8 dimensions of wellness

Thank you to those who have participated in or shown interest in the discussion thus far @Appleblossom @Shaz51 @Boo13 @Sophie1 @FindingStrength @Scoo @Jay-e

Today we move onto our next topic of Occupational wellness

Occupational wellness refers to the personal satisfaction and enrichment that is derived from ones work whilst maintaining a balance in our lives. Whilst we often think of occupational wellness in terms of paid employment, it can also apply to volunteer work and indeed to our caring roles.

Occupation wellness encompasses things like job satisfaction, healthy work environment, healthy work choices, job performance, productivity, efficiency, professionalism, job skills, job improvement, knowledge sharing, problem solving, accomplishment, appreciation, agency (perception of having control), companionship and pleasure.

There is an expected staff movement/ turnover in any organisation, some jobs are temporary in nature, examples include roles that are often filled by students (which can vary greatly from apprentices to medical interns, junior shop assistants to lab techs etc). There are also vacancies created by people moving up the corporate ladder or if someone was to get fired etc.

It is perhaps at looking at the reasons as to why people stay or leave jobs that gives a clearer picture as to what people see as important in relation to occupational wellness and most of this seems to revolve around various aspects of management or work culture.

Mediocre management encompasses a number of the top 10 reasons that people left their work in this article.

I have had only one new employer each time I have moved interstate with only one exception and on that occasion I left a company voluntarily because I was unhappy there. I was not really suited to the job as it was in a sales environment, however it was poor staff management decisions and the discomfort I felt with the widely known fact that the daughter of the business owner was stealing from the company that were the reasons I started looking for work elsewhere. In more recent times, following a corporate takeover, I was made redundant and subsequently became self employed with some regular contract work that an old boss helped me obtain.

In retrospect, I have really enjoyed most of the jobs I have hd and can see that the things that contributed to my job satisfaction are exactly those that are shown in the graphic – being appreciated, valued, given a variety of tasks and having had suggestions that I have offered being implemented. In more recent times and directly related to my caring role, flexibility has been an important factor.

Volunteering

Volunteer organisations have learned a lot from their paying counterparts are now providing more training or extending wellness programs to their unpaid workers. As there is no financial incentive for staying, "job satisfaction" is a key factor in keeping unpaid workers happy. There are challenges that come equally with volunteer work as they do in paid work and occupational wellness is no less important.

What if we work for ourselves or are not in paid employment?

Being self-employed along with our caring roles adds another aspect to occupational wellness and that being that the responsibility of this dimension falls squarely on ones own shoulders and it is important that we do not neglect this.

Improving our occupational wellness

How can we improve our occupational wellness? Whilst there are things that employers can and should do if they want to retain staff and maintain a happy work environment, we do need to take some responsibility for ourselves which could include taking advantage of in-house programs or doing what is necessary for us to find a more suitable job. For those of us who are self employed, who volunteer, who care, there are things that we can do too. Being self employed, some of the questions we can ask that will help us address this include - do we look at ways where we can work smarter not harder that will reduce effort or increase output and our job satisfaction? How do we go at problem solving? Do we recognise our own accomplishments? Do we ask for feedback from our clientele or the person we care for as to what we have done right or what we could do better? Are there training programs we could attend?

Finally, I will make brief comment in relation to employee wellness programs. Different to staff training or dedicated work safety programs, many companies these days provide employee wellness programs which often focus on workers physical/mental health and can include things like on-site gyms, smoking cessation programs, “parking” for push bikes, mini massages, yoga or other fitness classes, walking groups, stress management, opportunity for team participation in charity bike rides/ marathons etc and flu vaccinations. It is important to note that whilst these programs are helpful and enjoyable these can put the onus on the employee for occupational wellness and in some cases can lead to employee discrimination if they do not participate in popular programs, neither do they address the often-poor management that leads to employee dissatisfaction.

You have covered this so well @Former-Member

I am in a long term career. I wish I could say that's because I have had great managers and it's a great organisation but that's not true. I have stayed in this career (various locations) because of the clientele. It's an interesting and challenging job and I get to meet people who have to share their stories with me in the hope that I can help them make a better life for themselves. They are involuntary clients so to speak and I do a lot of motivational work.
So how have I coped with the lack of support from management? We get free counselling sessions with a psychologist. I have accessed this support on and off over the years and it has helped me manage. We get cheaper rates at gyms so I access this for my physical health. More recently I have engaged an external person for paid supervision and that is worth every cent (we don't get professional supervision at work). Because I have been in the job long term I get long service leave. I take leave regularly to help me stay fresh and energised.
Since I have been an empty nester I have also done voluntary work in a completely didn't type of area to my paid employment. Hubby and I do it together so it's also been good for our relationship. A common cause so to speak.
I think I have a pretty good work life balance It's just the lack of management support is a struggle from time to time and I don't have any control over that.
I am looking forward to hearing all your own experiences on the subject.

I agree @Scoo

You have covered this so well @Former-Member

I have been self employed all my life

my first business was childcare

at the age of 16 all I wanted to do was look after children

had some hicups at the beginning but loved it

doing it privately i totally loved it

i did lots of voluteering and involved in lots of clubs in our town including church , girl guids, golf and soo many more

lots of my parents became my friends

over the years changes started to happen caused by the government

after 27 years I retired

now married and we have our own self employed business

@Appleblossom, @Boo13 , @Sophie1 , @FindingStrength

Well @Former-Member @Shaz51

Occupational Wellness is def my topic today, but it is varied and ongoing. My OT is coming for 45mins. She is nice, but I hope I can get value for money as they charge a lot.

I have also had lots of different employment experiences, most recently self employed part time, but I think I had to do a lot of life processing as early trauam was interfering with how I felt about my teaching of small children. I just could not stop wishing I and my sibs had half what my students had, and as my son started to obviously struggle, it was best I withdraw and focus on him. He is doing better as this week he got into a Bachelor course and he is enjoying his bachelor pad so that is going slright now and I can get back to thinking about my own work. ALso my work being in a home studio made it important for me to distinguish between public/private, family/work, etc.

Volunteering at the zoo has been good as I have been out of larger organisations for a long time and it was good to learn about changing standards and management styles. I feel that I volunteer on this forum, it is part self care and part care for others.

So today my job is to identify and get support for my obstacles and unrol my plan for parttime paid work in a orfiessional role. I feel I need some collaboration and direction and feedback, rather than going it alone, as I mostly did in last 25 years.

@ScooI like the idea that you have paid for supervision. Maybe that is the way I will go later in the year, or at least surround myself with positive input.

Food for thought for me. Mostly I have had a variety of jobs before, during & after children & just whatever was available or that came up within my network. I have been a single parent for 15 years, so Occupational Wellness hasn't been much of a priority, often seemed more like survival was on the agenda.

My youngest is 18 & last year I finally finished a part time Uni Prep course "Educaction Assistant Program" and have just taken part time work for term one at a small school near where I live. I'm nervous & excited of course & very hopeful that this can fit in ok with the unpredictable nature of the challenges my daughter faces (that flow on to me too).

I'm hoping that I can feel a sense of satisfaction & fulfilment by being of aide to a child who has learning difficulties, I like to feel that I can make a positive difference where I can. All is a balancing act or a intricate dance unfolding under my feet 🙂

Hi @Former-Member @FindingStrength @Appleblossom @Shaz51 @Scoo

my occupational wellness is something I'd say varies with each job and job role ... in mid mid forties now and have worked in many large companies since 15yrs old ... I was full time in professional roles from 2001 onwards ... I've only had a 3 month break where I was unemployed against my will as I was a little 'overconfident' in the market and my employability at a certain age and took my time having a holiday when a role finished and thinking I'd just walk into another one - when I got back from overseas I realised I wasn't going to walk into another job and it took three months to find another - that experience frightened me so much as MsS has been financially dependent on me since 2002 when she stopped working ... so now I'm more hesitant to leave companies and always line up the next job before leaving a job - as a result I've been full time for 18 years now and probably a tad fatigued - I love working and I thrive on the intellectual stimulation and social interaction HOWEVER sometimes making money for a large company is not enough and I find myself wondering if I could afford part time and start following some more creative passion projects or even meaningful voluntary work ... tough when the medicine and medical bills for MsS are by no means getting less and we have a mortgage etc ...

so I think balance and reliability is key for me now - with my taking leave to care for MsS when she is having episodes .. to me taking leave when I had my car accident ... to me getting run down and overwhelmed several times a year I find myself with negative annual leave balances , zero sick leave or carers leave left and constantly wondering if I'll have the energy to do 5 days a week ... every week I wonder if I'll make it through ... not sure what this is about - physical health , pain fatigue for myself , mental carers exhaustion , lack of meaning in my current corporate roles ...

so anyway this year I'm focusing on self care x 10 ... good food prepped ahead for week, gentle regular exercise , good physio i trust for rehab and not doing too long a hours at work ... I have a long commute 1.25 to 1.5 hrs each way ... bus, train, tram ....

im actually finding this quite upsetting to write about - feel like crying ... not sure how I will keep this up for another 20 years ... I REALLY REALLY feel the responsibility of saving for retirement for us both and know that to look after MsS the way I want her to be looked after I MUST keep working at similar pay grade and full time ... I just don't know how to make it sustainable for me ... maybe it's time to see a psychologist again - I'm feeling very overwhelmed

Hi @Sophie1 That long trip to work each day would be exhausting enough. No wonder you are feeling overwhelmed. I feel for you. I used to drive 1hour 10 minutes to work each way for about 10 years. Now I am much closer. Great you plan on initiating some self care steps.

Thank you @Scoo @Shaz51 @Appleblossom @FindingStrength @Sophie1

Related but quite different to our occupational wellness is our next topic of financial wellness.

Australians are generally in a poor state of financial wellness with 1 in 2 reporting they live from pay check-to-pay check, 85% admit to living beyond their means, 23% have no emergency savings and the average credit card debt at the time was $4200 and the average household throws away $1,036 in food every year.

In this discussion it is important to reminded of SANE community guidelines that precludes financial advise and my discussion is in no way intended to be so. If you feel that financial counseling would be appropriate for you, links have been provided to government websites where impartial advice can be obtained and if you feel that you would benefit from this, I encourage you to do so.

Financial well-being isn't just about people's financial situation. It about having enough money to meet expenses, but also about having spare cash to make choices, feeling in control of your financial situation, and whether or not you worry about money. I will use the following graphic as the basis of my discussion today.

Financial resilience is the "root system" of financial wellness and it is what enables us to grow our financial wellness.

Financial capability is the combination of attitude, knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy needed to make and exercise money management decisions that best fit the circumstances of ones life, within an enabling environment that includes, but is not limited to, access to appropriate financial services. Put in simple terms it means not only what you know but to also have the willingness, confidence and opportunity to act. According to a 2015 Nielsen study that 25% of families making $150,000 a year or more were still living paycheck-to-paycheck for many reasons but is often the result of a lack of financial management knowledge or an unwillingness to implement a budget that would be a foundation for financial wellness.

Economic resources include land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. It is often looked at more in commercial terms but simple correlations for us could include our homes and back yards, our income and ability to earn it, and whether we are able to use our own capital to supply a product to make a profit.

Financial inclusion refers to efforts to make financial products and services accessible and affordable to all individuals and businesses, regardless of their personal net worth or company size. An example of this is the one fee free account banks offer providing a minimum monthly deposit is met - this usually means that ones pay needs to go into the account. Centrelink have a free financial information service and the government also has the MoneySmart website that has information without any sales agenda attached to it.

Social capital is a little harder to define as “those tangible assets [that] count for most in the daily lives of people: namely goodwill, fellowship, sympathy, and social interaction among the individuals and families who make up a social unit” For the sake of simplicity, however, we can think of social capital as the links, shared values and understandings in society that enable individuals and groups to trust each other and so work together. On a practical level for this discussion I think this equates to whether or not your friends and family encourage healthy financial habits. This can be as simple as them being happy to have coffee at home rather than at a cafe, different family members /friends might have different items of not often used equipment (ie a trailer, garden equipment) that they are willing to share so that other family members don't need to hire/buy one themselves or who would support you in a money saving venture such as "no buy July" and not try and sabotage it.

It seems to me that in order to accomplish financial wellness that we need to look at the reality of our situations. The first step and one of the basics of most financial plans is documenting how much income we have and where do we spend it along with what debt and what assets we have. This is a necessary exercise to do and helps us to start taking control and helping us set and pursue long term goals. This is an example of what some people set as short and long term financial goals.

Being in control rather than being overwhelmed makes a huge difference.

Financial capability might include researching or going to a class on budgeting and financial planning - these are two resources that might be of help to you - remembering that one must be willing to implement change. Centrelink financial information services https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/financial-information-service and MoneySmart https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/ Bear in mind that there are a lot of financial services out there whose main agenda is to sell you a product, so one needs to be careful.

