While Nicky Burston knew wellness was important, it was only when she joined The Drinks Trust as CEO in 2024 that she understood the full impact. She talks burnout, the facets of wellbeing and why businesses shouldn’t scrimp on employee happiness

1. I learned wellbeing is essential to avoid burnout
I’ve been in a place where I was burned out before and it takes quite a long time to recover. It wasn’t until I joined The Drinks Trust that I learned what burnout was. At the time, I just saw it as feeling flat and struggling to get out of bed. I was working all hours god sent on my agency business and found myself lost. It’s strange because you don’t know where it’s come from or why you feel that way, and you panic that you might feel like this forever. Instinctively, I did the right thing and slowed down. But if I’d had the tools at the time, I think I could have stopped it from happening by focusing on my wellbeing. At The Drinks Trust, we run a course called Wellbeing Champions, which teaches people how to be proactive about wellbeing before reaching that stage.

2. I realised wellbeing is multi-faceted
We run a Business Advisory Programme that helps organisations understand the challenges within their teams, and through that I’ve learned about the four accepted pillars of wellness: mental, financial, social and physical. What’s important to know is that the four are interlinked, so if you’re struggling with your finances, that might manifest in your mental health or appear as a headache in your physical wellbeing. I think it’s key that when we talk about wellbeing, we consider all aspects rather than just one. Taking them into account should be an intrinsic part of daily life, because they need to be addressed. They are essential, not a luxury.

3. I saw that support helps businesses
When times are tough, businesses can make the mistake of thinking they shouldn’t give people time off because the company might be struggling financially. But this is exactly when we need to focus on employee wellbeing. Beyond wanting people to be happy, there’s a strong commercial rationale for investing in your team. For example, the Chartered Institute for Professional Development has said that more businesses need to focus on proactive wellbeing strategies because that is the only way to keep people in the workforce, in the office and being productive. I think businesses are starting to understand that now. We have 14 businesses in a wellbeing programme, which they pay for, and all 14 have renewed despite tough economic times because they’re seeing the benefits: lower absenteeism, more motivated staff, greater productivity and more ideas. When people are happy, they feel motivated.