By Sunny Klein Lurie
There is a strong relationship between how you feel about your career and your overall health. Career wellbeing is essentially if you like what you do each day. Of the five key categories of wellbeing — career, social, emotional, community, and physical — career wellbeing turns out to be a critical health factor.
Gallup findings show that an individual’s work situation impacts their mood and physiological stress. Research reveals employees who are highly engaged in their work experience more moments of happiness and interest and fewer moments of stress and sadness during the course of their workdays. Individuals with high career wellbeing are more than twice as likely to be thriving overall. Highly engaged employees are those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work. Disengaged employees are unhappy at work and often act out their unhappiness. It is interesting that young disengaged workers report more unhealthy days than older engaged employees.
The connection between career wellbeing and health seems so obvious. But traditional wellness programs with a single focus on physical elements often don’t include it. As today’s companies continue to address workplace health for improving morale, productivity, and profitability, it’s important that they embrace the role of career wellbeing. Business performance relates as much to mental (career) wellbeing as does to physical wellbeing.
So how can we improve career wellbeing for our organizations and ourselves? Here are a few suggestions:
- Identify your top strengths and interests and find ways to apply them in your work to increase fulfillment. (Note: fulfilling work is vital to millennials)
- Seize opportunities for skill building and encourage education and growth in the organization.
- Show co-workers you value their work. Make sure managers understand the importance of appreciating employees and take time to show employees they are valued.
Our careers often play a large role in defining our identity, so it shouldn’t be surprising that our jobs can significantly shape our well being. If you look forward to what you do each day and feel your work is meaningful, you will help enhance your overall wellbeing. Sure, eat right and exercise but also give attention to your career. This will not only heighten performance in your organization, it also will help improve your health and your life.
Sunny Klein Lurie, PhD, is the CEO of Advanced Performance Inc., where she maximizes employee engagement, motivation, and performance to promote organizational health and wellbeing. The company’s Fast Focus Careers division helps individuals excel.
