09/05/2016

Walk this way: COPA-DATA UK team embraces fresh air for happiness

Implementing an ideal work-life balance across a team of individuals with varying motivators, interests and backgrounds is no easy feat. With the average British worker spending 43 hours a week sat at their desk and with one in five admitting to spending the entire day behind their screen - without a break - the Management team here at COPA-DATA UK decided to eliminate the temptation of making our office a home-from-home.

One small step for the business…

Our Office and Finance Manager, Emma Churches, met motivational speaker and business coach Ruth Steggles at a networking event in Q3 of 2015. It soon became clear to Emma, that the twelve-week course that Ruth had run for several local businesses – in order to help their teams lead healthier and happier lives, both at work and at home - was the perfect fit for us at COPA-DATA UK.

Fresh Air for Happiness is a three-month program which promises a happier, more content and creative workforce. Regardless of the unpredictable Welsh weather, we eight headed outdoors to the surrounding woodland for around an hour or so each week and, as a team, worked through personal and business attitudes and issues surrounding themes such as gratitude, self-belief, exploring the limits of our comfort zones and confronting bad habits.

…one giant leap for our team!

There is an abundance of scientific research identifying the clear connection between happiness and exercise. Increasing endorphins and other feel-good chemicals in the brain, exercise can also reduce stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline. However, the Fresh Air for Happiness program was put in place to more than simply encourage light exercise. The course promised to help us cope with stress, become more focused and most importantly, improve the overall wellness of the team – and it delivered.

A marathon, not a sprint

“We began the course in October 2015, completing it twelve weeks later. However, the benefits of the program have had a lasting effect,” explained Emma. “We have plans to continue reaping the rewards of the program by taking part in quarterly, half day refreshers, as reccomended by Ruth.”

"It was a joy to work with the team at COPA-DATA UK,“ explained Steggles. “What I particularly noticed was each of the team taking more personal responsibility for the interactions they had. This led to better relationships at home and work. They had always got on well, but it took their relationships to another level. They all started coping with stress better than they had done in the past and the confidence of some of the team really grew as they pushed themselves outside their comfort zone."

To find out more about Ruth or her Fresh Air for Happiness course visit www.ruthsteggles.co.uk

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