THE WELL-BEING REVOLUTION: from “Wellness” to “Wellbeing”

The Wellness Economy was the topic addressed in the latest ABC Sustainable Luxury Hospitality’s blog article. In fact, it is no secret that the Pandemic has caused radical changes in all areas of our lives, both personal and professional.

But in response to the feeling of anxiety, there has been a rapid and all-encompassing shift from “wellness”, a concept of well-being with an individual focus, to “wellbeing”, a more holistic vision that comprises all people and sectors of society.

This is relatively new territory. While “wellness” is not a completely unexplored concept, the shift to “wellbeing” means that society must now effectively get involved. Consumers now expect everyone, including employers and brands, schools, and industries, to participate in social wellbeing, a drastic change from reality we had a year ago.

 

How the Pandemic Brings a New Highlight to Health and Well-Being?

“Wellness” has been part of society’s concerns for some time, as we can see from the growth of personal health practices, the rise of fitness, spa and self-help industries.

As the world faces the first global pandemic in the recent history, there has been a lot of speculation about what we have learned, what we consider essential and the consequences this situation will trigger.

At the heart of all these arguments is the universal belief that the “wellness” and “wellbeing” of students, parents, children, partners, workers, survivors, and caregivers is absolutely critical to recovery.

Without the ability of societies and companies to holistically focus on the “wellbeing” of people (including physical, emotional, and spiritual health), it will be nearly impossible to create safety nets to allow people to return to work or any other social and are productive.

The “Wellbeing” truly became:

• Multi-sector, affecting all sectors and brands, regardless of the products or services they offer.

• Multidimensional, so we stopped talking about “wellness” and started talking about “wellbeing”, which includes dimensions such as mental and financial.

This new and broad focus on “wellbeing” has caused people’s expectations to change quickly, as the vision of what this society of “wellbeing” should promote has also shifted from being simply physical to becoming a holistic concept that encompasses “physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

We now sincerely hope that companies will take a true stand on all “wellness” issues that affect all their stakeholders, including both their people and their consumers.

Alexandra Outeiro
HR Specialist
ABC Sustainable Luxury Hospitality