Nurturing Social Wellness at Work

Emotional. Occupational. Physical. Social. Intellectual. Spiritual. Using the six dimensions of wellness, check in with your organization’s state of social well-being.

Why is it crucial to nurture social well-being?

Being in isolation is as risky for your health as smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure.
People with positive relationships have a better coronary response to stress.
Having a strong social network is linked with healthier endocrine and cardiovascular functioning.
A healthy social life makes your immune system stronger against infection and disease.

Now that we know why, how do we nurture the whole person at work?

Mindfulness- Increase awareness around employee responses to different people and in different social situations. Validate feelings.

Health- Pay attention to daily activity and eating habits- encourage these to be done in groups or pairs and encourage employees to take wellness breaks throughout the day.

Connection- Encourage involvement in the community through volunteer opportunities, hobby-based groups, book clubs, or team walks to build and bolster relationships.

Safety- Reduce social anxieties by keeping an eye out for stressful or uncomfortable situations.

Meaning- Help employees to determine short and long term goals and how they contribute to the greater good.

Environment- Challenge people to experience new places, people, and activities.

Distance- It’s easy to forget that we interact with an average of 25 people per day. While some people may feel invigorated by social interactions, it may exhaust others. Don’t penalize anyone for needing time to themselves.

Consider these actions to promote

Making New Connections- Join an exercise group, a book club, or take a class at your local community center. Why not bring a friend along to enhance that connection at the same time?
Give Your Relationships a Health Check- Having strong bonds is crucial to social well-being. The benefits of a strong social network are worth the time, energy, and effort it takes to build it.
Use the Buddy System- Make the most of your relationships by doing activities together. We recommend the walk-and-talk or getting a healthy meal together.

Sources:

https://medium.com/@jaylin/how-many-people-do-you-think-you-interact-with-on-your-average-day-d15bed024f6c
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/july-social-wellness-month