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Could sleep deprivation be affecting your mental health?

You may have heard that a lack of sleep can affect you physically, having an impact on your weight, your immune system and even aches and pains, but did you know that sleep deprivation can have an even bigger effect on your mental well-being?

 

Studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between sleep and your mood – but it’s more than waking up feeling grumpy after tossing and turning all night. A lack of sleep, such as prolonged periods of insomnia, can lead to a lack of concentration and impair our ability to think clearly, as well as influence our outlook on life, energy levels, motivation and emotions.

 

Despite these warnings however, it is clear that people across the UK are not getting a good night’s rest. In 2016, research by the Royal Society for Public Health found that the average Briton is losing almost an hour of sleep per night – that’s a whole night’s sleep over the course of one week!

 

The report, titled ‘Waking up to the health benefits of sleep’, highlights the need for individuals to get more good quality sleep to protect our health and well-being, and calls on schools, employers and GPs to discuss sleep as part of complex health issues.

 

The most common mental health issues linked to sleep deprivation are depression and anxiety disorders. It therefore may not surprise you to hear that people with insomnia are 10 times as likely to have clinical depression and 17 times as likely to have clinical anxiety than those who get an average of 7-9 hours per night.

So, why does this happen? What is the impact of sleep deprivation on our brains?

 

First of all, a lack of sleep will effectively cause the memory inbox of the brain to shut down. Sleep affects the formation of myelin, which is vital to allowing the brain’s cells to grow and repair ready to operate the next day. So, when the brain is deprived, we are unable to properly commit new experiences to memory.

 

Studies have shown that sleep is also important to maintaining the health of our brain’s neurons. A good night’s sleep allows our neurons to independently rest and repair themselves, but if this happens while we’re awake, it is much less efficient and affects our cognitive performance such as our ability to reason, make decisions and react quickly. Moderate sleep deprivation has even been compared to the impairments of alcohol intoxication.

 

Sleep deprivation also leads to an increased development of beta-amyloid, a damaging protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

 

There are numerous ways to avoid or combat sleep deprivation, such as establishing your natural wake-sleep cycle (or circadian rhythm), exercising regularly, limiting caffeine and nicotine and taking time out to wind down at the end of the day. However, for some, sleep deprivation can be a more serious issue that requires medical intervention. Booking an appointment with your GP is the first step to diagnosing a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnoea.

 

Whatever your course of action, it’s time to take sleep seriously, particularly when it comes to your mental health.

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It’s time to start the discussion about mental health in the workplace.

2018’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week was certainly an important one: Mental health within the workplace.

 

Currently, it’s estimated stress and mental health problems cost the UK economy nearly £100 Billion per year, so breaking the stigma by being open to mental health and with a willingness to talk about it can certainly help.

 

Mental ill health unfortunately is not only a UK, but a worldwide issue. It impacts the economy each year through costs to employers (lower productivity, sickness absence, staff turnover), and to the government (health and welfare benefits, reduced tax revenue); where over the last year alone, 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. So, what do we need to do to help lower this figure and how can we help improve both our own and our employee’s well-being?

 

There are a number of small steps to help improve mental well-being at work, such as taking the time to reflect on what causes you the most stress within the workplace, and thereafter taking the steps to reduce or eradicate such situations from happening in the future.

 

Here at The Healthy Worker, we have worked hard to develop mental well-being management solutions for individuals of varying levels – from management teams to employees:

 

If you’re a business owner…

Our services can be more beneficial to your company than you realise, particularly as mental health issues are on the rise. Supporting individual staff members and providing an open space for them to review their situation and talk through our Personal & Health Coaching sessions can be vital for their well-being.

In the discussions, we will support your staff through the challenges they face or finding direction when the pathway isn’t clear. Personal coaching is extremely effective as it pinpoints the exact need and solution and can help your team members reflect on what causes their stress and the steps they can take to prevent negative feelings from taking over.

