The topic of mental wellbeing in the workplace is more prominent than ever as we move from Stress Awareness Month (April) into Mental Health Awareness Week (15th- 21st May). With good reason too, as a recent survey by CIPD, ‘The importance of people management’, shows that half of workers led by poor managers feel work negatively impacts their mental health.
This week we spoke to Adam Cragg, Head of our HR Division, who has worked with a wide range of FTSE 100 clients to build effective people management teams, to understand how employers can authentically support staff and foster positive mental health within the organisation year-round.
Management Training
‘It’s important that businesses looking to avoid poor mental health amongst the workforce should implement robust training for all people managers to help them recognise the first signs of declining mental health and provide them with the guidance on how to respond and support effectively.
In the first instance however, it’s important that all people managers are following practices to harbour a positive working culture such as providing clear expectations and realistic goals, giving regular constructive feedback and acknowledging and appreciating hard work and contribution’
Post-Pandemic Ways of Working
‘While remote working certainly has its benefits, there are additional pressures linked to this way of working which have become more apparent due to many organisations adopting this way of working for the first time. Many workers mention they feel they need to prove they are working, leading to an ‘always-on’ mentality of needing to instantly reply to messages from co-workers and leaders within the business. Managers should seek to build a culture of trust within their team, giving employees the autonomy to get on with their work and be task-motivated.
Organisations should also consider encouraging health working practices, such as regular breaks away from the computer to avoid burn-out, review internal communications and how overwhelming constant email and instant message threads can be, as well as seeking to understand if every worker as an adequate home working set-up and if additional support can be provided where this may be lacking’
Cost of Living Crisis
‘While the recent Spring Budget brought with it promising news for many, we’re still seeing wages continue to be eroded by inflation, with prices rising faster than pay. Concerns around money remain one of the most stigmatised issues within the workplace so organisations should consider how they can break down these barriers and show support for employees.
Managers are not expected to take the place of a financial advisor or counsellor, however by providing access to professional support services, such as Financial Wellbeing resources or professional counselling services, this shows support in a practical way. Opening up the discussion around flexible working could also be considered, for example, if this can alleviate stress around meeting the ongoing cost of childcare.
Internal conversations around the current crisis can also help reassure workers that they aren’t alone; from sharing cost-saving tips, to asking people to consider cost-saving measures within your offices, or even organising low-cost or free team-building activities or socials events’
Learning & Development
‘While much is written about the improvement to staff wellbeing after improvements to staff benefits, working patterns and annual leave, we were interested to learn of new research from the Open University which has shown a link between the Learning & Development function and workforce wellbeing. This study showed that more than a third of survey respondents reported seeing an immediate boost to their wellbeing after short-term skills development.
Ensuring your organisation has a Learning & Development function in place and are encouraging active learning at work can help improve mental health, reduce anxiety and boost job satisfaction in a number of ways, particularly where individuals are given the tools to build on their skills to improve their personal performance at work.
Organisations should, however, also think about their team as individuals during the learning process and be mindful that the ways in which people learn best and find most enjoyable can often be very diverse. By facilitating learning in this way organisations are supporting employees in the long-term, improving their career prospects and ability to earn which certainly has an associated impact on wellbeing’
To read more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 visit Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 | Mental Health Foundation
To learn more about how we can help you hire the right leaders for your organisation visit Our Services · Lincoln Cornhill
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