lifestyle management workshops

Gisborne Chamber of Commerce

Program of Report

Program of Lifestyle Management Workshops

Presented by

Amberley Meredith, M.Sc. Psychologist, RPNZPB, MIICT

The Being Well Process.com

Health & Wellbeing Consultancy

18 July 2012

Report

The Being Well Process - www.thebeingwellprocess.com - 06 863 7214

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Background & Context

Emerging neuroscience, psychological, and economic research clearly link

a thriving workforce with better business performance, and with results from

wellness program studies showing that employers who adequately invest in

their wellness programs save on average 5 times their investment in health-

related costs it is clear it is worth putting wellness on the agenda. Indeed

some ROI are up to 15 times, but only for wellness programs that do more

than token talks on nutrition or posters encouraging people to exercise more.

An employee with low “life satisfaction” translates into a decrease in

productivity of 15 days a year1. Nearly a quarter of the New Zealand (NZ)

workforce works more than 50 hours per week2, has a high prevalence of

workplace stress compared to international findings3, and stress is thought to

help cause 80% of illnesses & absences4. Obesity is suspected to affect

productivity & NZ is the 3rd most overweight OECD country5. Bullying is

reported by nearly 20% of NZ workers and bullying correlates to high stress,

reduced well-being, high turnover, low performance and high absenteeism6.

When coupling this information to the very real and poor health statistics and

amount of high risk damaging behaviours exhibited by the NZ population it is

evident a reverse in trends regarding health literacy and an improvement in

people’s “self-health skills” is required.

Staff health and wellbeing has become the employer’s problem by the

simple fact that once your employee is unwell you have to deal with the

consequences of that. These consequences include low productivity,

disengagement, workplace injuries and accidents, absenteeism and

presenteeism. For example, a person who is fatigued (been awake for 20

hours) will have the same level of performance impairment as someone who

has 0.1 blood alcohol content. The probability that staff will come and tell

their employer when they are unfit for work is very low. They will not disclose

unhealthy drinking or drugs taking patterns. They will not tell you when they

have not slept well nor will they disclose their mental, emotional or even

spiritual issues. Thus an employer will not know when their employees are

underperforming due to health and wellbeing reasons.

With the NZ Treasury indicating unfit and unwell employees cost between

$2,720 and $6,500 per person per annum (excluding accidents and injuries)

this is an area employers can actively invest in through an effective wellness

program and achieve positive reductions in costs.


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Barriers to Change

Three of the main barriers that exist to creating sustainable change in

wellbeing are:

1. The majority of people are unaware of the unhealthy habits they exhibit

on a regular basis, which are in turn leading them into physical and mental

disease, and reducing their ability to perform at their best. Thus when asked

how they are or if they are interested in a health and wellbeing program

they are likely to say they are fine and do not think they need help. The more

likely reality is that they are living a lifestyle that is negatively geared towards

disease and illness rather one that promotes and creates health and vitality.

Humans are remarkably adept at habituating to things, including being

unwell and unhealthy.

2. People and health experts often do not know or recognise the need for

retraining the subconscious mind in order to be able to make changes that

last. Therefore when they attempt to change health-related behaviours they

are often met with failure and give up, reverting in a short space back of

time to the unhealthy behaviours.

3. A surprising amount of information given out (including by allegedly

reputable bodies) is biased, inaccurate and can lead to illness regardless of

its perceived positive content. This occurs when the information is not based

in accurate scientific research, nor derived from cutting edge techniques

and evidence-based practice. Therefore people can be following advice

that is actually unhelpful and misleading, and that is certainly not increasing

their health as they think they might be.


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Workshop and Project Evaluation

The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce and The Being Well Process

conducted a program of Lifestyle Management workshops in June/July 2012

to allow regional employers and employees to access information on how to

develop their health literacy, promote balance and increase and maintain

self-health skills with respect to their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual

wellbeing. The program also included training to help them to create

positive relationships and develop clear and effective communication skills.

The program of workshops conducted by Psychologist Amberley Meredith

M.Sc., have been evaluated thanks to a “Feedback and Evaluation Survey”

form that was handed out to each of the attendees so as to obtain their

personal opinion regarding the content and added value of each workshop,

as well as the series as whole. In addition to this anecdotal comments and

ideas have been recorded where pertinent.