 

For management teams…

We run several courses for your management teams to participate in. Mental Health Awareness is of course a popular and important choice within management teams. To supplement this our ‘Healthy Worker Course’, provides as a multi-component health improvement programme – endorsed as best practice by the World Health Organisation. Multi-component programmes are useful as factors are often linked, such as mental wellbeing, smoking or alcohol use, or the effects of diet and exercise on our health.

The course boasts fabulous delegate feedback and a high-quality evaluation, in which it was found to reduce absence days by 41% and episodes of absence by 25%. In addition, improved physical activity levels, healthier diet, enhanced mood and openness to change at work were all reported positively, with lasting effect.

 

Or perhaps a colleague…

You may have noticed that a colleague has been quiet for the last few weeks and doesn’t seem themselves. It all starts with asking someone how they are doing in a warm and authentic way – giving them a chance to realise that you are being sincere and friendly. Perhaps invite them out for a coffee break or take them out for lunch, showing somebody that someone wants to listen can help prevent long-term damage.

 

Implementing workplace wellbeing can take time, whether it’s for your business, or the team you are responsible for. The end result however can mean a positive atmosphere, improved employee engagement, higher productivity levels and financial gain, which is good for you and your staff!

 

If you would like to know more about the services we provide here at The Healthy Worker, please feel free to get in touch on 01684 231461 or email info@thehealthyworker.co.uk.

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How can you motivate and encourage your employees?

Are your employees fired up and passionate about what they do? Do they show enthusiasm to start the day and hit their targets? In any business, there will be days where employees don’t have that get-up-and-go attitude, but if you’re staff are disengaged more often than not, it can have a significant impact on productivity.

 

Successfully improving wellbeing and motivating your employees is not as challenging as you may think – even small changes can make a big difference in staff morale. Here are 7 techniques that Managers and Supervisors can use in your organisation to encourage their teams:

 

1. Acknowledging achievements.

It’s important to recognise the hard work that staff put in on a daily basis to help the company achieve its objectives. Something as simple as giving praise and saying thank you for a completed job or even a good idea will mean more to a team member than you might think and is one of the most effective ways to give your employees a boost in morale. Don’t forget, being positive with others who have done a good job can help your wellbeing as well as theirs!

 

2. Demonstrate trust.

Trust forms the basis of our relationships which are a key component to our wellbeing, and a key factor in employee performance. When staff don’t feel trusted by their superiors, workplace engagement often suffers, but on the flip-side, employees who do feel trusted tend to be higher performers and go the extra mile. Let your staff take the lead on projects or campaigns, present new ideas in meetings or manage communications with clients. The more confidence you have in your team, the more confident they will be in taking on new challenges and pushing themselves to learn new things. Allowing others to take the lead can also help your work – home balance.

 

3. Encourage personal development.

When employees learn new skills it not only benefits them and their wellbeing, but also the company. Letting your staff know that you’re willing to invest in their professional growth is a great source of motivation. Some businesses will support their staff financially, offering further education or courses outside of work. However, if you can’t offer financial aid for self-improvement, you can still be flexible and allow staff to add webinars, courses or seminars into their schedules – within reason of course.

 

4. Promote from within.

For many business owners, it’s important to fill the company with hard working, knowledgeable people who will help to achieve long-term growth and while sometimes a role will require external talent, it’s important to look inwards and promote current staff. Promoting from within will not only strengthens your company culture by retaining the best employees, but it sends a message to everyone in the organisation that you are willing to reward hard work and offer opportunities for progression.

 

5. Be flexible.

We’re all looking to strike the perfect work-home balance, so the ability to offer your employees flexibility in the workplace is invaluable. Some of your staff may be parents or grandparents looking after children, others may have clubs or other commitments outside of work; it’s important to remember that everyone is different and juggling a variety of things in their personal lives which impact their wellbeing and ultimately their engagement. Offering employees flexible hours or the ability to work from home for example are great ways to boost this.

