The concept of Workplace Wellbeing is not a myth created to excuse poor performance or mask laziness. Neither is it some woke phenomenon created during the pandemic. It has been a vital ingredient in any good employer’s arsenal for many years now, and the fact that it is now on everyone’s agenda shouldn’t dilute its importance.
The fantastic news is that many employers really do get this today. All of the employers I work with get this. And they live it too.
But what if your employer has only 1 employee, and what if that employee is you?!
One (Wo)Man Bands Are Not Excluded
If you run your own business and don’t employ anyone else to work in that business with you, there is a natural tendency to view yourself as different to other employees:
“I don’t really count as an employee, do I?”
“I don’t have time to take breaks because it’s just me.”
“I don’t mind working until midnight or on weekends because it’s my business.”
These are the familiar assertions we will have all told ourselves from time to time since starting our own business.
And the chances are you don’t know what your “take home” pay is going to be each month, let alone have workplace policies in place that protect and support you.
I would like to suggest that, whilst a formal policy isn’t perhaps relevant or necessary, some kind of pact with yourself, to follow some simple and healthy practices that enhance your wellbeing at work, is essential – both for your general mental health, but also to support business growth. After all, you are the only person responsible for the growth of your business, so if you’re not on top form neither will your business be!
My Story
I have had a pretty hectic couple of years on a personal level, full of big life decisions that have resulted in big change, both practically and emotionally. And, whilst I have maintained my business throughout, I have to be honest and acknowledge that I have not grown it during that time. And whilst some of that is down to some very real practical and logistical considerations, a lot of it has been down to me allowing my workplace wellbeing to fall so far down “the list” that it no longer even occurred to me.
Two weeks ago I moved to Brighton, after deciding some months ago that I needed to make one more big change in order to continue my personal growth and also to refocus on my business’ growth – and that change was to live by the sea.
And so, after a week of sorting and settling, including getting my new workspace just right, this week I have been taking time to make lunch every day, leave the house with my go cup and cute little lunch bag, and take 30 minutes to go and sit on the beach to eat and just be. The practice of making and taking lunch in itself has already given me new structure and a newfound sense of purpose. Add in the fresh air, physical movement and peace that comes from spending some time outdoors, and I already feel reinvigorated and refocused, and more motivated than I have in a long time.
So motivated that I am now writing and sharing my first blog post in nearly 2 years (almost to the day).
Your Story
If my story resonates at all with you as a fellow lone business owner AND employee, then please consider the benefit of allowing yourself to also incorporate some kind of manageable wellbeing practice(s) into the running of your business. I’m not suggesting that you need to uproot your entire life in order to do so! But a small shift in the way you think about yourself will result in a huge shift in the way you think about your business.
And that’s good for both of you.
