Focus on well-being
Individuals are placing a growing importance on their happiness and quality of life (e.g. friends, health, emotional and spiritual well-being etc.) over money and material things. As standards of living improve for many, these individuals are able to concentrate on improving these aspects of their life.
What are the implications?
- An increasing focus on achieving a good work-life balance over high salaried jobs.
- Growing importance of leisure time over work leading to a back-lash against the long hours culture.
- Growing importance of organisational values as experiencing a sense of purpose at work becomes as (or more) important than earning large amounts of money
- A growing sense that living an ethically responsible and sustainable life means a happier, higher quality of life. (See ethical living and consumerism).
- A rise in the experience economy as individuals consume a diverse range of experiences to enhance their quality of life.
- Increase in levels of volunteering if volunteering increasingly becomes seen as another way of improving an individual’s quality of life.
Moving forward
As happiness and quality of life becomes more important to the public, including experiencing a sense of purpose at work, the sector needs to make sure it retains its competitive advantage by continuing to be value driven.
- How can your organisation emphasise the importance of its values and the causes it champions in order to attract potential employees?
- This might mean investing in marketing strategies that promote your organisation’s services and causes that will appeal to a range of and different audiences.
Changing lifestyles and the importance of leisure time means that organisations will have to offer a wider breadth of employment and volunteering opportunities.
- What flexible working arrangements can you put in place to attract or retains employees?
An increasingly affluent society and a focus on well being may mean more people choose to spend their time volunteering.
- How much do you know about why volunteers choose to work with you? Are these reasons changing?
- How can your organisation attract more volunteers?
- Should you invest in volunteer recruitment and management?
Want to know more?
Published by: The Guardian – a left of centre newspaper
Date: 2007
Format: Web
What is it? An article exploring how wellbeing has become a government priority.
How useful is this? An interesting article for exploring the role of wellbeing and how it has risen on the Government agenda. It discusses how Government has shifted from a purely economic focus to a wider understanding of wellbeing and explores how this has been played out by different departments. It points out how wellbeing has attracted cross party interest, and looks at recommendations for Government and the media.
Other comments:
Wellbeing, happiness and third sector leadership
Published by: Acevo – a third sector infrastructure body
Date: 2007
Format: PDF
What is it? A briefing on the role of the third sector in the new wellbeing and happiness agenda.
How useful is this? This briefing examines what wellbeing means for the third sector now and in the future, providing a policy and theoretical background, and including case exemplars from a number of organisations. It finds that new conceptions of wellbeing may provide a new way of characterising third sector activity, and makes recommendations for both policy makers and third sector leaders.
Other comments:
A well-being manifesto for a flourishing society
Published by: The New Economics Foundation – a think tank
Date: 2004
Format: PDF (2.74MB free registration required)
What is it? An exploration report on what a government manifesto focused on wellbeing might look like.
How useful is this? This report examines how government could focus on happiness and wellbeing as a key function rather than just on growing economies. It looks at wellbeing research and what contributes to wellbeing, what government is already doing and what government can do, including aspects on strengthening civil society,
Other comments:
Discuss
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