Holistic health matters for workplace performance.
Taking a holistic approach to workplace health by focussing on four key areas including physical, mental, social and spiritual can lead to better outcomes for employees, according to a new McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) survey completed across 30 countries.
MHI and other organisations, like the World Health Organization (WHO), are emphasising a more modern perspective on health that goes beyond just the absence of illness.
This involves embracing the concept of holistic health, which considers an individual’s mental, physical, spiritual, and social wellbeing. By adopting this integrated approach, workplaces can help to promote a higher quality of life for their employees.
In Australia, all indicators of good health are below average
MHI developed four categories to indicate good health, which underpins the holistic health rating.
- Holistic health: integrated view of individual’s mental, physical, spiritual, and social functioning.
- Social health: individual’s ability to build healthy, nurturing, genuine, and supportive relationships.
- Physical health: extent to which the individual can competently perform physical tasks.
- Spiritual health: extent to which the individual integrates meaning into their life.
- Mental health: the individuals’ behavioural, cognitive, and emotional state of being.
Although the global level of good holistic health is around 57 percent — the levels of good mental, physical, social and spiritual health vary by country. In Australia, all indicators of good health are below average.
- Holistic health: Global = 57, Australia = 48
- Social health: Global = 64, Australia = 57
- Physical health: Global = 70, Australia = 68
- Spiritual health: Global = 58, Australia = 46
- Mental health: Global = 67, Australia = 62
Across the board, more than a third of respondents of the surveyed countries reported exhaustion. In Australia, the reported levels of burnout and exhaustion were higher than the global average.
Why holistic health promotes better workplace performance
Holistic health can provide valuable insights into workforce performance. For instance, employees who have good holistic health are more inclined to report being innovative in their work, achieving higher levels of performance and enjoying a better work-life balance.
Enabling a healthy workforce is no longer a luxury, but rather a strategic imperative for organisations to navigate turbulent times and retain high-performing staff.
By agreeing to create workplaces where employees can thrive, organisations can prioritise holistic health as an important outcome that potentially aligns with an organisation’s broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework.
Meaningful work may not protect against burnout symptoms
Employees who find their work meaningful more often report having better holistic health, even when they tolerate toxic workplace behaviours. But there is a limit.
For instance, professionals such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and individuals working in social or healthcare sectors frequently express a sense of purpose in their work — but they’re also more likely to experience high levels of burnout symptoms and contemplate leaving their positions.
Promoting holistic health in the workplace — where to start?
As employers develop strategies to fuel employee health and wellbeing, it may be useful to examine how to support health at four different levels within an organisation.
Organisation
From a top-down perspective, employees are more likely to enact positive behaviours when those in leadership do the same.
Practical steps:
- Offer financial programs in which employees can receive part of their pay prior to payday.
- Provide access to remote medical care.
- Offer additional support or leave time for parents and caregivers.
Team
MHI’s research emphasises the crucial role that team dynamics play in promoting health and wellbeing, a responsibility typically held by managers and team leaders.
Practical steps:
- Training to create psychologically safe environments, which means everyone feels comfortable to share their thoughts and feelings.
- Training to practice conflict resolution skills, especially for those in leadership positions.
- Implement anonymous HR reporting systems.
- Make a concerted effort to address confidential upward feedback on leadership behaviours.
Job
Redesigning existing jobs to promote a sustainable level of efficiency is one of the most direct ways to reduce burnout and promote better health.
Practical steps:
- Set maximum working hours for the day and week, whereby reducing the potential for exhaustion and burnout.
- Limit work communications to certain hours of the day, allowing workers to effectively “switch off” without negative consequences.
- Provide multiple start times or scheduling options, especially for shift workers.
Individual
MHI’s research shows that meaningful work is a crucial factor for overall wellbeing. To help employees find meaning in their work, organisations can adopt a mission-driven approach; incorporating their purpose into their business strategy and throughout the entire organisation.
Practical steps:
- Involve employees in customising their roles and careers, which can provide motivation, build new skill sets, and help employees find meaning in what they do.
- Develop employees’ self-confidence and adaptability through capability training.
Employers have a significant opportunity to positively impact their employees’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing.
Jobfit can work with your business to provide ongoing workplace health solutions to optimise the health of your staff, ultimately making a direct impact on the health of your organisation’s bottom line.
Read more about our health and wellness services here.