Information gathered have been analyzed and compiled in the present

document.

1. Brief outline of key issues addressed in the workshops

2. Key messages conveyed during workshops (from speaker to attendees and attendees to speaker)

3. Outcomes (both observed and expected)

4. Recommendations for Companies and attendees

5. Conclusions


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1. Brief outline of key issues addressed in the workshops The ideal state for any employee is to be:

This is achieved through:

Connec&ng mind & body + assessing

biofeedback markers

Iden&fying subconscious (genera&onal) unhelpful beliefs

Changing beliefs & behaviour by

improving health literacy & self-‐health skills

Maintaining posi&ve

lifestyle habits by retraining the brain


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2. Key messages conveyed during workshops

Good health is a lifetime journey, there is no quick fix and a person

must take steps one at a time, starting with changing thoughts and

attitudes and belief towards the self and health.

Positively take charge of your own health care and respond to

signals, which means creating space, time and using professional

services (where appropriate) to ensure continuing good health is

achieved.

An understanding of how humans operate psychologically,

emotionally, neurologically and creatively, and how these factors

impact upon physical/mental health and the ability to do our job or task

is essential in being able to take care of ourselves effectively.

Pain, be it physical or emotional, and stress are signals from our

bodies that mean we need to change or stop what we are doing, and

find a better way to achieve our aims/goals that serves us rather than

depletes our resources.

The 7 pillars of a balanced life are;

1. Think positively

2. Sleep well

3. Eat well

4. Exercise well

5. Stimulate your mind

6. Be creative and make time for fun

7. Create fulfilling relationships through clear communication


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“I like the way you teach how to apply the knowledge practically”

“You make the materials interesting and got good levels of participation and discussion”

“Brilliant. Lots to think about, lots of new concepts”

“Very applicable”

“Great speaker delivery”

3. Outcomes

The feedback from the workshops has been resoundingly positive, providing a satisfaction score of 100% for the program. Overall 100% participants state they have learnt more about themselves, acquired new skills or gained ideas on how to improve their lives.

Workshops received an overall score of 9.2 out of 10, indicating that all participants found the program very interesting and useful.

The following comments were made by participants:

0

100

Change Knowledge Usefulness New Skills

Gains Made by Participants


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“Learning the how”

“Helped me to identify with my own potential for addictive treats”

“A greater general understanding of human behaviour, how to stay physically and mentally well, and how to lead a balanced life”

“Learnt more about myself and what I’m about - I learnt where and how I am at my happiest”

Change

70% believe that that can apply the practical positive strategies presented during the workshops to their own life

Knowledge

70% think they got a better understanding of human behaviours

Usefulness

64% have gained useful information they can apply towards leading a more balanced life

New Skills

54% state that they have acquired new skills to stay more physically and mentally well

Comments of participants regarding training experience along with skills, ideas, and techniques they’ve gained during workshops:

What participants will change as a result of the workshops

One common trait among participants is that they all have been able to identify areas of their lives or behaviours that they need or wish to improve. This means the workshops have allowed them to reflect on themselves and help them identify and implement pathways to positive changes. Even those who stated they were unsure what exactly they would change will have started a subconscious process of rethinking who they are and what they do and asking if that works well for them. The top areas people identified for change were thinking more positively, changing their diet, increasing their level of activity through more exercise, finding better balance for themselves and taking better care of their mental health.


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“Reinforcement that change is possible”

“Recognition of behaviours and steps to be able to change those behaviours”

“Really understanding the human body specifically the brain, and what sets off the different emotions”

It is very satisfying to note that the most cited planned change was to start by addressing negative and unhelpful thoughts and beliefs. This, psychologically and neurologically, is the first step in creating sustainable and effective change as our thoughts and beliefs power our perceptions, and our perceptions power our behaviours and emotions. Therefore if we wish to change unhealthy habits into healthy ones the logical starting place is our thinking. When asked “what is the most useful thing you got out of today?” the following responses were recorded:

In response to the question “Do you have any suggestions for improvement?”One participant wrote:

“Take it to every workplace!”

