Love Starts Within: How to turn the office into a haven of self-care this February

With workplace stress and burnout on the rise in South Africa, February presents a unique opportunity for companies to promote self-care and mental wellbeing initiatives that can enhance productivity and job satisfaction. According to the WHO, depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. In South Africa, workplace stress and burnout have been rising, with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) reporting an increase in mental health-related sick leave claims.

According to a 2024 survey, Americans are expected to spend roughly $14.2 billion (R263 billion) on their significant others this February. South Africans also shell out small fortunes for gifts during this time. According to The Eighty20 National Segmentation (ENS), which summarises and tracks key South African consumer segments, searches for related gifts on popular e-commerce websites can surge by as much as 25% with many users opting to purchase R1000 gift cards. While celebrations of love fill the air, not everyone feels included. That’s why it’s important to remember that love isn’t only about relationships with others, it’s also about the connection we have with ourselves and our workplace community.

As business leaders and HR professionals, this time is a meaningful reminder to nurture one of the most important relationships in the workplace, the one between employers and employees. It is the perfect opportunity to express appreciation and set the tone for a culture of recognition and gratitude throughout the year.

For employees, self-care can be the difference between waking up feeling a sense of dread for going into the office and showing up as your best self.

Jaco Oosthuizen, YuLife CEO, puts it best: “ February should be a reminder that love starts from within. When employees feel supported and valued, not just in their work and personal life but also in their overall wellbeing, they bring their best selves to everything they do and that is critical for productivity.”

Here’s how businesses can help everyone in the office celebrate themselves during the month of love:

Promote a Culture of Appreciation

Employers and employees can encourage peer recognition by setting up a gratitude board or digital shout-out system where everyone can acknowledge each other’s strengths and contributions. Perhaps you can even set up a monthly mingle where teams can come together and congratulate each other on jobs well done. Feeling valued in this way boosts self-esteem and strengthens workplace bonds.

Offer Flexible Work Arrangements

The days of rigid working schedules are gone. Employers want to get the best out of their staff and should experiment with allowing people to take their lunch breaks, start later, or finish earlier to do something for themselves. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a gym session, or time to read a book, flexibility shows that self-care matters and that you trust the people who make the ship run smoothly. Staff can advocate for more flexible work arrangements that allow them to manage their work-life balance better.

Host a Self-Care Workshop

Bringing in wellness experts to guide employees through stress management techniques, mindfulness, or simple self-care routines. Staff can use practical tips to empower people to prioritise their well-being beyond just one day and give them practical tools to manage their mental and physical health

Encourage Acts of Kindness

A small act of kindness, whether to oneself or others, can go a long way. Co-workers can challenge each other to do something nice for themselves or a colleague, like buying a coffee, leaving a kind note, or simply checking in on someone.

Provide Mental Health Resources

Make sure employees know about available mental health support, whether it’s through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), YuLife’s group protection and wellbeing app, or in-house counselling. Having access to these resources reinforces that their mental health is a priority. Employees can also be proactive by seeking out mental health resources.

Create an environment that will inspire them

Working in a dull or boring environment is never inspiring for people. Try to make sure your office is organised and welcoming so that your people will feel like going into a workspace that is inspiring them rather than bringing them down.

A great way to do this is iby ncorporating colour, creating a relaxing break area, or adding flowers and plants. Not only do they immediately spark joy and make everything look beautiful and smell nice, but they also have other significant mental health benefits. For example, being around plants was found to improve concentration and memory, speed up recovery from certain illnesses, enhance social skills and energy levels, and generally make people happier.

With a few plants and flowers, you can

change up your office and show your people you genuinely care for them.

Encourage Feedback:

Employees, HR professionals and the C-Suite can keep track of office wellbeing by encouraging a culture of feedback. If you have a wellness idea, poll it and see whether everyone else would be on board. Take surveys and do check-ins. Getting a good gauge on whether your initiatives are working can be the difference between success and another tick box exercise.

As more companies continue to prioritise employee wellbeing, fostering a culture of self-love shouldn’t just be a Valentine’s Day gesture, it should be the beginning of a long-term investment in people. Let’s create workplaces that remind employers and employees they are valued, not just today, but every day.

<ends>