MENTAL HEALTH & STRESS
OF HAPPINESS: THE PURSUIT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Providing employees with an ideal work-life balance can be challenging for employers. Incentives including office pets, flexible working hours,
team building exercises or a steady routine can all have a positive impact. However, implementing this balance across a team of individuals with varying motivators, interests and backgrounds is no easy feat. COPA DATA tell us how they've tackled this issue.
On average British workers spend 43 hours a week sat at their desks and one in five admit to spending the entire day behind their screen, without a break.
With this worrying statistic in mind the management team at industrial automation software provider, COPA- DATA UK, decided to implement a twelve-week course to encourage its team to lead healthier and happier lives, both at work and at home.
Led by motivational speaker and business coach Ruth Steggles, the COPA-DATA UK team embarked on Fresh Air for Happiness; a three-month program that promises a happier, more content and creative workforce.
Regardless of the weather, COPA- DATA UK’s team of eight, headed outdoors for around an hour each week and as a team, worked through a range of personal and business attitudes and issues including
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gratitude, self-belief, exploring the limits of your comfort zone and confronting bad habits.w
There is an abundance of scientific research identifying the clear connection between happiness and exercise. Increasing endorphins and other feel-good chemicals in the brain, exercise can also reduce stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline. However, the Fresh Air for Happiness program does more than simply encourage light exercise. The course promises to help participants cope with stress, become more focused and most importantly, improve the overall wellness of the team.
Speaking about the initiative Emma Churches, Office and Finance Manager at COPA-DATA UK commented: “We began the course in October 2015 and completed it twelve weeks later. However, the benefits of the program have had a lasting effect. The team
plans to continue reaping the rewards of the program by taking part in quarterly, half-day refreshers, as suggested by the course leader, Ruth Steggles.”
Ruth also added: "It was a joy to work with the team at COPA-DATA UK. What I particularly noticed was each of the team taking more personal responsibility for the interactions they had. This led to better relationships at home and work. They had always got on well, but it took their relationships to another level. They all started coping with stress better than they had done in the past and the confidence of some of the team really grew as they pushed themselves outside their comfort zone."
To find out more about Ruth Steggles and her Fresh Air for Happiness course please visit the course website
www.ruthsteggles.co.uk
www.copadata.com
www.tomorrowshs.com
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