Planned Lifestyle Changes

Diet

Thinking

Exercise

Sleep

Addic@ons

Mental health

Communica@on

Breath work

Rela@onships

Balance


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4. Recommendations for attendees

Staff to re-read manuals regularly and complete all self-directed

learning, either in the workplace together as a group or at home

individually.

To help ground the knowledge gained we recommend the attendee

discuss the workshops with co-workers, friends, family, what was learnt,

what has been useful, and what the next steps are.

To follow-up suggestions generated in workshops to improve the

workplace dynamic and support structure such as:

→ Regular group meditations/breathing exercises (could be done

before or at close of staff meetings for 1-3 minutes)

→ Forming a work team for local quiz nights or sports events

→ Playing the High/Low/Gratitude/Compliments Game at meetings

and at home

→ Encourage staff to utilize EAP counseling not just in crisis, but also for

own self-development before reaching crisis thus reducing long-

terms costs (health and financial)

To consider collectively as an organization and discuss the benefits of

having annual self-development/self-care workshops to improve

consistency of wellbeing, serve as a healthy reminder to stay on course

and extend knowledge each year.

To include individual feedback every week at meetings or privately

with the manager around what each person is doing with regard to

their self-care, so that everyone might be reminded about managing

their own health positively (rather than reactively), offer advice and

suggestions and support each other in goals for change.

Place posters and/or flyers in staff areas carrying positive health

statements and/or healthy behaviour reminders.

Ask staff to contribute and share a short, positive story (only a few lines)

each week on something positive they changed/achieved and email

to everyone on the team.


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5. Conclusion

The attendees undoubtedly have gained valuable insight into their own

behaviours, ways of thinking and beliefs that are creating potential for

disease and illness. They have developed ideas on how to improve and

maintain their wellbeing to ensure they stay fit, healthy, engaged and

present so that not only can they do a better job for their employers, but

also live their own life in a more positive, balanced and more authentic

manner. Participants also have developed a deeper understanding

around the core principles of positive communication and how utilizing

these can create more balanced and meaningful and stable

relationships.

Results from Towers Perrin studies indicate that five of the ten most

important drivers of employee engagement involve leadership style and

organizational factors.7

Possible changes to leadership’s style include senior management having

a sincere interest in employees’ well-being. This most certainly can be

achieved through commissioning The Being Well Process’ Lifestyle

Management workshops for senior staff and all employees.

The results gained from the program of Lifestyle Management workshops

indicate a high uptake and buy-in from participants regarding the

absorption of new information, the adoption of new skills and a more

positive attitude to being able to respond to their own health and

wellbeing. We can therefore conclude that the workshops are a high

impact channel for change and are able to directly affect individual and

collective improvements in wellbeing awareness.


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Attachments

Commissioner Gisborne Chamber of Commerce

Contact person

Fleur Gardiner Gisborne Chamber of Commerce 151 Grey Street, Gisborne, 4010 (06) 863 0384

Facilitator

Amberley Meredith, The Being Well Process Clinical Director & Health Psychologist Psychologist, registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board Integrative Therapist, member of the International Institute of Complementary Therapists The Being Well Process Tel.: +64 (6) 863 7214; Email: [email protected] ; website www.thebeingwellprocess.com

Workshop Presentations

• Positive Health through Active Awareness • Working with stress and handling addictive behaviours • Getting the balance of life right • Eat4Life • Create authentic relationships with clear communication

Documents

• ‘Positive health through Active Awareness’ manual • ‘Working with stress and handling addictive behaviours manual • ‘Getting the balance of life right’ manual • ‘Eat4Life’ manual • ‘Create authentic relationships with clear communication’ manual

Research

[1] Gallup Healthways 2008

[2] New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development

[3] O'Driscoll, Cooper-Thomas, Bentley, Catley, Gardner, Trenberth, 2011

[4] Fairfax News/OSH Statistics/Momentum

[5] OECD

[6] Understanding stress and bullying in New Zealand workplaces, O'Driscoll, Cooper-Thomas, Bentley, Catley, Gardner, Trenberth, 2009

[7] Towers Perrin. (2008). 2007-2008 Towers Perrin global engagement workforce study. Stamford, CT: Author. Accessed online on March 1, 2009 from www.towersperrin.com/gws