Employee wellbeing - what would really help?

[paralysedbyinertia]

I'm starting a new job soon, and one of my first priorities will be to address the issue of staff wellbeing, which I understand has suffered over the last year for a range of different reasons.

Obviously, once I get started, I will be consulting staff about what they think would make the biggest difference to their experience of work, but I'm keen to get a headstart on thinking about this if at all possible.

So, I'm really interested to know what workplace initiatives have made a significant difference to your wellbeing at work, and/or what you would like your employer to put in place in order to make your work life easier and more enjoyable.

I will have the power to make significant changes to working practices, but not much financial resource to play with, if that makes any difference to your answers!

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

A really solid non-bullying policy - safe way for staff to be heard

Clear policy that excessive hours are counterproductive (I am sure you know the Bruce daisley podcast but if you don’t it’s great) - and some active policies to combat that if it’s a problem.

Big monthly meetings where employees get to understand where the company is going and to air their views.

Good clear leadership at all levels. People care about clarity almost more than anything else.

A policy that allows any employee to make suggestions of how to improve systems

A effective attitude to structure - management levels should be the minimal needed run smoothly, but they aren’t there to crush people and their ideas.

Regular reviews / career progression for those that want it. Proper sideways development for those who don’t want to climb. Give people responsibility and as much control as is realistic. Treat them like adults when it comes to time off for appointments etc, but pull them up
Fast on dropped performance (see below)

A counselling service. People having a shit time need to talk and often can’t afford it. This one will save you money in the long run.

Early intervention in low performance - it’s often allowed to get way out of hand to everyone’s detriment. If you tackle it early you can get the person involved in helping to fix it and it usually works. Be practical about it - it’s a problem that needs to be fixed, so set goals for improvement and create a paper trail for everyone.

@partyatthepalace, thank you so much for your suggestions. Lots of ideas and food for thought here. I'm not familiar with the podcast that you mentioned, so I'll have a listen to that.

Enough staff to do the job properly.

Absolutely minimise wanky mandatory training.
Enough staff to do the job properly.

No bullying.
Enough staff to do the job properly.

Not moving the goal posts every 5 minutes.
Enough staff to do the job properly.

Ban sending emails to the whole organisation with "apologies if this does not concern you" - the person sending it needs to work out who needs to receive it, and not waste everyone else's time.
Enough staff to do the job properly.

IT that actually works.
Enough staff to do the job properly.

More emphasis on what you can do, much less on what you are like.

In other words, reduce focus on 'behaviours' (aka personality), about which most of us can do very little.

Remember that only a robot brings its whole self to work. Recognise that the vast majority of people are exhanging their time and effort for a salary and the last thing they want or need is to 'live the company's values'.

No compulsory team building/well being wacky initiative training days. They are especially difficult to those on the autistic spectrum or introverts.

This.
I have one coming up and am dreading it.

Really depends on 5he workplace and type of work. But for me

Flexibility in working hours and location. Ie Wfh and suitable office space.

Clear goals or deliverables for each role or person. It's so stressful when you don't know what the expectations are.

Good communication in org and from managers.

Opportunities to attend training and support to progress or learn more/new skills.

Clear feedback on work.

And as pp's have said anti bullying needs to be robust. To the point where managers are aware of dynamics in teams and potential for individuals to be unfair to staff.

Finally fair pai for the job you do!

@Comefromaway

No compulsory team building/well being wacky initiative training days. They are especially difficult to those on the autistic spectrum or introverts.

Oh yeah this. They almost never actually support wellbeing!

@Comefromaway

No compulsory team building/well being wacky initiative training days. They are especially difficult to those on the autistic spectrum or introverts.

Haha, noted. I'm not autistic, but I have a horror of wanky teambuilding days myself, so definitely won't be going down that route!

I note the point above about having enough staff to do the job properly, too. That's a tricky one, given that finances are going to be tight, but I do agree that it's key. I don't know yet if workload is a significant problem, but if it is, it will obviously need to be addressed in some way.

Interesting comments re behaviours and values. Not sure if I totally agree, but I can see where you're coming from.

A few people have mentioned bullying. Obviously, this is really important, and having the right policy in place is essential, as is having a proper process in place to investigate and deal with any issues. In reality, though, I think it can be hard to eradicate bullying entirely. Has anyone ever worked in an organisation where this has been achieved? Sometimes, it's a matter of perception, too - what one person regards as bullying might not be regarded as such by someone else.

Thanks @Neonprint, those are all helpful. I totally agree re flexibility - that is crucial for my own wellbeing, personally.

Options to work flexibly where possible e.g. flexitime, wfh, choice of office base.

