From the editor

This issue looks at the topic of wellness. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have a bit of a bugbear with the word ‘wellness’. To me, it smacks of fruit bowls and back rubs, which doesn’t really cut it for me when talking about people’s mental health and psychological wellbeing. For those familiar with appreciative inquiry and its positive framing and philosophy that ‘words make worlds’, I tend to be extra cautious in how I use my words. I guess it comes with the territory of being a writer and editor, too.

So, in the interests of calling a spade a spade, instead of ‘wellness’, I would like to endorse the use of the term ‘wellbeing’. No hyphen required. And not a burning fragranced candle in sight. Let’s take this topic seriously.

We’ve known anecdotally for a while how vital employee wellbeing is for the success of organisations. Now we know that science and factual data sit behind this link.

In this issue, we share research and information on the practical application of wellbeing from Dr Lucy Hone, Director at the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience. Also, Dr Bridget Jelley, from The Effect, shares her angle on psychological hazards in the workplace and asks what can we do differently to make a shift for our people. Michael Hempseed looks at how to cope with burnout, and Laurna Munro explores the link between wellbeing and diversity and inclusion strategies.

We hope you enjoy reading our new regular columns, including HR in a COVID world, the ER case review and an introduction to sustainable development goals: how HR can play a crucial role in turning these goals into a reality.

Kathy Catton Managing Editor Kathy.Catton@hrnz.org.nz