 

6. Have some fun.

Maintaining a positive working environment isn’t just about what goes on in the office – there are numerous benefits to team building and social interactions between colleagues outside of work. Organise office parties, birthday celebrations, dinners and nights-out or even off-site work activities. A change of scenery and social time allows for colleagues to bond, get to know each other and promotes collaborative working. Building good relationships is a key component of our wellbeing too.

 

7. Talk about mental health.

The workplace is an important place to have a conversation about mental health, but sometimes it can be difficult for staff to open up and discuss it with co-workers or managers. Employers need to show they’re open to talking about mental health and that staff won’t be discriminated against or judged because of any mental illness. Whether it’s stress in the workplace or a member of your team is struggling with depression, making your workplace a comfortable environment can help employees feel happier, more confident and more productive.

 

Every business is different and it’s important to find the right motivational methods that work for you and your staff. Focusing on those methods which improve wellbeing is a great start and ask your staff through focus groups or surveys, about what’s important to them. Then, by making some small changes in your workplace, you can ensure your staff feel inspired, motivated and look forward to every Monday morning!

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NEW Workplace Wellbeing Forum for Worcestershire

Are you thinking about Wellbeing within your business or organisation at present? The CIPD Health and Wellbeing Survey reveals Wellbeing is on the agenda of over 50% of Senior Managers.

However we’ve heard many anecdotes of not being sure where to start, how to progress, or how to evaluate the work you have already put in. Each company is at its own learning stage and it sounds as though some sharing and mutual supporting would be appreciated by many. So, The Healthy Worker is establishing a Workplace Wellbeing Forum for employers within Worcestershire, and the surrounding areas, to enable the sharing of ideas and good practices.

We hope you’ll join us and I’d be grateful for your views on what would work best for you, so please pop your thoughts into our survey which will take just 3 minutes of your time. Many thanks and I look forward to seeing you there. To access the survey please click here

Workplace Wellbeing Forum pic

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Book your place today at our ‘Well-Being Workshops’!

The Healthy Worker is excited to announce it is marking Mental Health Awareness Week 2018 with the launch of a new workshop series, dedicated to improving health and well-being in the workplace for Worcestershire based businesses.

 

To be held in June at the Open Space Rooms, Malvern, the workshops have been designed to help businesses understand how best to support well-being in the workplace, enabling them to recognise health concerns early, address them effectively and reduce cases of long-term sick leave as a result of mental health.

 

There is also a dedicated workshop for individuals looking to improve their own well-being.

 

Liz Preece, Founder and Managing Director of The Healthy Worker, explained: “Sickness absence costs UK businesses approximately £9 billion a year, with a further £30 billion associated with presenteeism (working whilst ill).  Over 15% of workers have a diagnosable mental health condition, so it is easy to see what a difference good employee well-being can make to any firm.”

 

With nearly 20 years’ experience as an Occupational Health Nurse, Liz Preece founded The Healthy Worker in 2013 after finding herself passionate about the number of clients with mental health concerns, and the opportunity for this to be prevented or reduced through workplaces being equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate support.

 

Since this date, the Healthy Worker has worked with a number of large organisations throughout the UK to create and manage bespoke well-being strategies, whilst supporting the development of individuals struggling with mental health.

 

Liz continued: “Mental health awareness is becoming more and more prominent in society, resulting in businesses having to look at the well-being policies they have in place. There are clear benefits for improving and supporting the health and wellbeing of staff members and I, therefore, hope our workshops can inspire local firms and individuals to get involved and develop a more positive and productive working environment.”

 

The new series of Workshops commence on Tuesday 19th June 2018 with limited spaces. To find out more and to book your place, please visit:

 

Tuesday 19th June: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-matters-tickets-45723125098

 

Friday 22nd June: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wellbeing-champion-workplace-adviser-training-tickets-45756622289

 

Wednesday 27th June: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/improving-your-wellbeing-tickets-45757359494

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Is the NHS leading the way on staff health and wellbeing?

 

Wellbeing picture

Is the NHS leading the way on staff health and wellbeing? 

