Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: The importance of wellbeing at work

THE world of wellbeing focuses primarily on our physical and mental health, but it extends beyond this much further to the things that have opportunity to affect our physical and/or mental wellbeing – one of the biggest things to consider here is our work, whether that work is as an employee, self-employed or at home with our family.

There’s a saying that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. It’s not true, in that no matter how much you love your work, there are going to be busy, hectic, overwhelming days or weeks.

The difference is wanting to be doing what you’re doing because you find your work rewarding. And also knowing that that there is ebb and flow in that pace of work – there will be opportunities to rest and reset also.

Another myth of work wellbeing is work/life balance – its not so clear cut as that, because we’re human. Work impacts our lives, and life impacts our work. Having a more inclusive, high-level view of this allows us to see the bigger picture. Is this inclusion of this type of work in my life adding to or detracting from my wellbeing and the wellbeing of my family? And while work outside the home is a necessity for many, it certainly shouldn’t be negatively impacting upon our health or headspace.

Burn-out in the workplace can happen for a number of reasons.

 It can be (i) because you’re not aligned to the role in the first place, (ii) because your role isn’t challenging you, or (iii) because the role is too challenging.

The trick is in finding the right balance of work volume and opportunity to grow, in an area that you’re passionate about – or at the very least, not averse to!

With all of this in mind, below are six considerations to take on board when reviewing your work situation, and how it’s contributing to your wellbeing.

Engaging work – this is work where you log on and start to use your brain and/or people skills, and feel that you need to get stuck in – and want to! You enter that state of flow, where your mind becomes engrossed, and suddenly time flies.

Helping others – is what you’re doing either directly or indirectly helping others?

 Is there a purpose for what you do? If work seems pointless, it quickly becomes a chore and a weight, rather than something to get excited about.

Work you’re good at – allowing your strengths to shine helps to boost those feelgood hormones, and gives you feelings of confidence, capability and drive. All of these combat burn-out and keep a fire in your belly to progress and engage.

Lack of major negatives – these can be very varied, from financial needs, to time with family, commute length, or flexibility. They’re person-specific, but ultimately there should be no major red flag from your role, regardless of what type of role that is.

Supportive colleagues – if you work with people, you want them to be the type that lift you up rather than tear you down. 

Even if every other box is ticked, a toxic environment can be incredibly detrimental to your wellbeing, often in a gradual and subtle way.

Fit with lifestyle – this may not have made a typical work wellbeing list ten years ago, but times are changing with the ability to work remotely in many jobs, and the ever-increasing juggle. Work shouldn’t take over the life that you’d like to live – it should slot into it as much as possible.

Ticking every criteria above is a luxury that isn’t always possible, and sometimes one or two of the above considerations trump the others. Taking the big picture into account and doing what feels right for you and your family, which is very personal to everybody, will ensure that your wellbeing flourishes.