Now that we’ve settled into the new year, it’s time to look ahead with purpose. What’s cutting-edge? What’s over? Here are several trends I see that point to a more balanced, holistic, perspective-driven workplace in which we can really thrive and prosper as whole, healthy beings. And just in time.
Right now, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, 70% of the American workforce doesn’t feel engaged at work. Employers will need to address this by working toward cultivating a healthy emotional culture. Physical well-being cannot be the sole priority anymore, because people bring their entire selves to work, emotions and all. Care that addresses both mind and body is crucial. Optimized workforces aren’t merely healthy. They’re also whole and fully engaged in their mission.
Employers are responding to this reality. Here are notable shifts that I see for 2016.
In: Resilience To Stress
Out: Stress Relief
Wander the aisles of any pharmacy, and you’ll see rows of cold medicines in every color, shape and size imaginable, each bottle promising sweet relief. And, sure, they might alleviate your symptoms—but they don’t address the root of your illness. It’s the same with stress. Remedies and interventions like deep breathing tackle end-stage manifestations of stress. They manage symptoms, but they can’t get at the inner cause. It’s a false bargain. The true antidote to stress, as we’ve discovered through recent studies at meQuilibrium, is resilience.
Using cognitive behavioral therapy, we can deploy ways to manage inevitable setbacks and adverse situations. We don’t just need to “calm down” or “relax.” Instead, it’s important to have the competence to manage those thoughts that actually exacerbate stress in the first place.
Think about the last time you were stressed. You were late, maybe stuck in traffic. Did your thoughts spiral toward catastrophe? Did you beat yourself up for being habitually late? Or did you take control of the situation by making a phone call, sending a text, making provisions for your tardiness?
Through resilience, you can regain control of a situation. You can’t escape stress, but you can smartly confront it through resilient behavior. Resilience is a key theme for the new year.
In: Compasses
Out: Maps
Maps are helpful, don’t get me wrong. They tell you where stuff is, take it or leave it. But a compass guides you so that you chart the course. Charts empower you; maps direct you.
Right now, what’s “in” for workplace health is an individualized, compass-model culture of choice. Everyday empowerment is more important than strict guidelines. When people feel deprived, they grow detached. When people feel empowered to make their own choices on a holistic level, they grow invested in their personal outcomes.
According to research by the Energy Project, as covered in a widely talked about piece in the New York Times, employees who derive meaning and significance from their work are more than three times as likely to stay with their organizations, reported 1.7 times higher job satisfaction and are 1.4 times more engaged. This is especially true for Millennials: 50% of them say flexible work hours and the freedom to work from any location would improve their sense of work-life balance.