There has long been recognition that if you improve the health and wellbeing of your staff, good things happen. Staff engagement, productivity, retention and recruitment improve, as do patient experience and outcomes.

The NHS  recognises the cost of staff absence, which is estimated by Public Health England to be £24 billion This years’ new CQUIN programme, means encouragement for improving staff health and wellbeing has gained a financial dimension. With NHS Trusts having up to 0.75% of their Annual budget available, for achieving health and wellbeing targets, staff wellbeing is now firmly on the agenda. This signals the importance of staff wellbeing to the NHS and organisations more widely.

 

In addition agency costs are soaring, is a further expense which can be minimised by improved staff wellbeing.

 

The NHS is not alone however, the CIPD is involved with employers in general, recognising the need to improve staff health and wellbeing to achieve growth, productivity and competitive advantage.
Improving the Wellbeing of your staff.

Understanding your starting position is key.  We advise a dual approach:

Firstly, a questionnaire based survey, to gain an understanding of employees present perceptions. This provides information about what they think Within the NHS the Annual staff survey can assist with this. The information gained will enable you to have a greater understanding of the current situation across your business.

Secondly, a small number of focus groups to enrich the survey data and provide understanding about why the perceptions are as they are. This provides valuable and deeper insight and enables the right actions to be planned. Getting actions right first time produces a momentum on which your business can build, improving productivity and engagement as you do so.

 

NICE guidance (NG13) was published last year and is one of several evidence based guidelines which can help inform the way forward. Some of the CQUIN targets are aligned with this guidance.

 

How can The Healthy Worker Assist?

What we know from working with organisations is that you probably already have much to celebrate. From flexible working initiatives, adhering to statutory health and safety requirements, to the provision of early interventions for those with health concerns. There are also likely to be areas to develop. The Healthy Worker runs facilitated workshops so that key stakeholders in your business, including your staff, can use a model and together identify and prioritise areas for development within your organisation, so you have a plan to achieve your goals.

 

In our experience this can be an enlightening and rewarding stage of the process.
With extensive experience of working alongside the NHS we are familiar with the challenges and issues faced by frontline workers and managers.The Healthy Worker offers a range of support to improve staff heath and wellbeing with innovative and highly engaging workshops which can assist you to achieve your CQUIN or other wellbeing goals. 

Please contact us for further information, or to discuss your requirements.

contact details
To discuss how we can help support your delivery of improved staff health and wellbeing:Tel:         01684 231461Email:     info@thehealthyworker.co.uk

or see our website for further information: www.thehealthyworker.co.uk

 

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Self Care, Who’s Failing?

I read this article with interest…and it made me think:

 

MPs criticise ‘lack of progress’ on NHS self care rollout

http://www.gponline.com/mps-criticise-lack-progress-nhs-self-care-rollout/article/1387569

parliament_creditIanBottle-20160316115145804

 

Its true, we are not doing enough to promote self care.

But who does self care belong to? I don’t blame Consultants, Senior Drs or Practitioners of any kind. They have knowledge and skills in their own specialist areas, thats what they talk about at consultation. Many are unfamiliar with self care concepts and how to approach those issues, particularly when there is limited time.

The Medical Model has served us well, in the past. The passage from symptoms to diagnosis, treatment and condition improvement has, for most, gone well. Thats great for those conditions which we can all experience if we are ‘dealt a poor hand’ or are unlucky.

But today there are so many more long term conditions, associated with lifestyle factors, which are bringing new pressures. The paternalistic approach of the NHS, which has managed to fix virtually everything we do to ourselves has to change. We no longer have the resources and its disempowering for us all. At what point did we agree to hand over responsibility for our health and wellbeing? Taking this back can help us and help the sustainability of the NHS We need to own our health and wellbeing, its a lifelong approach.

Reading through the literature, has made me ponder whether the success of the NHS, is part of our problem. The argument goes that those countries who pay health insurance are years ahead of us with Self Care. Acquiring conditions which are avoidable is a costly business, either for yourself or for your company, which provides health insurance. So individuals and businesses make a bigger commitment to minimising that cost. In this country we are short of any motivation that may bring.

