I'm not convinced a workplace focus on welbeing is a good thing

[Backhills]

Over the last couple of years, we've really tried to do a lot of work on staff wellbeing. There has been MH training, voluntrary wellbeing events, both social and creative, lots of encouragement to talk, stress surveys and action plans, exercise sessions, group coaching sessions, an employee support package, supported flexible working.

It just seems to have given everyone "permission" to have MH issues and to offload on colleagues. Sickness absence has gone through the roof and it's absolutely draining for the people having their colleagues' issues dumped on them. I tried to find a better word, but that's how it feels. People want to dump all their issues on someone else, both work related and personal.

Is this a common experience or are we getting it horribly wrong?

I think the issue is more that none of that shit actually does anything to improve wellbeing. If your staff are all going off sick with MH issues, there’s something else wrong with your working conditions.

@MiddleParking

I think the issue is more that none of that shit actually does anything to improve wellbeing. If your staff are all going off sick with MH issues, there’s something else wrong with your working conditions.

Well yes, this is the concern but (as far as we are told) it's often not work related. For example people will be signed off for months after a bereavement or separation. We try to support and always offer some compassionate leave, flexibilityand a phased return if it's needed, but it's like it just gives them permission to need more.

If their GP is signing them off then that’s none of your business - they are obviously not fit to work. GPS do not - on the whole - sign people off for months for no good reason.

When you say offloading on colleagues - what do you mean?

How are you managing your sickness absences?

Offloading - expecting colleagues and line managers to be there for lengthy chats about personal issues

Of course if the GP has signed them off, they're off sick, but it didn't happen anywhere near as much until we started this focus on wellbeing.

Absence is managed in line with the policy, OH as appropriate.

I have to say I also hate some of the wellbeing stuff at work. It’s horrendous if you are dealing with any shit as it just feels so hollow and hypocritical. I’d rather the effort went into real improvements such as employee assistance programmes, 1:1 coaching (confidential), properly independent staff surveys (that don’t just result in announcements a few weeks later that it’s a great place to work). However I see you object to some of those as well!

What’s wrong with flexible working?

(Although I do get ticked off when people are employed to work 3 days a week when the role needs to be covered full time - but properly considered arrangements shouldn’t cause this kind of stress).

There's nothing wrong with flexible working. I don't object to any of it. I just don't think it's working to actually improve wellbeing.

I’ve seen a similar thing happening in the workplace (although I’m currently at home). It is also part of “being authentic” and “bringing your whole self to work”, ie allowing people self expression and not expecting everyone to fit a mould of an idealised perfect employee.

Broadly I think it is a good thing, but I agree that people with MH issues can be incredibly unreasonable. Certain MH conditions can cause people to become very self-obsessed and selfish, and this often translates badly when an employer says , “don’t worry, we will support you through this.” Younger employees in particular seem to now feel entitled to be off sick with MH issues very frequently, and then despite missing months of work get upset when they don’t get bonuses and promotions - you can’t promote someone who hasn’t been there getting the experience to move up!

Like any progressive move, there are some people who exploit the situation. Same as there is a minority of people who exploit the benefits system. I don’t want to get rid of benefits, and I don’t want employers to go back to telling people to leave their problems at the door.

But yes, I’d like to tone down the constant barrage of well-being initiatives. Sometimes it is really nice to just come to work and be with a group of people who are focused on something productive and outside whatever is going on in your real life. You can set aside your problems, out your professional hat on, and get on with your work.

In fact, it's more than it's not working, it seems to be having a detrimental effect.

Trouble is mental health issues are very common with moderm life and especially after the pandemic. Something needs to change.

I think it has just been a really awful time. I have been in my role for 15 years and the stories coming through have been really sad this year, much more than previous years. Maybe previously you had a couple of people a year but now you have many people in difficult situations. I guess all you can do is see if it calms down over the next year or two.

Maybe consider putting some of the money/effort into outsourcing to someone trained in counselling. If say you are in HR you might be able to point people towards an employee assistance programme. 'Gosh yes it does sound really difficult at the moment- perhaps you can help us we are trialling an employee assistance programme, could you contact them and maybe give some feedback as to whether it is useful?' It sounds as if your role has gone beyond that which it was originally designed to be.

It is a different world for a lot of people whose employers don't give a flying shit.
There has to be middle ground.

Offloading - then managers and colleagues need to cut short the conversation and direct the person to further sources of help. Endless chats impact performance and your colleagues and managers are not trained to deal with MH issues, nor are they your friends.

GPs signing them off - you can do nothing about that and rightly so.

Sickness absence - if you’re dealing with them through OH then again there’s nothing you can do.

Are there other wider issues at play in the organisation that could be causing the jump in absence?

Yes I think it’s a bit about that and that some people are just not resilient. Do you have occupational health in your company and look at specifics and trends if you feel there’s a particular problem.
I don’t know what industry you’re in and maybe look at other organisations and benchmark yourself against them?

