and the people who work for us. It’s much easier to make small sacrifices of time now, than to cope with the aftermath of burnout or mental breakdown later.

No matter how you or your staff decide to use your wellness days, it will increase quality of life and happiness, as well as helping your business. So please give it a go- Future you will thank you for it!