Is wholeness in the workplace fake news? The purpose of this article is to answer that fundamental question. Further, I hope to clear up some of the confusion that now exists in the current technical literature concerning the differences and similarities between the concepts of wellness, well-being, and wholeness.
Many articles on wellness in the workplace have continuously been in the news. A simple Google search yields over 4.5M hits. For example, state of the practice reviews has been published in this magazine and elsewhere during the past year or so. Mind you, I don’t necessarily disagree with these authors, but I believe they are still operating within a dated thought structure.
This isn’t enough anymore – it’s time to move on. You get the whole person to work; they have a nice desk, a window, employers structure performance reviews so their egos are bruised and yes there is a meditation room on the roof. Now what? That’s what we’re talking about here.
Let’s Get This Straight
I want to advance the somewhat radical notion that a lot of what workplace designers hear about ‘wellness’ is a variant of the ‘fake news’ concept. Literature, websites, and overstuffed social media filled with what on closer examination are alternative facts and uninformed opinions.
So where do you go to get the real news about wellness and wellness programs? Currently, the best source is a new book by Rex Miller, The Healthy Workplace Nudge: How Healthy People, Culture, and Buildings Lead to High Performance. The title says it all. However, take a look at this cartoon is from a comic book which accompanies Rex’s book. Note the conclusion in the bottom, right-hand corner.
What’s the Real Story?
OK, let’s get to the real story. Let me distinguish between these three concepts of wellness, well-being, and wholeness. In doing this, I’m going to draw on the rich social psychological literature which relates these concepts to three dimensions of human behavior – especially in the workplace.
Wellness refers to those things that we see as physical and usually measured as physiological variables. I prefer to relabel this function is the “hand” part of our daily experience.
Next, well-being. Well-being in my interpretation refers to the emotional aspect of our lives, and I would retitle that our “heart.”