March 2017
The term resilience, in the context of the workplace, refers to both organisational resilience and individual resilience.
Developing individual resilience within an organisation will, in turn, undoubtedly improve employee health and wellbeing, engagement, productivity and performance.
Resilient and healthy organisations have the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to internal and external pressures for change, and have a greater prospect of continuing success. Given that organisations are formed of people working together for a common purpose, corporate resilience is, effectively, the accumulated resilience of individuals who make up the workforce. Corporate resilience focuses on creating the environment that pre-disposes the workforce to be resilient, so that the workforce as a whole makes the organisation resilient.
Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage or adverse conditions. Adversity and stress can come in the shape of family or relationship problems, health problems, or workplace and financial worries, among others. Resilience is one's ability to bounce back from a negative experience with "competent functioning". Put simply, resilience is the ability to cope with and rise to the inevitable challenges, problems and set-backs one meets in the course of one’s life, and come back stronger from them.
Resilience relies on different skills and draws on various sources of help. Psychologists have identified some of the factors that make someone resilient, among them a positive attitude, optimism, awareness, the ability to regulate emotions, rational thinking skills, physical and mental health, good relationships which can be drawn
January 2017
Acupuncture is a complementary medical practice, derived from ancient Chinese medicine, that entails stimulating certain points on the body, most often with a fine needle penetrating the skin, for therapeutic or preventative purposes. It is used in many NHS general practices, as well as the majority of pain clinics and hospices in the UK.
Acupunture offers many benefits including increased productivity. Acupuncture also reduces the physical and mental impacts of an unhealthy or stressful work environment benefiting both organisations and their employees.
Benefits for the employer:
Less injuries due to repetitive strain on the body
Reduced absenteeism
Strengthens mental focus and increases alertness
Defines your company as progressive
Benefits for the employee:
Reduced stress by lowering stress hormones and moderating mood to reduce anxiety
Reduced back and neck tension
Relief for the “mouse” hand and arm
Reduced eye strain
Enhanced mental clarity
Relief from headaches
Increased immune system function (helping to fight off bacteria/viruses and recover more quickly)
Increased energy
Improved sleep
Eased digestive troubles
Relief from allergy symptoms (and prevention)
Reduced cravings for cigarettes
Detoxification
And much more…
We partner with a number of organisations who can offer complementary services to those of our practitioners such as lunchtime talks on topics ranging from parenting (young children and teenagers), to looking after elderly parents, living with serious illness, dealing with divorce, and managing careers (all of which can have negative effects on both physical and mental health).
Voice coaching can enable an individual to fully utilise their voice in the work environment, successfully affecting their listener and achieving their desired results. This is achieved through training them how to employ their diaphragm and breath for powerful, authentic, and effective communication.
Voice coaching can help to build confidence anywhere an individual may be experiencing a loss of power, freedom or self-expression including when public speaking, delivering talks/lectures/power point presentations, in one-to-one situations (when trying to get one’s point across), or chairing meetings.
Our team of voice coaches are experienced in delivering voice coaching in a workplace context.
Physiotherapy is a science-based profession. Physiotherapists help people affected by injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise, manual therapy (including massage, heat treatment and acupuncture), education and advice.
According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, physiotherapy is key to tackling workplace ill health and keeping people in work.
By intervening early, and playing a key role in the treatment and prevention of health conditions that affect ability to work, physiotherapists can improve patient health and wellbeing and reduce benefit dependency.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the major causes of absence from work in the UK. Research shows that prompt access to physiotherapy for people with MSDs can prevent the development of chronic musculoskeletal conditions and impact upon the potential development of associated mental health problems.
We partner with experienced physiotherapists who are ideally placed to provide the advice and treatment that will keep individuals in work and help individuals return to work, reducing sickness absenteeism and increasing productivity. Their services extend beyond individual care for specific complaints and include workstation assessments and recommendations, and advice in respect of the pattern of injuries across organisations with whom they work in order that those organisations can institute better informed/targeted wellness strategies, preventing other similar complaints.
As more and more individuals discover the benefits of yoga, the 3,000-year-old practice is increasingly finding its way into the workplace.
Yoga can counter the effects of a demanding/stressful working environment, reducing absenteeism from sickness or other physical problems, boosting organisational morale, improving communication skills among employees, enabling employees to be happier and more productive, and thus affecting an organisation’s bottom line.
Many organisations now recognise this value and more and more are offering classes as part of their corporate wellness programmes. These include the likes GE, Apple, Google, GM, Facebook, and Nike.
