When we think about the foundations of health and wellbeing, healthy eating, exercise and sleep often spring to mind, but social wellness is another extremely important facet of health. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is a psychological model outlining five tiers of human needs, love and belonging is listed third. The theory proposes that in order to achieve love and belonging we must first have our physiological needs (e.g. hunger and thirst) and our safety met. However, in order to achieve the top tiers of self-esteem and ultimately, self-actualisation (purpose, meaning and creativity) we must have a sense of belonging and connection.

Social wellbeing can be defined as the ability to build and maintain meaningful and authentic relationships and interactions, and of being part of a community. Whether it’s spending time around friends, family, colleagues, or meeting new people, we will explore the huge advantages to enhanced social wellness in this blog.

Social prescribing and loneliness

A 2022 survey found that 50% of adults in the UK reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always. Around 7% reported experiencing chronic loneliness, a statistic, which perhaps unsurprisingly, rose during the Covid-19 pandemic (Campaign To End Loneliness). Many workplaces moved to a remote working model, with a lot continuing to work in this way. Whilst this likely brings some benefits, a lack of social interaction in the workplace can also leave us feeling isolated.

Social prescribing is now offered in some NHS trusts as a way to connect patients to local activities and groups, highlighting the health benefits a sense of community can bring. Examples of social prescribing include cookery classes, art classes, gardening and sports groups. Early studies have found this to decrease levels of anxiety in patients, and improve overall quality of life.

Benefits of social wellbeing

• Increased confidence and self-esteem
• Supports our mental health and reduces stress
• Reduced risk of anxiety and depression
• Improved physical health and reduced risk of lifestyle diseases
• Increased sense of belonging
• Improved communication and ways of working in a work environment
• Improved workplace culture

Building community in the workplace

In many ways, we live in a hyper-connected world, but amongst daily pressures, meaningful relationships can be limited. Social wellbeing within the workplace is vital on a personal level, but also a business level. An increased level of social inclusion and stability is likely to lead to increased productivity and motivation amongst employees. Socially connected individuals are also much more likely to have high levels of job satisfaction and engagement within their role. Keep reading to see how you can improve a sense of community in the workplace:

• Hold regular meetings and check-ins with you team, avoid these being all performance related and use the opportunity for colleagues to share thoughts, news and experiences. Team building activities can be a great way to break down barriers and increase collaboration and trust.
• Allow yourself and your team regular breaks throughout the day, this not only provides a break from work, but will allow time for casual conversations too. From my personal experience, many work friendships were formed around the coffee machine!
• Offer social activities and staff clubs, these can be optional but provide employees a chance to get together on a more personal level. If your organisation is home based or operates in different locations, this could include remote activities. Examples include coffee mornings, sports groups, Friday afternoon drinks or volunteer days.
• Create a team of Wellbeing Champions who can promote all areas of wellness and come up with unique ways to promote community in the workplace. Becoming a Wellbeing Champion is also a great way to connect with like-minded individuals.
• Get to know your colleagues and ask questions! Ask how their weekend was, or how their children are doing. Taking an interest in each other’s lives is likely to strengthen working relationships too.
• Offer a wellbeing related workshop or seminar, these can be delivered in-person or remotely and give colleagues a chance to get together away from their day-to-day work. Check out the wide range of sessions which We Are Wellbeing offer – Workshops & Seminars.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, social wellbeing is key to our mental and physical health, and should be taken seriously both in and out of the workplace. Small goals, such as reaching out to one friend every week, or calling a colleague rather than emailing, can help us all to feel more connected.