Workplace Wellbeing Game out now

Workplace Wellbeing Game out now

3 October 2012

Give a random smile to a work mate, take a walk to a park, or have lunch with a friend away from your workplace next week. These are just some of the suggestions from the Workplace Wellbeing Game, being promoted locally as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, 4 - 8 October.

The Workplace Wellbeing Game is unique to Nelson and was created by the Nelson Tasman Business Forum on Mental Health and Health Action Trust Nelson. The game embraces the ‘Take Notice’ theme for this year’s national awareness week and invites workplaces to take part in a variety of fun activities.

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand defines wellbeing as a ‘positive state of mental, physical and spiritual existence’. Sue Bateup, Mental Health Promoter at Health Action Trust says the activities in the game are related to the Foundation’s five ‘Winning Ways to Wellbeing’, which are to: Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Be Active.

“The aim of the Game is to share some ideas on how to do each of these five things,” Sue says. “Once these actions are introduced to a workplace, we hope people will begin to feel the benefits. We hope that people will get on-board and have some fun with this.”

As part of the Wellbeing Game, workers can also ‘Do a little dance’ and be in to win online subscriptions to One Smile Magazine.

Business Forum on Mental Health member, Ellen-Mary Pullar says the Forum recognises that people have busy lives, with conflicting demands on their time, so the Workplace Wellbeing Game is simple to implement and offers easy, low cost activities to help build better wellbeing at work.

Workplaces are encouraged to be part of a growing trend to promote better physical and mental wellbeing, not just in individuals but also in the community.

Sue Bateup says nearly half the population, around 47%, will have mild to moderate mental health issues in their lifetime: “We need to live in a preventative culture and building mental health and resilience is inherently important in people’s lives, whether they have a mental illness or not.”

The key phrases for the game are ‘Take time - take a breath - take notice’ and once a workplace joins up, they can adapt and choose several creative ways to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace. All staff have to do is to check their inbox everyday.

Details on how to take part in the Workplace Wellbeing Game are available on:

http://www.healthaction.org.nz/businessforum/tools-and-resources/

Or via Facebook on: http://www.facebook.com/OneSmileMagazine

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