I am not advocating ending NHS provision, before anyone gets the wrong message. However actions are driven by motivations and incentives. Presently ours aren’t well orientated to support the Self care agenda. Within workplaces, which are being encouraged to develop the wellbeing agenda (#wellbeing16, @CIPD), there is an implementation gap between those who say they wish to do it and those who actually do. Why? Well frankly many would wonder why they should. When there are health problems, the majority of the quantifiable costs are met by the NHS and there’s usually no health insurance costs to worry about.

For enlightened companies and organisations there are of course a good number of additional costs and benefits including employee engagement, improved productivity, talent retention, ease of recruitment and other reasons why they are actively pursuing the wellbeing agenda for the benefit of their organisation, their employees and their communities. Thats great and The Healthy Worker is delighted to have worked with many of them providing, amongst other things, courses which empower and enable employees to develop their own wellbeing and self care skills, achieving great results for themselves and their organisation.

So, where do we go from here?

For me, keep the NHS for its core work. Central to NHS is ‘H’, which is for ‘health’. By all means support the NHS to improve self care messages through training of Nurses, Drs and other Practitioners. But self care and wellbeing is wider than health, so also support workplaces with their desire to be part of improving wellbeing. There is now well established evidence of the business benefits from improving employee wellbeing. We need to incorporate that into management training and business performance measures. Employees are increasingly voting for this with their feet, and that people power is only going to increase. However it would be great to see Government policy lending its hand and creating the incentives for the change they wish to see.

 

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Have businesses been napping on mental health?

Published – LinkedIn 22nd June 2015

 

The latest EEF/Jelf sickness absence survey shows mental health problems are the main cause of absence for one in four companies. Mental health problems have steadily risen in their impact on businesses and yet only 1 in 10 companies provide training for line managers in mental health issues.

Reality may be worse than estimated. There is evidence that only a fraction of sick notes for mental health episodes, record it. Sick notes relate to any of the symptoms of stress, for example ‘fatigue’ or ‘gastric problems’. Whilst these symptoms exist, they are not the absolute reason for the absence.

There is therefore a risk of competitive advantage being lost through reduced productivity from this issue and organisations who have open disclosure and good training for managers will be able to take advantage.

That’s not all. With CIPD, reporting this week, that 78% of organisations have experienced recruitment difficulties in the last year there is increasing competition for talent. Please don’t consider for a moment that your talent is immune to mental health problems, they are just as prone as anyone else and for a variety of reasons, including being passionate about their job and success driven, they can indeed be more at risk.

Consider carefully therefore your plans for how you invest in your employees this year. Choose wisely and there could be returns on your investment from several aspects.

We work with public and private sector organisations to assess, support or improve the mental wellbeing of workforces and aid business productivity. If you would like help with this, please contact us:

email: info@thehealthyworker.co.uk

call us: 01684231461

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A positive way to reduce staff absence and presenteeism – would you like outcomes like these?

Published  – LinkedIn 4th September 2015

Staff absence within the NHS continues to make the news with articles such as http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33618978 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34120675

There are no easy jobs, as far as I am aware, within the NHS. Although rewarding the work brings mental and physical challenges, so the resilience and wellbeing of staff members is key to their sustainability at work. Its not just being at work either, its about being well and at work.

 The NHS review into Health and Wellbeing (Boorman 2009) established  that better staff health and wellbeing translates into improved patient experiences and outcomes. The empirical evidence to support long term beliefs about this arrived, yet it is still to be fully implemented.

Is the health and wellbeing of your employees part of your strategic planning? Is it included within the values of your organisation? For many the answer is yes, but do staff perceive this and does the organisation really ‘live its values’? For many this continues to be an area of disconnect.

