The VITAL WorkLife Wheel of Well-Being is a tool used to evaluate distinct areas of life and build overall well-being through improving each dimension of well-being. Your overall well-being is made of multiple dimensions. Professional well-being is one of the dimensions contributing to your holistic health; you cannot achieve overall well-being without having balance in each of the dimensions.
Professional Well-Being
At VITAL WorkLife, we define Professional Well-Being as:
"Finding meaning and fulfillment in your work, favorable compensation, work-life integration, career development and quality relationships with colleagues and leaders."
What Contributes to Professional Well-Being?
Many factors contribute to Professional Well-Being including your mindset about your workplace, the work you do and the people you work with. Your ability to weather the ups and downs of your professional life contribute to your overall job satisfaction. Understanding your Emotional Intelligence (EI), and your skill at weathering the workplace storms all impact your stress level. Navigating organizational politics and workplace change, all contribute to your professional well-being.
Significant factors contributing to Professional Well-Being can be:
- Educational level
- Career experience
- Skill level
- View of appropriate compensation
- Issues outside the workplace:
- Family situation
- Economy
Professional well-being sometimes challenges us to apply ‘good self-care’ both in the workplace and at home. Your ability to implement healthy boundaries in all areas of your life will significantly contribute to your ability to sustain wel-being that supports a contented, healthy and successful life.
Case Study
Jody found herself feeling as though she were dragging herself into the office every day. She knew she had become disenchanted with her work situation. It seemed to offer nothing new or rewarding. Jody found herself struggling with how to get out of what began to feel like a chore rather than an engaging challenge. Jody was reluctant to ask for help, yet after several months of feeling as though she was ‘sinking deeper into a dark hole’ she followed a colleague’s advice and found some help.
After taking the VITAL WorkLife Wheel of Well-Being assessment and reading some articles, Jody decided to tap into the Peer Coaching resource available to her. What amazed Jody was how she began to look forward to her one-on-one productive conversations with her Peer Coach. She found her coach to be someone who listened carefully, without judgment, and offered practical steps for moving forward in areas Jody had not considered on her own. This positive outcome, which resulted in a helpful plan of action, had Jody wondering, “Why did I wait so long?!”
How to Achieve and Maintain Professional Well-Being
Setting professional goals are an important factor in achieving and then maintaining your professional well-being. Professional well-being can be significant in refueling your life. To get a good understanding about Professional Well-Being, take the VITAL WorkLife Wheel of Well-Being professional assessment. This assessment then provides a guide to resources appropriate to your situation. Remember, resources such as a reading list, articles and videos for education and inspiration are just one way to maintain your Professional Well -Being. One-on-one counseling or coaching may be just the jump start you need to get a new view of your situation. As our rhythms in life change, it is good to stay alert as to how each new stage impacts us. What will be your next step?
To learn more about your Professional Well-Being dimension, you can read from our recommended reading list.
We Can Help
VITAL WorkLife supports all dimensions of well-being. Call us anytime, day or night, for support on your Professional Well-Being.
- EAP members call 800.383.1908 or access resources through your VITAL WorkLife App
- Physician Well-Being Resources members call 877.731.3949 or access resources through your VITAL WorkLife App
Check out our video below to learn more about the Wheel of Well-Being:
