Leadership & Lifetime Employability
Leadership & Lifetime Employability

What is vitality in fact?

Vitality has now become a portmanteau term that is used both where it fits and where it doesn't. So let's start at square one with some definitions, to avoid confusion. Originally vitality comes from the Latin "vitae" which means life. According to Van Dale vital therefore also means "of great importance to life" and a vital person is powerful and energetic.

The influence of vitality on fitness for work

You can probably guess the influence of vitality on fitness for work. Someone who is comfortable with who they are, is bursting with energy and who has the strength to deal with setbacks, is not going to report sick for something trivial. Just imagine you have a whole team full of people like that, then surely no challenge is too great? Various research studies have also shown that employees who are full of vitality have a positive effect on customers and colleagues, deliver good quality work and feel committed to the organisation. Apart from the fact that it is really nice when someone is living the life they want, vitality therefore also delivers all kinds of benefits in all kinds of areas.

How can you as a manager increase your own vitality and that of your employees?

Investing in vitality is therefore worth the effort, but how do you set about it?

  • A useful thing to know is that vitality has four dimensions, that all need to be in balance:
  • body (enough exercise, eating properly, enough sleep)
  • spirit (personal growth and development),
  • social-emotional (good relationships and teamwork)
  • fulfilment (working on something meaningful and useful).
You as a manager cannot have the same level of impact on every dimension. At the end of the day, the employee is and always will be the one who has to take action if something is to change. You can, however, inspire and motivate them. Plus of course setting a good example. Putting up a notice that taking the stairs is better than taking the lift is one way to start. Then taking the stairs yourself when you need to go to another floor is of course better.

Tips on how to increase your team's vitality

Do you want to get started on increasing your team's vitality? You will find some practical tips below.

Get to work

  • Check what programmes exist within your organisation. Vitality should be on the agenda of the HR department, if they are doing their job. Are there any organisation-wide programmes that you and your team could join in with? Perhaps a cycling plan, a discount on nutrition advice, help with stopping smoking or company-wide exercise challenges?
  • See what your team could use and turn it into a fun challenge. Don't look only in the area of exercise or healthy eating, but also look at relaxation, doing something for others, developing or improving teamwork and supporting each other.
  • Look at your employees holistically as people. That may sound odd, but too many organisations keep work and private life totally segregated. Every person's private situation impacts their work and vice versa. So keep an eye on this.
  • Set a good example. Let people know what you yourself are doing to keep up your vitality levels. Are you taking a course in something you want to improve in? Do you want to spend less time working in the evenings? Maybe you are trying to stop smoking? Share this with the people around you, and show that you take yourself seriously.
  • Allow room for errors. Change takes both time and effort. Be there for each other when things don't go to plan. Help each other to start over and try again. This support, on its own, will increase vitality.