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Ibec to hold its 6th Workplace Wellbeing Day

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, some employers have taken the opportunity to hold digital yoga or baking classes for their staff
Amid the Covid-19 crisis, some employers have taken the opportunity to hold digital yoga or baking classes for their staff

Employers are being reminded to pay attention to their staff well-being - even if they are no longer operating in the same office. 

Tomorrow is Ibec's sixth Workplace Wellbeing Day - which aims to kick-start companies efforts to give more focus to employee health and happiness. 

Kara McGann, Ibec's head of social policy, said that while the definition of the workplace may have changed in recent weeks, the increase in remote working made tomorrow's event even more important. 

"This year more than ever, I think, it has more relevance and significance given the environment we find ours workplaces in," she said. 

"Across Ireland workplaces have been utterly transformed - people are coping with a lot of different challenges as they're trying to work differently," she stated. 

That relates not only to the difficulty of operating an office from home, but concerns around childcare, their personal finances and the health of themselves and their loved ones. 

Management and owners in companies are likely facing similar concerns, so it would not be surprising if some decided that wellbeing was low on their current priority list. 

However Ms McGann said it should be treated as an area in urgent need of focus. 

"Really now more than ever, keeping ourselves well, both mentally and physically, is vital to actually being able to continue working and continue engaging," she said.

"So much of the big stuff is outside of our direct control, so trying to put some structure on what we can control is really important." 

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This can be as simple as maintaining regular sleep and eating patterns, finding opportunities to socialise - be it with colleagues, other friends or family - and knowing when to close the laptop and give your attention to something else. 

Some employers may struggle to get to grips with how they can encourage better wellbeing from a distance, however. 

Ms McGann said there are lots of resources available online, and some employers have taken the opportunity to hold digital yoga or baking classes for their staff. 

Others have even encouraged workers to take breaks and exercise more by pledging a charitable donation based on the amount of kilometres covered in the coming weeks. 

However Ms McGann is keen to point out that tomorrow's event is meant to be about raising awareness, and it is important that employers factor staff well-being into the decisions they take over the rest of the year - and not just have it as a once off. 

"Ibec has been in this space for some time, we have the Ibec Keep Well mark, and that programme helps companies to meet high standards around all the well being pillars including physical and mental health, leadership and healthy eating," Ms McGann said. 

"What we've seen is the growth in the number of companies taking on that mark, really putting a strong focus on what that means for their workplaces.... and how they work with their employees to ensure we're all minding our health and our well-being," she added.