All articles tagged with #workplace wellbeing
A study of 11,000 US office workers found that taking five-minute walking breaks every hour rather than every half hour or every two hours yields the biggest gains in mood, alertness and productivity, with walking meetings or pacing during calls as practical options; the findings are self-reported and short-term, so longer research is needed to confirm heart-health benefits.
Lynda Gratton emphasizes the importance of calm as a critical leadership capability, highlighting that it can be inherited, innate, or learned through experience. She identifies three pathways to calm—heritage, personality, and experience—and argues that cultivating calm enhances endurance, clarity, and influence in high-pressure work environments. The article advocates for deliberate practices to strengthen calm, which is essential for sustainable and effective leadership in modern workplaces.
Swedish pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat is piloting a 'friendship hour' scheme, providing employees with paid time to strengthen social connections, as part of Sweden's broader efforts to combat loneliness, which is linked to health risks and societal costs. The initiative is supported by government strategies and has shown promising early results, sparking interest from other businesses and policymakers.
The Princess of Wales has launched a business taskforce on early childhood, urging business leaders to prioritize wellbeing in the workplace to support family life. The taskforce includes global firms such as Unilever, Ikea, NatWest, and Lego, and aims to encourage firms across the country to train and help staff maintain their social and emotional welfare. The Princess rewore a smart white Alexander McQueen blazer for the occasion, which she paired with black trousers and stiletto heels. The taskforce will produce a set of broad principles that could be adopted by businesses wanting to help promote wellbeing in the workplace.