This month sees the publication of a new e-book on Workplace Wellbeing: 21 Lessons from the New World of Work. Commissioned by the International Stress Management Association (ISMAUK) and edited by Sally Sheen and Emma Hall, Workplace Wellbeing is a collection of specially commissioned articles focussing on the organisational and personal aspects of stress and wellbeing. Written by experts in their fields who are members of the ISMAUK community, they provide insights, guidance and strategies on how to improve personal and organisational resilience in the post-pandemic era.
The book is divided into three sections: Lessons for Leaders, on the role of leaders in building healthy workplace cultures; Lessons for Organisations, on the importance of mental wellbeing in developing resilient organisations; and Lessons For Us All, on techniques and practices that will help us all become more resilient. The final chapter consists of twenty-one lessons drawn from each article to help enhance workplace wellbeing. They include, “The goal of resilient leadership is not to bounce back from adversity, but to grow from it and increase resilience capabilities at both individual and organisational levels” (Sally Sheen); “One of the most powerful skills which any of us can develop is our ability to deal comfortably with adversity and uncertainty, and this shouldn’t be left to chance” (Sue Evans); and “Being part of a community, whether this is a professional association, community group, networking organisation, or informal group of likeminded individuals, is vital for all of us” (Dave Plunkett).
In the preface by Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Manchester Business School, he comments, “Managing stress and improving wellbeing at work requires action at a leadership, organisational and personal level. This book provides insights from expert practitioners in all of these areas. A must-read for all those seeking to reduce stress and improve wellbeing at work”.
Joint editor Emma Hall said, “Resilience and wellbeing are not fixed traits or given states of being. There are many positive actions to be taken around organisational culture and leadership that can impact on resilience and wellbeing, and we as individuals can also learn to be more resilient and develop strategies to support our health and wellbeing. But there is no one-size-fits-all. Hopefully this book will help people find a balance of approaches that work for their situation”.
“This book is a must have. It is like being at a conference of renowned speakers but better. Here, you can dip in and out in your own time and find what is relevant to you. A perfect balance of theory and practical content pertinent to the new world of work, with an emphasis - quite rightly - on health and wellbeing whilst doing the job you love“ Alexandra Freedman, Director, Skills4Success
· Workplace Wellbeing: 21 Lessons for the New World of Workis available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon, retailing at £6.95. Copies may be purchased by following this link.
· All royalties from the sale of this book will go towards ISMAUK’s work promoting sound knowledge in the prevention and reduction of stress and best practice in the field of stress management.
· Sally Sheen is an independent executive coach and organisational development consultant and trainer, specialising in leadership, culture change, and resilience.
· Emma Hall is a career coach qualified in occupational psychology at the University of Hertfordshire Careers Service and Hertfordshire Business School.