Improving NHS staff health and wellbeing provides benefits to staff, improves patient experience and reduces the costs of staff absence. Simon Stevens has been clear about his vision for the NHS to practice what it preaches a little more. This improvement in quality and productivity is not exclusive to the NHS, it applies to all organisations. Further guidance has followed through NICE, and gradually the argument has been made and won that improving the health and wellbeing of staff should be intrinsic to every organisation due to the benefits achieved for both the employee and employer. However organisations need to clear about the outcomes they are aiming to achieve, in order to know whether their investment has been worthwhile.

We at The Healthy Worker have been privileged to provide Trainers Courses for NHS staff to deliver The Healthy Worker Course in-house. The outcomes have been fabulous and we are always delighted to hear back from Trainers about what’s been happening within their Trusts.

Below are some of the outcomes shared with us. The stories which accompany the outcomes are humbling and heart warming about the difference the course has made, and how lives have changed for the better. How having the tools to take control of their health and wellbeing for themselves has led to positive actions, with improved self esteem and reduced anxiety levels, as well as reduced absence levels. Staff from many and varied roles have reported benefits, Ancillary staff, Nurses, Therapists and Doctors. We can all benefit from structured time and tools to move forward and influence our destiny. It is an iterative process.

The Healthy Worker Course is empowering for staff members who may have lost focus on their own health and wellbeing, may struggle to attend work on a regular basis, or be finding work life balance difficult to achieve.

We recognise that it’s important to measure the outcomes, to provide feedback to commissioners and reassurance their money providing a positive return on investment (13:1 is an average). Our focus is on outcomes which are important within the workplace, to HR and Finance Managers. The results are detailed below.

Our next Trainers Course for NHS Trusts is on 23rd and 24th September. Contact us on info@thehealthyworker.co.uk for further information. If you don’t work within the NHS but are interested in this programme for your staff, please make contact as this course is now, for the first time, available more widely. We look forward to hearing from you.

Outcomes from The Healthy Worker Course

 

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It’s Self-care week. How’s your self care going?

Published – LinkedIn 19th November 2015

Self care is the opportunity we all have to improve our health and wellbeing. I haven’t met anyone recently who feels their work role is easier than it was a few years ago, so it appears the demands upon us are growing. Are you feeling the best you can? What are the barriers to you doing so?

The need to pay attention to the areas of work life balance we can influence remains important. Alongside this there is plenty of research to indicate the better our health and wellbeing, the more productive we are and the better satisfaction we give to our customers, whoever they may be.

Below is a simple questionnaire for you to complete and give yourself a score for your level of self care. It’s just a taster but it might help you start thinking about the attention you give to your sustainability. If you score 25 or more, you are doing a great job, anything below that level shows room for improvement. Use the questionnaire itself to give you some ideas of areas where you could make positive changes.

Beware the competitive people! The top score of 48 is not necessarily the best score. We need to live alongside others and consider their needs also…there’s a balance in all things. Good luck!

Write down the score (from the key below) that best matches how you feel about the 16 statements below. Then add up your score to give a final result.

KEY
scores		 3
= very like me		 2
= like me		 1
= unlike me		 0
= very unlike me
1 I occasionally give myself something nice like a present or treat
2 I make time to do relaxing activities
3 I believe it is necessary to be selfish at times
4 I like it when others look after me when I am ill
5 I plan events in my life that I can look forward to, such as holidays or outings
6 Every day I make sure I have some time to do something pleasurable for myself
7 I make a point of looking after my appearance and health
8 I like it when someone gives me a present or compliments me on something I’ve done
9 I can praise myself if I think I have done a good job
10 I feel in control of my life, I do not simply live my life according to what other people want
11 I make a point of eating a healthy diet and I do not skip meals
12 I deliberately do exercise and keep myself physically fit
13 I deliberately make time to build friendships with people I like
14 I make time to take part in absorbing, meaningful hobbies and activities
15 Sometime I have to put my own needs first which means I may have to hurt others
16 I can say ‘no’ when other people make demands on me

 Reference: Powell, T (2000) The Mental Health Handbook. Speechmark Publication.