Offloading - then managers and colleagues need to cut short the conversation and direct the person to further sources of help. Endless chats impact performance and your colleagues and managers are not trained to deal with MH issues, nor are they your friends.

I agree but in a culture where supporting each other's MH is encouraged, that's not what happens.

Every well-being initiative I’ve encountered in the workplace has resulted in people being angry and miserable, largely because of the condescending nature of the “training” and activities and the distraction from just, well, getting on with the job.

I agree that people seem to take it as 'permission' to take time off. I know a few people who've claimed they're taking 'mental health days' then calling in sick - but isn't that what annual leave is for? To take time away from work and recuperate?

Of course, if you're genuinely struggling or unwell and a doctor signs you off, that's different, but other than that taking random days off just puts unfair pressure onto everyone else and it's a constant cycle of more and more people going off sick.

@MaMelon

If their GP is signing them off then that’s none of your business - they are obviously not fit to work. GPS do not - on the whole - sign people off for months for no good reason.

When you say offloading on colleagues - what do you mean?

How are you managing your sickness absences?

How can you say the absence is none of the employer's business at the same time as suggesting absence isn't being managed correctly? Which one is it?

In my experience large organisations who do Wellbeing weeks are papering over the cracks of employee stress and ill health due to working practices and work conditions. It sounds like your organisation's focus on wellbeing has opened a window for people to actually be able to ask for the things they need, or have needed for some time.

@custardycreams Broadly I think it is a good thing, but I agree that people with MH issues can be incredibly unreasonable. Certain MH conditions can cause people to become very self-obsessed and selfish

It is attitudes like yours that meant I continued working as a nurse despite having crippling anxiety, depression and OCD for literally years until I cracked under the strain of it. So thanks for that.

It’s not bad per se to focus on wellbeing, but it’s often done dreadfully

If organisations look at ensuring people have the right equipment and resources to do their job, they are communicated to well, they have some autonomy over their work schedule (not full!), they don’t have shit bullying bosses, they have opportunity to collaborate (and god forbid a bit of fun), they are paid well and fairly, and the work they do has some challenge (and therefore some satisfaction).....people will be well!

The whole yoga at lunchtime crap is just box ticking insults when the actual work environment is full of stressors

It’s twofold I think.

Firstly, you are correct that all this well-being stuff just seems to encourage an unhealthy amount of navel gazing. People who would have just ‘got on with it and got over it’ are encouraged to wallow, nay marinade, in each and every little negative feeling they may have.

But I don’t think there is smoke without fire. There clearly is something wrong with their MH to start with, the well being stuff just forced it to the surface.

I think the majority of people have had their fair share of trauma and mental scars, and the mental health care provision (I’d say in this country, but in most countries) is poor and would require a lot of money to actually sort.

So we get this very cheap ‘wellness’ bollocks which does nothing but exacerbate problems we aren’t willing to pay to really fix.

How can you say the absence is none of the employer's business at the same time as suggesting absence isn't being managed correctly? Which one is it?

I didn’t suggest that at all.

If a GP has signed someone off then there is nothing you can do to overrule that obviously.

However, you can still manage absence. What are you doing to manage short term absence? What is your OH team doing to support them through their long term absence?

I think you have missed a massive variable in your attempt to correlate the introduction of well being services and a big rise in MH related work absence in the last couple of years ( clue is in the word pandemic) . I am not sure you can confidently say that a big rise in MH issues in the last two year is only ( or even mostly) to do with the increased focus on wellbeing in your company

However even given that , you may have a point in that when something is focussed on, I gives people permission to admit something they might not have in the past.

I. am not sure of the solution but covering up or ignoring MH difficulties can't be the answer.

I'd say our workplace is really big on wellbeing, and the wellbeing team are hugely vocal but do also provide a lot of outside counselling helplines paid by the company etc. We've been in a hugely pressured environment over the last 18 months, as the industry have had to create entirely new processes, a lot of regulatory and governmental interference, media criticism and (the icing on the cake) our particular organisation is also going through a merger at the same time. People haven't been taking holiday, are working ridiculous hours and weekends but weirdly, we have had a reduction in sickness. I know our leaders are really worried about wellbeing of staff but equally they can't reduce workload - it is out of their hands as it is dictated by external forces. The wellbeing team have switched to jamming the importance of resilience and helping yourself down our throats, which I think is pretty daft as the things they are advising us to change to reduce stress are all the things entirely out of our control and imo make people feel blame for the position they find themselves in.

I agree but in a culture where supporting each other's MH is encouraged, that's not what happens

In which case you need to deal with that too.

I agree with others - it sounds like there are other issues going on which are forcing staff down the sickness route. Unless you’re genuinely saying that the majority of your staff who go off sick are workshy shirkers?