To coincide with National Work Life Week (7–13 October 2024), we caught up with Happy Habits Club founder Rachael Welford to find out why wellbeing in the workplace matters and how employers can look after the mental wellbeing of their staff.
Accuracy Matters prioritises work–life balance for all its staff and associates, as we recognise the difference that a supportive workplace and culture can make to the long-term health and happiness of our people. But don’t just take our word for it! Rachael Welford is an expert on the topic. She is an established Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping practitioner, gong player, founder of the Happy Habits Club and host of the Things I Wish I’d Known podcast.
Her mission is to empower women to cultivate a robust toolkit for emotional wellbeing so they can live a happy and healthy life. Rachael found out the hard way what can happen if there is no balance:
In 2014, my vibrant, work-hard/play-hard London life took a dramatic turn. I had been working in action sports and events, but I found myself bedridden, grappling with depression, anxiety and PTSD.
It was a wake-up call that led Rachael to confront unresolved trauma and embark on a healing journey. She explains:
I faced years of panic attacks and, at times, I thought I wouldn’t make it. But I refused to let those struggles define me. With determination and the right support, I transformed my pain into purpose.
Voted one of London’s best alternative therapists by Time Out, Rachael’s life-changing EFT tapping sessions and sound healings have found their way into the hearts of many, including companies such as Selfridges, Vans, TikTok, Spotify and Weetabix.
So why should employers prioritise wellbeing in their workplaces?
Finding a balance benefits businesses
According to the Mental Health Foundation, better mental health support in the workplace can save UK businesses up to £8 billion annually. Rachael says:
Companies with wellbeing programmes have also been shown to increase productivity, performance and staff retention and reduce absenteeism and presenteeism. So it’s great for companies and good for employees, too, with higher job satisfaction and reduced mental and physical health issues.
Can businesses afford to ignore wellbeing?
The latest figures from the HSE show that, in 2022/23, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 49% of all work-related ill health and 54% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health. Rachael says:
I know first-hand the dangers of not addressing it. I burnt out in 2014 and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. It cost my company time and money and it cost me my health and sanity. It took me nearly three years to recover fully, and now I face a consistent effort to keep my mental health in a good state. It’s terrifying how many people live on the brink of burnout and think it is a normal state to be living in, when there is hope out there, and people don’t need to suffer.
So, what can employers do to look after the wellbeing of their staff?
Simple steps for employers to take
Rachael acknowledges that this is a tough nut to crack:
It’s a challenging question because companies have limitations, and individuals must bear personal responsibility for their mental and physical health. That said, it’s important to note that organisations can sometimes deepen issues by cultivating environments that do not support wellbeing.
She cites three broad areas for employers to consider:
1. Prioritising mental health in the workplace
This can take the form of wellbeing initiatives, mental health resources and offering reasonable adjustments for those that need them, alongside creating supportive workplace cultures that encourage open communication and dialogue around mental health and wellbeing. In turn, this helps to reduce stigma around mental health and enables employees to ask for support when needed.
2. Enabling employees to have flexibility
This could look like remote work, hybrid working models, compressed working weeks, extended holidays or no-questions-asked mental health days, where employees can take paid time off for mental health.
3. Examining workload and expectations
Having an employee assistance programme is unhelpful if all your staff are stressed out and worried about attending because they have too much on their plate and know they are expected to work late three to five times a week. Ensuring that staff have a reasonable workload, proper support from team leaders and managers, and clear goals and expectations can make a world of difference in most companies. Alongside this, Rachael recommends that employers discourage overtime, promote regular breaks and holidays, and ensure that ‘fundamental human niceties are prioritised’, such as saying good morning to your team, showing gratitude and appreciation for work, and being clear about opportunities for growth and advancement.
Looking after our own mental wellbeing
Identifying ways to take care of your own wellbeing might sound like just another thing on a huge to-do list, but it’s important to prioritise this. Rachael has some tips to help with this:
1. Start being nice to yourself in your head
‘This is my number one tip because it is so underrated. You cannot feel relaxed and happy if your inner voice is telling you that you are a terrible human being,’ advises Rachael. ‘I used to have such a loud and bullying inner critic, but now I have built up the skill of self-compassion and find life is so much easier to deal with when I am not adding to my problems by being cruel to myself.’
2. Keep hydrated!
‘Drink water regularly throughout the day, sipping water every 15 minutes,’ cautions Rachael. ‘Did you know that a reduction in brain hydration by as little as 2% can lead to short-term memory issues and difficulties with mathematical calculations?’ Rachael explains that, over time, dehydration causes brain cells to shrink in both size and mass. This can also contribute to a lack of mental clarity, commonly known as ‘brain fog’. ‘Studies have also shown that cortisol levels increase at just 0.5 litres of dehydration too, so keeping hydrated enables your brain to function and means you are better able to manage your stress levels.’
3. Sleep well
‘It may seem obvious, but a lack of good-quality sleep leaves us feeling angry, irritable and sometimes tearful. It stops us from being able to cope and increases feelings of being overwhelmed.’
4. Seek out daylight and fresh air
‘No one really speaks about this, but we spend too much time being still indoors. Humans need movement, daylight and fresh air. You need to aim for 30 minutes of unfiltered daylight on your forehead and eyes in the first hour of waking. A good way to get this is to go for a short walk in the morning as soon as you wake up or, if you have a garden or balcony, to go and enjoy a peaceful cup of tea outside. I also recommend regular breaks at work where you go outside and breathe!’
5. EFT tapping
‘EFT changed my life and is one of the most incredible bio hacks for the modern world. It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment and it’s been clinically proven to drop cortisol levels, boost immunity markers and have lasting long-term positive effects on stress, depression, anxiety and PTSD.’ Rachael acknowledges that people may not want to brag about tapping themselves on their face and body to relieve stress, but cites Pink, Mariah Carey, Lily Allen and Whoopi Goldberg as tapping fans.
Further information
Visit www.rachaelwelford.com
Listen to the podcast Things I Wish I’d Known with Rachael Welford
Follow @rachael_welford on Instagram
