According to the Health and Safety Executive, stress is now one of the most common causes of long-term sick leave at work. Along with anxiety and depression, it accounted for more than 17 million working days lost in the UK in 2021/22, or 51% of all cases of work-related illnesses in the same year. It is predicted that the cost of sickness benefits will surge by more than a third by the end of the decade amid a sharp rise in claims for mental health conditions.
As a result, mental health is no longer just a private, personal matter but a critical success factor for all businesses.
Investing in Wellbeing
Today, employers understand the importance of mental health and wellbeing, not only to prevent absenteeism or churn, but because they also know that a thriving, successful business depends upon happy, healthy and productive people, working collaboratively to deliver more than the sum of their parts. As Paul Devoy (CEO of Investors in People) says, “for every £1 an organisation invests in wellbeing support they can expect a return of £9 on investment”.
But “wellbeing” is complex and means different things to different people. Every business and working environment is unique, and so finding practical, innovative and authentic solutions to invest in a company’s most precious asset, its people, remains an ongoing challenge.
Stress: cause and effect
Since we know that stress is one of the most common causes of mental ill health, understanding and focusing on ways to reduce stress might be a good place to start.
Some stress is a natural, necessary, part of life and we cannot, or perhaps, should not avoid stressful situations which can, at times, inspire incredible achievement, stemming from our most primal instincts for “fight or flight”. But stress can become chronic and be extremely damaging to individuals and those around them.
Chronic stress can be hard to identify because the myriad of symptoms is complex, varying from person to person, and may remain hidden for a long time, even from the sufferer themselves.
Symptoms
The symptoms of stress can be divided into four categories:
Cognitive: Memory, concentration, insomnia
Emotional: Irritability, tearfulness, low motivation and self-esteem, lack of confidence and social anxiety
Physical: Illness, such as diabetes, infections, chest pain, back pain, headaches and digestive problems, skin problems and weight loss or gain
Behavioural: Inability to relax and switch off, negative behaviour / habits such as drinking and smoking, aggression, emotional outbursts, becoming withdrawn.
Causes
The symptoms of stress are very often similar to the causes. For example, social anxiety, loneliness, isolation, lack of meaning and purpose and inability to accept things beyond our control. Poor diet, poor sleep quality and lack of exercise are typical stress factors. Financial worries, poor time management, conflict and an inability to switch off and relax are common culprits. It is a long list that can drive a vicious circle resulting in a feeling of helplessness.
Sociable learning
There are many different theories and approaches to preventing and managing stress, but here I will consider one simple strategy: Sociable Learning.
Learning how to reduce stress through diet, sleep quality and effective time and financial management all form important cornerstones for our wellbeing and improving workplace health.
However, whilst increased knowledge is of course a hugely positive outcome of learning, there are also so many other benefits arising from the learning process itself extending beyond the limitations of any particular subject matter.
Developing skill sets such as listening, critical thinking, debating and presenting as well as deepening relationships with likeminded people are equally beneficial, helping to build connections, confidence and creativity across the workforce.
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of a lifelong attempt to acquire it”
Albert Einstein
According to clinical and academic psychiatrist, Professor Neil Greenberg, social cohesion helps protect against stress and the NHS “5 steps to mental wellbeing”* include both “Connect with Other People” and “Learn New Skills”.
For most of us, once we leave our full-time education, continuing that wider learning journey becomes almost impossible. Few of us have the time and inclination to sign up (and persevere with) an evening, weekend class or on-line course. Until perhaps we retire, somewhat undermining the concept of “lifelong” learning.
So, how can we continue our lifelong learning journey during our busy lives, filled with work pressures and family commitments?
The power of sociable learning
The simple answer is through enlightened employers asking employees what interests them and then investing in courses and workshops that enable them to learn together with likeminded people in the office. Perhaps combining teams and offices to drive broader business integration objectives, but outside of the normal corporate training courses that are necessary to do their job.
This may appear to be a radical idea, however when you understand the benefits that come through learning anything together with likeminded people, it is easy to see how Sociable Learning can translate into improved mental health, wellbeing and workplace culture, and in turn, superior business performance.
The following are examples of how Sociable Learning within any working environment can help turn stressed, de-motivated and disengaged employees into mentally resilient, confident, creative and collaborative people, unlocking their potential and supercharging both personal and organisational performance.
Curiosity, creativity, collaboration and connection
Engaging with new ideas, being curious, creative and collaborative helps us to form strong, positive bonds with others through a shared purpose and to develop a sense of belonging. Other benefits include:
Critical thinking
Building our knowledge and exploring new concepts or ways to do things requires analysis of methods, logic, facts and opinions, and so enhances our critical thinking skills.
Empathy, compassion, diversity and inclusion
Learning exposes us to diverse viewpoints, cultures and experiences. It fosters empathy and compassion through the exploration of fresh perspectives and helps us to learn more about, understand and respect others, managing conflict and improving cultural diversity and inclusion at the same time.
Risk, trust and problem solving
Working together and “failing forward”. Being unafraid to take risks and make mistakes in order to grow. Away from strictly “work” related topics, people feel more able to safely take risks and find creative solutions to problems, perhaps breaking down the normal hierarchies and silos that inevitably develop within a professional or commercial environment.
So, what would you like to learn?
Put yourself in the shoes of your employees. Imagine being offered the chance to study a subject that you are actually interested in. Perhaps philosophy, art or ancient history; literature or chess; music, photography, or magic?
Just asking the question demonstrates an incredibly powerful and authentic commitment to personal development, mental health and wellbeing and we can see that the benefits to both the individual and the business as a whole are very significant.
Conclusion
Lifelong learning has a profound impact on wellbeing, providing us with many invaluable skills which help us respond positively to life’s everyday challenges. It can also be a powerful tool for business, helping to build a culture of collaboration, trust and creativity, where innovation is not only allowed, but expected.
Successful businesses are outward looking and constantly learning, evolving and adapting. They are resilient to the challenges of a fast-changing world and see those challenges as opportunities to grow. But a business is only as strong as its people, so it makes sense to foster that same spirit of curiosity and growth within the workforce.
Offering philosophy, art history, magic tricks, aromatherapy or literature workshops, lectures and courses to your employees requires vision from brave, enlightened leaders who truly value, and are happy to invest in, the person behind the employee. Perhaps a radical approach but sometimes it is the most obvious and simple solution that makes the most sense.
“Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.”
Bryant A. McGill
*Footnote: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/
About the author:
Karissa Hollis is the co-founder of Curious Vitae which specialises in transforming workplace culture through the power of Sociable Learning. A lawyer, educator and mother, Karissa founded Curious Vitae to enable people to engage in lifelong learning throughout their busy working lives whilst also providing an innovative and authentic solution for enlightened companies to inspire their people and reap the rewards of a more creative, collaborative and committed workforce. Curious Vitae experts deliver bespoke lectures, workshops and tutorial-based courses across a wide range of non-work related topics from philosophy to French, physics to fine art and music to magic.
You might also like:
