The Architecture of Wellbeing

We talk a lot in our work about the interface between the individual and their place of work and the impact that this relationship can have on perceived levels of stress.

If we use an architectural metaphor perhaps we could explore this impact a bit creatively.

Foundations
Building an organisation on firm foundations clearly means that it will be able to withstand external forces much more effectively. Building a new team and sustaining that team will mean that stress from outside (Ofsted as an example) is managed much more pro-actively. Organisations where the foundations are weak – or not deep rooted enough – will be much more susceptible to external conditions.

Making sure that a strong wellbeing culture is deeply embedded in any organisation will ensure that it remains solid and secure. Shallow foundations prove insubstantial in the face of pressure from outside.

Floors and ceilings / Walls and fences
Ceilings can sometimes get in the way of blue-sky thinking and big-picture work, and yet provide shelter and security - it is very much down to each individual how these are perceived.

Walls can hem you in or make you feel secure depending on your personality and your frame of mind, in exactly the same way as floors and ceilings.

Columns and pillars
These prop you up and offer support both to you as an individual and different parts of an organisation – what would the columns and pillars be in your organisation?

Cement
Fixings and bindings hold everything together. We see personal and professional networking as part of the cement of a wellbeing culture, which can provide strong links, informally and formally. You don’t necessarily see these things but if they are not there things can fall apart!

Bridges
For us in Worklife Support, this involves the link between organisational health and individual health. Bridges are seen as strong structures. Providing interventions that pay attention to both of these aspects of workplace health can lead to strong and robust systems and practices i.e. the Well-Being Programme (addressing organisational issues) and Worklife Support for you - the employee assistance programme supporting personal issues.

Doors and windows
These provide us with views of the outside world and give us access to the wider world. However, they also let things, people and ideas in. The Worklife Support Well-Being Programme is a good example of a process which encourages the wider view and provides safe opportunities to identify any distortions.

Locks and keys
Locks – the things that can keep people out – or in – but keys provide the way in or the answer to particular impasses or problems. Sometimes, in our wellbeing work with schools, keys to unlock sometimes intractable problems can be found in very unusual places or with people we may not recognise as possibly having the answers.

Of course, we could go on…

The Well-Being Programme can encourage every individual within an organisation to think about the structure and the architecture of their school not just from the perspective of the school buildings and furnishings, but also from the perspective of the people who make up the human architecture.

It is your people who are the real key to success.