Lynsey, what is your area of expertise?
I worked at a senior level in business for around 15 years and saw the stresses that modern life can put on people. I set up a health and wellbeing business to help people feel better and consequently, to perform better in all aspects of their life. As a Wellbeing Consultant, Master Personal Trainer and Alexander Technique teacher, I am particularly interested in the small changes that people can make to their lives in order to have big effects. These might be through nutrition, exercise, lifestyle change or simply changes to the way that someone is approaching wellbeing. As an ex-management consultant, I also see a strong link between improving staff wellbeing and maximising business performance and all the work I do with corporates feeds into this.
What is it that you like about addressing audiences?
I love the fact that wellbeing is now on the agenda in so many organisations, so that when I address an audience, staff know that there is a supportive environment to ask questions and find out more. I always encourage interruptions, questions and debate in my seminars and I love that people go away energised and armed with the information to make positive changes in their lives. Helping someone feel better in the workplace is very rewarding to me as I know how challenging that environment can be.
What do you see as the important wellbeing issues that are concerning people moving into 2017?
There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment and 2016 has seen some big upheavals. As such, it is crucial for people to look after their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Anxiety, stress and other mental health issues can be very damaging and although we might not always be able to remove the causes of these, we can help employees have the tools to deal with modern life better. Secondly, I believe that tackling sedentary lifestyles will be a hot topic for 2017. I work with many people with musculoskeletal disorders, weight issues, low energy and other health problems due to simply being sedentary. Businesses are getting much more creative in helping people to get moving and I see a move to more dynamic ways of working and innovative ways to help people be more active.
What is your top tip for employers today?
Recognise the value to your business of engaging in wellbeing, get it on corporate plans and scorecards, and then make sure that senior executives are championing wellbeing programmes. Healthy and happy employees are productive employees!
What is your top tip for staff today in how they look after themselves?
Make one small change this week, let that sink in and make another small change next week. This way, improvements are sustainable. And if you are only going to make one change this week, try to move more, whether this is through walking more of your commute, having standing meetings, getting up from your desk to speak with colleagues rather than sending emails or getting a 10 minute walk round the block in at lunchtime, just get moving.