Most of us only take action when something goes wrong.
Whether it’s our health, work stress, or mental wellbeing, we tend to wait until we’re deep in the problem before we do anything about it. But why?
I had an interesting chat this morning with my friend Werner about healthcare approaches in different countries (I don’t even know how we got on to that subject). In the Netherlands, where he’s from, people tend to go to the doctor only when they’re already unwell – much like here in the UK. But in Germany, his colleagues are horrified at this mindset. Over there, prevention is key. The idea of waiting until you’re sick to act is unthinkable.
It got me thinking; why do so many of us take a reactive approach to our wellbeing when the benefits of proactive care are so obvious?
I’ve seen this play out in workplaces time and time again.
I am hardly ever brought into an organisation that is doing well in terms of Wellbeing. Companies invest in stress management programmes after burnout levels have skyrocketed. They bring in wellbeing initiatives after absenteeism has become a serious issue. Leaders only start asking, “Are you OK?” after someone hands in their notice.
But just like in healthcare, prevention is always more effective than cure. The cost of dealing with a problem once it’s become an emergency, whether it’s a health crisis or an exodus of staff, is far greater than the cost of preventing it in the first place.
In the workplace, stress-related absences are rising every year…
Yet many organisations still treat wellbeing as an afterthought. A report by the CIPD found that nearly 80% of UK organisations have experienced stress-related absence in the last year, yet less than 50% have a wellbeing strategy in place. That’s like knowing smoking is bad for you but still waiting until you’ve got a cough that won’t go away before considering quitting.
How Can We Shift from Reaction to Prevention?
- Make Wellbeing a Business Priority: Just like Germany’s preventative healthcare model, businesses need to embed wellbeing before problems arise. If your workforce is already burning out, you’re too late.
- Teach People to Recognise Early Signs: We don’t wait for a heart attack before we check our cholesterol. The same should be true for stress and burnout. Managers and employees alike need to spot the warning signs and act early.
- Normalise Proactive Support: Nobody hesitates to get a flu jab, yet people feel guilty about taking a mental health day. That has to change. Prevention should be seen as a smart investment, not a weakness.
- Make Wellbeing Accessible: If support is hard to find or feels like an extra burden, people won’t use it. Wellbeing initiatives should be easy, practical, and part of the day-to-day culture.
Let’s Talk
We have a choice; proactive or reactive? Do we wait for people to break, or do we put the right measures in place to stop it from happening in the first place?
Germany has the right idea. It’s time we all followed suit.
What’s stopping your organisation from taking a prevention-first approach to wellbeing? Let’s start the conversation.
#WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealth #Burnout #Stress #Wellbeing
