What’s the difference between high performance and wellbeing?

It seems as though businesses are implementing ‘wellbeing’ strategies simply to tick the box, rather than genuinely understanding what their staff need to improve their overall health and wellbeing. But what’s the difference between high performance and wellbeing, and how do they go together?

Wellbeing is being used as a strategy to increase company performance

Wellbeing is a driving force behind performance and, without it, your performance decreases. There’s been an alarming increase in people experiencing burnout, stress and serious related diseases. As a result, businesses are implementing wellbeing programs to help staff members feel happier and healthier, so they can perform better at work.

But in order for wellbeing to increase performance in the workplace, it has to be tailored to the individual. Not everyone in the office requires what management is providing.

Whether it’s a lunch time yoga class, or healthier morning tea options, businesses and leaders need to listen to the specific needs of staff members and empower them to implement their own wellbeing strategies. Taking a tailored approach will make staff feel valued.

Are wellbeing programs the best approach?

The umbrella word ‘wellbeing’ covers a range of areas including your mental, physical and neural health, and everyone perceives wellbeing differently. Wellbeing strategies such as meditation classes and office fun runs aren’t impactful unless they suit and deliver mental energy benefits for everybody.

It’s important to ensure that if you are implementing these approaches in the workplace to achieve high performance, that you don’t isolate some people at the same time.

Instead, businesses should build a wellbeing culture that allows individuals to determine what they need to provide them more energy in the day to rejuvenate their bodies and minds. Successfully achieving wellbeing isn’t the goal, but it is an integral part of helping staff achieve high performance.

Achieving wellbeing can result in higher performance

Have you ever tried to get a task done at work when you’re feeling sluggish, tired and mentally unmotivated? There’s also a large chance that the work you produce isn’t of the best standard either.

Educating staff on the importance of wellbeing can help them do a better job. They’ll become more efficient at work, and they’ll feel positive about their lives overall. It’s important to talk to them about work–life integration, and teach them that work and life commitments go hand in hand.

They shouldn’t be striving for ‘work–life balance’, but instead feel good (and not guilty) about implementing what makes them happy everyday into their daily lives. At the end of the day, high performance is still the end goal and increasing wellbeing can help achieve it.