Improving Wellbeing at Work with Ashish Kothari and Dr. Samata Vasisht

Today, the lines between our work and personal lives are increasingly blurring. Constant connectivity to work can make it hard to switch off and relax. This can impact our mental health greatly, especially our overall wellbeing.?

Focusing on wellbeing at work has never been more crucial. We need to make sure our workplaces are places where we all feel mentally, emotionally, and physically okay. But with everything constantly changing, how do we really make wellbeing a big part of our work life?

In this article, Ashish Kothari and Dr. Samata Vasisht, Founder of Synergy Holistic, shed light on this vital topic, offering invaluable insights into how we can foster a culture of flourishing and wellbeing at work.

“Self-awareness is critical to access so many elements. It's critical to unlock and understand the obstacles we create through actions that might be hurting our own wellbeing.” – Ashish Kothari

Happiness is Harmony

All too often, we get stuck in the 'if-then-else' mindset, thinking that our happiness relies on our external achievements. With this mindset, we’re setting ourselves up for a perpetual chase – always looking for the next success, never finding contentment in the moment. Understanding happiness is the first step towards improving wellbeing at work.?

Dr. Samata, just like many of us, used to think that happiness equates to the state of being good, doing good, and feeling good. But it is not just about being the best or getting what we want, but finding harmony with what is. She emphasizes that happiness is harmony; it’s a blend of surrender, acceptance, contentment, and gratitude, which is vital for improving our wellbeing at work.?

The Dance of Becoming and Belonging

Life is a delicate balance between becoming and belonging: striving to achieve and grow (becoming) and the need to connect and feel a sense of belonging. However, in our relentless pursuit of success and achievement (belonging), we often overlook the equally vital need for connection and belonging.?

This imbalance can lead us down the path of burnout, an all-too-familiar silent epidemic present today's high-stress work environments. This only means that at work, we must not only celebrate our achievements but also cherish our relationships and mental well-being. True wellbeing at work flourishes when we strike a balance between our ambitions and our innate drive for belonging. It’s a matter of nurturing both aspects: our ambition and our humanity.?

The Layers of Wellbeing

For Dr. Samata, flourishing is wellbeing in action. She believes that true wellbeing is an experience, it’s about actively practicing behaviors that foster a state of ease and harmony. Ashish highlights that wellbeing isn't just about feeling good but involves embracing the wholeness of life, and finding comfort with ourselves, others, and the world.

Wellbeing is multidimensional, encompassing physical, community, social, financial, and occupational aspects. However, Dr. Samata views these as the outcomes or outputs of deeper underlying causes. To truly nurture wellbeing in these dimensions, she points to several key inputs:

1. Self-awareness and consciousness.?

Understanding oneself, one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and having a higher level of consciousness about life and its meaning.

2. Unique inner potential.

Recognizing and nurturing the unique potential within oneself, understanding what makes each individual distinct and how that contributes to their sense of wellbeing.

3. Environment and interactions.

How individuals interact with their surroundings, including their relationships with others, their work environment, and their broader community.

“To be well is to be at ease. At ease with yourself, others, and the world at large.” – Dr. Samata Vasisht

A Holistic Approach to Workplace Wellbeing?

Ashish points out that significant increases in wellbeing spent across companies, stress, anxiety, and burnout continue to plague geographies, countries, and companies. Most of the time, wellbeing programs focus on helping individuals with things like meditation apps or diet advice.?

However, these efforts only cover a small part of the bigger picture. In fact, most of the issues related to wellbeing are actually tied to the work environment, including the team and organizational culture. This is a big reason why many of these wellbeing programs don't really work as expected.?

“Most individual wellbeing interventions around mental health don't lead to significant results because they don't address the job, the team, and the organization factors. Unless we build these into wellbeing programs, we're not going to move the needle.” – Ashish Kothari

That only means that wellbeing at work shouldn’t be viewed just as an individual concern, but a collective one. Everyone in our organization has a role to play in improving wellbeing at work.?

Dr. Samata shares a strategy she used at Unilever to cultivate wellbeing holistically:?

• Energize (focusing on individual wellbeing)
• Empower (building team resilience); and
• Enlighten (shifting the entire company culture).?

This strategy led to significant shifts in performance, productivity, engagement, and relationships among leaders. This only shows that effective wellbeing programs must encompass the entire workplace. Ashish notes that such all-around wellbeing efforts can really boost a business, like increasing stock value and creativity. In the end, wellbeing programs are successful when they create a work environment where everyone thrives, bringing big benefits to the business.

“Individual wellbeing alone wouldn't shift the needle unless we worked with teams, leadership, culture, job flexibility, and motivation.” – Dr. Samata Vasisht

Conclusion

To wrap up, for leaders aiming to enhance wellbeing at work, Dr. Samata offers crucial advice: embrace your role as the champion of wellbeing. First, take responsibility and accountability for your own wellbeing and growth. Then, embed wellbeing as a fundamental, strategic element within your performance management system, making it a key pillar of your overall strategy.

Moreover, psychological safety is crucial, do this by wearing glasses of appreciation. Rather than catching people doing things wrong, catch them doing things right.??

Remember that wellbeing at work should be more than a mere program; it needs to be woven into the fabric of your organizational culture and leadership approach. According to Ashish, treat wellbeing programs truly like a value creation strategy, because it is. This holistic approach is what truly differentiates effective wellbeing initiatives in any organization.