All the presents are wrapped, the cards have been sent, and the turkey’s been ordered. I’ve taken leave between Christmas and New Year, and I’m now toasting my toes beside a crackling log fire with a large single malt at my side. Am I happy? You bet. Do I have a sense of wellbeing? Most certainly.
Looking back over the year, I’m quite heartened at the amount of talk about wellbeing that’s been going on. But it’s not just talk -there’s been a fair bit of activity in this area, too. HR seems to have clasped it to its ample bosom, probably because you don’t need a degree or a special qualification to practice it. We all know what makes us feel good, but there may be a bit of conflict between our perceptions and those of our employers.
In a newly released document from Business Action on Health entitled Nurture & Grow, all sorts of initiatives from FTSE 100 companies are held up as examples of good practice in the ‘wellbeing’ stakes. Did you know that we now have a National Apple Day (21 October) – the docs don’t like this too much, puts them out of business. And why the apple when there is so much publicity surrounding the benefits of the blueberry or, bearing in mind the time of year, the noble brussels sprout? I nominate Boxing Day as National Brussels Sprout Day, and Monday 26 January as National Blueberry Day – the day we are the most miserable during the year, apparently.
But getting back to company initiatives to enhance wellness and wellbeing, I was shocked to see that one company has introduced an on-site mole clinic. Now I’ve never seen moles in any of the workplaces that I’ve been in, and why single them out for preferential treatment – poor eyesight maybe? Whoever thought this one up must have beaten me to the single malt – make mine a large one and enjoy the festivities.
