Wellness at Work

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a parent trying to balance the obligations of their job with those of their children. They wake up in the wee hours to pack lunches, sign permission slips, fill out other required paperwork, pay bills, get the kids out the door, work for an employer for hours on end without taking a break, signing off only to work on fifth grade fractions homework, hooking up her other son, who is disabled, to his feeding tube, returning to work to make deadlines, washing dishes, and finally crashing into bed by 1 a.m.?

Then, she is unable to sleep as the list of more to-dos and regrets pop in her head. Did I sign everything? Did I pay the health insurance? What more can I do to get the baby to gain weight? Should I spend more time with my pre-teen? Am I ruining their lives? Am I doing a good enough job at parenting? Am I doing a good enough job at work??

This is often my life. And I'm pretty sure it's your life, too.?

You might not have the same to-do list or the same obligations and fears, but you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Sometimes, you have so much to do that you can hardly breathe. The anxiety weighs on your chest like a brick. And all those thoughts keep coming as you try to rest your body.?

We at HR Exchange Network see and hear you. We live the same experience. That's why we put together HR Exchange Talks - Caring for Your Mental Health and Wellness at Work, an epic conversation with extraordinary thought leaders and champions of self-care about how to take charge of your wellness.?

The conversation was motivational and inspiring. Panelists - Carson Finkle, Founder of Create Meditation, David W. Ballard, Organizational Consultant and Former Head of the APA's Psychologically Healthy Workplace, Eva Condron-Wells, Senior Vice President, Situational Intelligence and User Content at ComfortZones Digital, and Jay Unwin, Stress Management Speaker and Strategist - explained the importance of prioritizing mental health and wellness in the workplace, shared vital data that links work and wellness, and offered practical ways to manage stress and anxiety. We talked about how to take a good break and what to do if someone at work seems unhappy.?

I highly recommend you watch the video. More importantly, I highly recommend you take the advice of these experts. I have, and it's already making a difference. For starters, I'm going to bed on time. I'm also doing those breathing exercises, and I'm trying to take at least 20 minutes to eat something at lunch time. We can't control everything. But we can take charge of our own mental health and wellness.?

Next week, we'll be turning our attention to Employee Engagement and Experience with an incredible lineup of speakers. But I can't help but recognize the connection between wellness and engagement. Truly, wellness is at the heart of all talent management. It is connected to everything from compensation and benefits packages that could ease financial anxiety to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies that can help create a culture of belonging.?

Even our next HR Exchange Talks conversation will be related to this topic. Influencers and Thought Leaders Iwo Szapar and Jessie DaSilva will discuss the misperceptions of Gen Z and Millennials in the workplace. Certainly, if we don't feel understood, valued, or heard, we become unwell. Let's change all that. Throw that positivity into the world, and it should come right back to you. Hope you join our upcoming conversations!?

Check out the?State of HR?report to learn about the results of our annual survey, so you can see how HR and learning leaders are approaching 2023.?

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Until next time...