Fit for work, healthy for life – the science of wellbeing

Abstract

To help reduce physical injuries and improve mental health, Esso Australia has partnered with a seasoned wellness coach on a ‘Fit for Work, Healthy for Life’ program for the offshore workforce. Creating a health and wellbeing ‘game of life plan’ for an imperfect world, tailored to the challenges of offshore work to support personnel to perform at their best in all facets of life, at each stage of life, with a strong focus on being in the right head space to succeed. Key aspects are learning, eating, sleeping, connecting, injury prevention training, procrastination, instant gratification and mental health. Central to making any behavioural changes is individual engagement and making time to listen, which is being achieved through a real-world approach, discussing everyday challenges and normalising personal conversations combined with coaching on how to spark and manage difficult conversations to solve issues and concerns. As ‘no one t-shirt fits everyone’, we need to take diverse approaches, understanding that we are different, genetically, emotionally, physically and psychologically. ‘Listening to your body’ is a strategy discussed during the sessions that enables people to understand and act on potentially unrecognised mental or physical signs their body may be presenting. Since being rolled out to the offshore Esso workforce in the second quarter of 2021, the positive feedback from both a physical and mental health perspective from the participants has been overwhelming, with a common theme of healthy body, healthy mind shining through!