Since 2021, CFG has been observing two Wellbeing Weeks a year. Clare Mills, Director of Policy and Communications at CFG, explains why taking extra time out to focus on our physical and mental health is so vital.
Hands up if you’re tired? Ready for a break? Seeing signs of weariness in your team? I make that just about everyone...
We're not alone. Recent research published by McKinsey suggests that 47% of workers in the UK are affected by exhaustion, with attendant cognitive and emotional impairment.
I may forgive myself for the pile up of micro mistakes I’ve made this week, with an increase in typos and confusing a podcast guest with a deceased politician. I know my team are feeling it too.
And for many people, the time off from work is less of a break and more of a marathon, with family demands, financial pressures, travel challenges and a massive expectation management exercise.
For those who celebrate Christmas, there's the social pressure to produce a beautiful tree, a laden table, a pile of expertly wrapped gifts, all while looking glamorous and being charming. Many workers will continue to juggle long hours of work, whether that’s physically, intellectually or emotionally demanding.
The lines between our personal and work lives have been blurred and tested like never before, so it is only right that employee wellbeing – the state of employees’ mental and physical health, resulting from dynamics within – and sometimes outside – the workplace – has climbed the agenda.
Never has it been more important to look after our mental health and wellbeing – and care for the wellbeing of our colleagues.
In the first week of January, the CFG team will be taking a much-needed Wellbeing Week. I’ve benefitted from this extra time off at the start of the past two years by having permission to invest in myself, for the good of my team and my organisation, as well as me.
I’m looking forward to some quiet days to sort out some household admin for the year ahead and hopefully spend a bit of time in the garden or on the beach. I’ll definitely be using it as time to recharge my batteries and think about the coming year, and work out my personal and professional goals for 2024.
One massive benefit of a Wellbeing Week is that it’s not like annual leave. With everyone taking time off together, there’s no burning the (Advent) candle at both ends in a bid to hand everything over to colleagues and no build up of internal emails and Teams messages to come back to. I know that all of us at CFG feel valued and supported because of this very welcome gift of time, and by investing in our wellbeing.
Of course, we’re not so unrealistic to think the world stops when we do. We don’t want our time away from our desks to become a source of anxiety or inconvenience for our members. We are still here if you need us.
If your enquiry isn’t urgent and can wait until our return on Monday 8 January, then please email as you normally would. If you’re not sure who to direct your enquiry to, email our general info inbox.
If you need to talk to a member of the team or access advice urgently, you can still reach us via info@cfg.org.uk. Someone will be checking the inbox on weekdays during the break, so drop us a line and we’ll be there to help.
And on behalf of the whole team here at CFG: Have a very restful, enjoyable holiday and a peaceful new year.
We look forward to working with you in 2024!
Read Caron's post on the thinking behind CFG's Wellbeing Week and the importance of 'looking after our people'