Since the pandemic, 47% of people are less career-focused. So…what’s taken its place?
A recent study by international insurer, Aviva, found that 47 per cent of employees were less career-focused because of the pandemic. Other themes included:
- One result of this always-on, ever-present culture is that 40 per cent of employees are concerned about work-related burnout.
- Half of people complained that the boundary between work and home had become “increasingly blurred”, with around 40% of respondents saying they could never switch off from work.
Aviva Wellbeing Lead Debbie Bullock, said the lockdown had “given people pause for thought about where work fits into their lives. Employers need to be conscious and respond to the challenges staff are facing and take action to help: “If you don’t make time for wellness you are going to have to potentially make time for illness.”
When I read that last statement, it kind of slapped me upside the head.
Does wellness – not fitness or one other single aspect – feature in your goals or daily routine? What does ‘wellness’ include for you? I think the definition for people is expanding as we place different value on our bucket-list, bare-minimums, finding new routines or building new habits. It doesn’t have to be big – it may be taking 5mins to have a coffee in the backyard!
When I look back over my last 12 months, I can see I have actually slowly and steadily introduced time and actions that contribute to my sense of wellness and they are way beyond ‘oh, I’d like to meditate more’ or ‘I know I should walk every day’. That list of expectations was actually adding stress and impacting the balance I feel I have more of these days. It started with me asking what are the things that give me ease and flow – that is what wellness is to me. From there, even little aspects are easy to make a start on. It helps you move ‘toward’ not have more on your shoulders and pull even more away from wellness.
So, if it isn’t your career or work anymore, what is it for you?
Learn more on about The One Day… Program.