Yoga has numerous benefits. In particular, it:
teaches individuals stress management (thus relieving stress and lowering levels of cortisol)
improves the immune system and overall health, resulting in decreased absenteeism and sickness levels
increases productivity, motivation, and work performance
improves decision making and creativity
increases energy, mental alertness, and clarity
improves stamina/reduces fatigue
improves morale, job satisfaction, and positive thinking patterns
improves memory, focus and concentration
reduces muscle tension and musculoskeletal pain due to sedentary working positions
alleviates physical ailments and pain (which will affect productivity)
improves flexibility and physical strength
improves breathing (known as Pranayama, this helps an individual slow down and deepen their breaths. It
activates the body’s parasympathetic system (or how individuals relax)
decreases headaches
improves confidence
creates inner peace, calm and presence
assists weight management
reduces anxiety (by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter GABA which both lifts mood and suppresses anxiety)
helps with depression
provides cardiovascular benefits (by lowering the resting heart rate and improving oxygen uptake during exercise)
lowers burnout rates
lowers feelings of hostility and aggression
lowers levels of absenteeism
Our team of yoga teachers are highly experienced
An individual's body and mind are their most important assets. A healthy body, a healthy mind!
There are many benefits of regular exercise, improving all aspects of one's life from health to work. For instance, it is well proven that individuals who exercise are more productive: think Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, who frequently starts his day with a morning run.
Personal training can be transformational for many individuals including those who are time poor, struggling with motivation, bored with their workouts, like company when exercising, want to learn something new, or are looking to train for or achieve a specific purpose. A good personal trainer will consult with a client about their lifestyle and goals, run diagnostics on their body, give them a tailored training programme, teach them proper technique and then support and motivate them (through challenge and accountability) to follow through until they reach where they want to be and beyond. The Journal of Sports Science & Medicine estimated that individuals are 30% more likely to hit their goals with a personal trainer than alone.
In terms of benefits, exercise:
Keeps you alert and focused ultimately improving your performance (by increasing blood flow to the brain, sharpening your awareness)
Raises your energy level (by enhancing your body’s ability to transfer glucose and oxygen throughout your brain and body, thus increasing your energy level)
Improves brain function (those who are physically active score better on cognitive tests than people living a sedentary lifestyle; there is a clear link between physical fitness, brain function and
Lack of sleep can have a profound and debilitating impact on both physical and mental health.
Research has revealed that 75% of people in the UK are not getting a good night's sleep which is not surprising given the increasing pressure at home and work, not to mention the impact of modern technology resulting in many individuals being 'switched on' at all hours of the day and night. As such, finding time to let go and unwind can be difficult.
In addition, being able to sleep does not necessarily mean that the quality of sleep is clean and restorative, thus many individuals wake up groggy and with little energy to face the day. This is turn can lead to anxiety and productivity issues amongst others.
Our sleep expert can provide simple and effective tools and strategies to counter all manner of sleep problems, thus improving health, wellbeing and productivity of those affected.
A fit, healthy and happy workforce can, in turn, help to improve the health and wellbeing of their organisation, ultimately impacting on its future development and success, as well as that of its employees.
Well-targeted nutrition education in the workplace, together with practical initiatives, have been proven to improve productivity in a number of ways including reduced anxiety, less absenteeism, improved presenteeism, better morale, increased motivation, greater loyalty, and lower health insurance premiums.
Nutrition is not only key to physical wellbeing, but also to mental health. At a very high level, fuelling one’s body with unsuitable food choices can lead to a vicious circle of lethargy, substance abuse to counter that (including caffeine!), underperformance as a result of low energy and concentration levels and, ultimately, stress and anxiety related to the potential consequences.
Our services, tailored both at an individual and organisational level (and including working with a client’s catering team where appropriate), will help a client’s staff to become more energised, engaged, happy and able to focus on the task in hand.
Our nutritionists are highly corporate minded in both their experience and output.
Executive development is a critical aspect of all organisations and often one that is most overlooked.
There is often confusion between coaching and counselling. In essence, coaching helps individuals to access their natural talents so they can maximise their potential. It is about clarifying and achieving goals. Counselling helps individuals to talk about problems they may be having or to explore what it is they really want and how they can achieve those wishes. At times, both may be needed concurrently and complement each other. At others, well timed coaching can, in certain situations, help prevent a challenge from transitioning into a mental health issue (such as anxiety or depressions for instance).
Executive coaching supports those facing challenging situations (such as a promotion, when facing difficult or complex situations at work, or when dealing with corporate or personal change), identifies ways to limit the impact of pressure and aims to realise the best performance possible.
By addressing specific personal development issues in a time-effective manner, both organisational and individual benefits are delivered quickly. These can include greater commitment, retention of key personnel, a clearer strategic direction, more creative outlook in strategy, better planning, greater team working and improved management of staff.
Our team of executive coaches are highly impressive individuals, with extensive business experience between them (including in the entrepreneurial, corporate, financial, educational and legal sectors). They act as advisors to boards, senior executives, and leaders within various organisations and industries.
