We’re going ALLIN on Wellbeing

#1 in the series – Trip to the Tate

Staff wellbeing days have been around for a number of years now. We’ve all heard of “Wellbeing Wednesdays”, featuring free massages and smoothies once a month (a perk plenty of agencies have enjoyed).

But is group chair yoga and healthy recipes circulated on the staff intranet really the best way to encourage wellbeing?

Wellbeing at work

I listened to a podcast a few months back that said, ‘work life balance is seen as the most popular “free Benefit” for employees in this “new normal” world’. Often, people discuss balance in terms of working from home: people have been able to spend more time with their loved ones and catch up on life admin. But WFH can also have the opposite effect to our wellbeing, making it harder to switch off, and at times, resulting in longer hours worked.

So, when we sat down to plan our wellbeing initiatives for 2023, we thought: how can we make the time spent in the office more fulfilling? How can Wellbeing Days have a longer-term positive effect of staff wellbeing that people can consistently see benefits? How can we genuinely give people time, space or even tools to feel better?

Going All In

So, the talent team, together with our resident Mental Health First Aiders developed a schedule of monthly events named ALL IN. Each event would explore a different area of wellness, from the power of laughter to creativity to sleeping better.

Last Tuesday, our first event was a trip to the Tate Modern to admire some art, enjoy a walk by the river and remind ourselves of the cosmopolitan beauty all around us.

Only a 15-minute stroll from our office, we downed tools at 11:30 and took the scenic walk over Blackfriars bridge for an hour of free art.  Once we arrived, the organisers made a nod to the good old days of the school trip and arranged for us to meet back at the entrance in one hour sharp.

We were greeted by a gigantic installation from Chilean born artist Cecilia Vicuña dangling from the ceiling. Brain Forest is a stunning installation that represents the ancient way of communication by tying knots and patterns into rope.

Then, some of us headed up to admire photography by Diane Arbus and of course the classics from Picasso, Rembrandt and Monet where we discussed our different interpretations of each of the pieces.

A refreshing trip

I found the experience made me way more relaxed for the rest of the day. Firstly, walking to the gallery with colleagues you usually don’t spend time with was really nice; there’s something about being outside in the fresh air having conversations which is mentally stimulating in itself. It’s easy to get stuck in a friendship group at work and only when you make the time to break away from your peers, do you learn more about your colleagues and challenge yourself with different opinions.

Similarly viewing different art pieces either on your own or with someone for an hour felt like a well needed break from the work day because (much like speaking to new people) it made you think in a different way. After returning to my desk, I felt relaxed and rejuvenated and slightly knackered. However much like the kind of tired you feel when you physically exercise, it’s the nice kind of happy tired.

All in all (see what I did there?) it was a fantastic first outing. Next month, we’re off to a comedy club for some laughter therapy – watch this space!