If someone leaves or goes on maternity leave etc. make it a priority to replace them as quickly as possible. Otherwise their work will fall to existing staff and eventually management will conveniently forget that there ever was an extra person to carry the workload.

Genuine flexible working policies.

Not allowing managers to micro-manage. If the job is getting done effectively then they should be forced to back off.

Making it clear to staff that you have their backs and support them first and foremost. I would prioritise happy staff which then makes happy clients. Most businesses and services start from the idea that the customer is always right. We all know they are not!

Yes, I agree about not micromanaging. My approach has always been to employ good people and trust them to get on with the job while being available to help and support them as required. Obviously, if they are not delivering, then that needs to be tackled, but well-performing team members definitely don't need a manager breathing down their necks. I agree re supporting staff and having their backs too.

Has anyone come across any really effective organisational strategies for tackling and preventing workplace bullying?

Have a flexible working policy.
Do not encourage presenteism.
Listen to staff.
Acknowledge good work/initiatives.
Don't micromanage.
Sort out unproductive staff.

Measures to enable a good work/life balance.
Management who actually listen to and communicate with their staff.
A clear process to follow if they feel that they aren't being well treated.

In my opinion, too many managers fanny around with rewards, chocolate and team bonding activities but these are little more than decoration. Nice enough if you're basically happy anyway. If well-being has suffered though then staff need management to listen to them and take action, not just stick a band-aid on.

Thank you @OneKeyAtATime. Totally agree about acknowledging and appreciating good work, and also about not encouraging presenteeism. Listening to staff is also a really important point.

@GeorgeandHarold66

Measures to enable a good work/life balance. Management who actually listen to and communicate with their staff. A clear process to follow if they feel that they aren't being well treated.

In my opinion, too many managers fanny around with rewards, chocolate and team bonding activities but these are little more than decoration. Nice enough if you're basically happy anyway. If well-being has suffered though then staff need management to listen to them and take action, not just stick a band-aid on.

@GeorgeandHarold66, I totally take that point. I agree that managers have to mean it, and that means listening to staff and taking their concerns seriously. I'm not interested in just going through the motions and making the right noises if it doesn't actually translate to people feeling better at work.

Visible career paths for those who want to move forward or even sideways.

@rookiemere

Visible career paths for those who want to move forward or even sideways.

Thank you. This may be challenging in a small organisation with limited resources, as opportunities for progression are only likely to come up within the organisation when other people leave. I think the only realistic option would be to give people meaningful opportunities for professional development so that they could potentially progress outside the organisation, or at least be ready to step up when a more senior person does move on. Something to think about, I guess.

Enough staff to do the job properly.
Definitely this! Where I work, 3 employees have retired over the last two years and their workload has just been shared out among the rest of us. If this has to be done it should be made really clear that this is a temporary measure not a long term solution.

Actions not words.

So many organisations over the last year have spoken a lot about MH, BLM etc. Well-meaning events and discussions.

But very little is actually done to change anything. When I help out at assesment events to recruit people from the Black community or through social mobility initiatives, I am often the only manager there. Where are the other managers and senior leadership team members? I can’t change things by myself.

So please mean what you say. And make sure all your management engage in taking tangible steps to support any organisational objectives. Otherwise people rightly become cynical.

Manage poor performance effectively.
Flexible working
Cut out needless courses, paper work and form filling.

Sorry I’ve realised my point has already been made!

Unless you need the information for billing etc, don’t make people record hours worked.

Genuine flexibility in working patterns as long as individuals get the job done. As long as someone is around enough that others can talk to them to the extent necessary (and this will depend on role; clearly something like retail / call centre needs people to cover specific hours), why does it matter that Sam works 9 - 5, Emma does 7 - 3, Chris does 11 - 7 and Sarah does 7 - 10; 12 - 2 and 4 - 6?

I'm trying to articulate this, and probably won't do so very well...

My organisation has frequent initiatives about well-being, mental health etc, but at the same time, there aren't enough staff to cover the annual leave that we are now starting to be able to take, when we haven't been able to during the pandemic. Also, my pay isn't great, my family live far away, I'm avoiding meeting friends to protect them, due to the environment I work in.

The endless messages about this helpline, that webcast, let's all get talking, says to me, "If your mental health is poor, you'd better hurry up and fix it, we've provided all these resources so you've got no excuse".

I know I'm damning the company for taking action, but I end up feeling guilty for not having the mental resources to work on my long-term mental health, I'm just getting through day to day right now. I wish they would just acknowledge that getting involved with any programme or initiative might simply be too much right now.