The economic and capital resources we might consider include: Can we use our back yards to grow fruit and veg to reduce our food bill? Can we do some further study to enhance our income (or indeed contribute to our occupational wellness)?

Financial inclusion might include: Are we taking advantage of things like a fee free bank account? Could we utilise payment plans that electric/phone/other companies and other firms offer using direct debit or Centrepay?

Social inclusion thoughts include - if you have joint finances, is your partner on board with this process? Sorting finances has the potential to expose other weaknesses in any relationship and you both need to agree and support each other with an action plan. Are your prepared to set boundaries in relation to how much you are prepared to spend on items? An example of not giving in to kids who demand name brands of clothing that you can not afford when generic items would be adequate.

Meeting expenses with some left over, managing debt, have a savings buffer and afford the "little extras" would bring a sigh of relief to many. Getting out of debt and staying out of debt can be a huge factor in financial wellness. For us it began with eliminating our credit cards and then tackling our mortgage whilst putting a little extra in my super.

Asking the hard questions and implementing decisions can include these aspects

Do we maximise our financial capability when we get a pay rise by using our financial knowledge and willingness to use the extra to better our circumstances by paying off debt or for savings?

We might need to use our economic resources for example selling an expensive car that is costing you a fortune when you could be driving a perfectly adequate but more modest vehicle that would free up capital and/or clear a car loan or otherwise reduce debt.

Financial inclusion could include things like taking advantage of a social inclusion education savings program that is offered in association with DSS and will provide matched savings of up to $500 to help with education expenses https://www.anz.com.au/about-us/sustainability-framework/financial-wellbeing/saver-plus/

Social capital could include having shared meals at home with friends where everyone brings a plate, rather than dining out or having a cook up day where kids have fun learning how to make sweet or savoury muffins/ quiches/ cakes/ biscuits/ other cheaper than ready made, then freezing them in "lunch size" portions and using them to reduce waste.

Feeling financially secure is the last aspect where we feel satisfied and we limit our financial worries. Time is also a factor as financial well-being is not just determined by how you are faring now, but also by how you are setting up and feeling about the future - something that @Sophie1 alluded to in her comment about saving for retirement. Once we are in control, can meet all of our expenses, have reduced or eliminated debt and can start saving we are also likely to be in a better position to contribute to our retirement in a number of ways, due to tax advantages a commonly used way this is done is by adding personal contributions to our super fund through payroll at our work.

What does financial wellness mean to you?

references

https://www.allaboutbalance.com.au/money-facts-may-shock/

https://www.daveramsey.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps

@Former-Member Lots of great information there.
I think the way I manage my finances is based on being raised in a family where there was a lack of. My parents fought about not having enough money. So I have always been careful with the money I have.
I live by these principles:

* I have a budget and I stick to it.
* I have an emergency fund.
* I don't go on holidays using credit.
* I have no problem with my old furniture or appliances. I only replace things when absolutely necessary. I look after what I have.
* I don't care about "keeping up with the Jones'".
* I try and keep up with maintenance of my home.
* True friends won't care about the size of my home, how old my furniture is, or what car I drive.

* Small cars are more economical (I admit I am only 5'3 though). I look after my car.

* I think about the environment eg preloved is good, landfill is not.

* I am planning for my retirement now (I hope to retire in about 9 years).
Fortunately hubby has the same thoughts as me on financial matters so we are a good team. He had a similar upbringing.
I'm looking forward to hearing from others $$$

Hi @Sophie1

Wow, that sounds like an incredible feat you have been and are managing! Self care seems to be a real issue for carers and whilst being a critical element, is often difficult to achieve (in my experience & statistically) So, yes I hope you can bring some balance & maybe take a moment to acknowledge yourself for everything you have done thus far....

I guess you have checked out what assistance is available....? I have only managed part time work due to the nature of my daughters conditions, I imagine its different if working full time & having a mortgage etc.

I hear you about having meaning in life too, I wonder where this fits into the 8 dimensions? Personally for me, I get lots of 'meaning' or purpose from just the little acts of kindness I can do for others or anything that leaves me with a sense of having made the world (or a small piece of it) a bit nicer in some way. Right down to saving a bee from drowning or sharing a smile.... Which I send to you & hope you receive a big burst of energy to help the week go by.