Rath and Harter. Tom Rath and Jim Harter are releasing Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements in early May. This is an advance review of the book and the companion website set up by Gallup.
The 5 Elements. Rath and Harter examine five elements of wellbeing:
- Career wellbeing
- Social wellbeing
- Financail wellbeing
- Physical wellbeing
- Community wellbeing
In addition they discuss measuring what makes life worthwhile and offer tools and resources ranging from daily wellbeing to increasing wellbeing in organizations – the role of managers and leaders.
Great data nuggets. The book is full of nuggets and practical perspectives. There is a mix of new material and material that people who have read other Gallup publication would be familiar with. Here are just a few of the nuggets you will can digest:
- Only 20% of people like what they do each day.
- Actively disengaged employees are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression over the next year
- When you use your strengths you are more engaged and more likely to feel energized for 40 hours a week instead of feeling burned out after just 20 hours of work.
- Managers can contribute in very strong positive or negative ways to an employees career wellbeing.
- We need 6 hours of social time to have a thriving day
- Even 20 minutes of exercise during the day can boos t your mood for the rest of the day.
The role of leaders and managers. Leaders and managers who care about their employees have a significant impact on both employee engagement and wellbeing. they see the growth of their employees as an end in itself not just a means to an end. They know there is now way an employee will love an organization that doesn’t have a heart. Overall what is best for the employee is also best for the organization. Caring leaders and managers know that caring is not a feeling or noun it is a verb that requires they demonstrate continual caring for the people who report to them.
