Thank you to guest blogger, Dr James Briscoe, for providing his expert perspective on the topic of mental health at work. Read his articles here. While I don’t have James’ medical training and knowledge, I do have extensive experience of this important issue, as both a manager and trainer.
My pragmatic and practical approach to addressing the challenge of wellbeing at work, supported by research and my own personal experience, is based on the fact that work related stress and poor engagement are inextricably linked. So much so that Gallup research shows that teams who score in the top 20% in engagement see a 41% reduction in absenteeism, and a 59% reduction in staff turnover.
Engaged: When a person is personally satisfied the organisation they work for, and their role within it. They feel aligned with company objectives, and the company is aligned with their needs.
There isn’t a single solution, but it is far more likely that your people will be engaged if you meet these three fundamental needs:
1. Why are we here?
It’s okay, you don’t need to address anyone’s existential angst. Thankfully, organisational goal setting is a lot easier to achieve – and it’s an absolute imperative. Involve all your people, as early as possible, in Strategy Mapping and defining your scope and goals. Provide objectives, not solutions or directives, to give your team ownership of their work.
If you want to gain buy-in from your people, they need to come up with solutions themselves. Leaders who are more used to adopting a coercive or authoritarian approach can benefit from Leadership Coaching to help them adapt to a more democratic and affiliative style.
2. How does what I do contribute?
Every individual in your business should understand how their role fits into, and contributes to, the bigger picture. Effective feedback, monitoring and measuring at all levels will build on the work you have already done with Strategy Mapping and organisational goal setting.
Balanced Scorecards are an invaluable tool, helping you to break down shared goals into individual targets. What’s more, they prepare you for change by looking backward at what is or isn’t working, at the same time as looking forward to envisage tomorrow’s challenges and performance. By conducting Effective Appraisals centred on Balanced Scorecards you will be able to recognise and reward team members in a way that is individually meaningful and motivating. This really makes a difference – a massive 79% of workers cite ‘lack of appreciation’ as the number one driver behind the decision to move jobs, according to MDA research.
3. Am I aligned with my role?
Try to avoid putting square pegs in round holes. If you fully understand every member of your team, you will be in a position to allocate tasks or place people in the roles they are best suited to. As well as provide training in areas where they – and the business – need it most. There are tools to help with this. Behaviour and personality profiling will increase your understanding of different personality types, how they work and interrelate with different colleagues. A SWOT analysis looks at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Your people need to know that you understand their individual needs and personal situation. Everyone’s opinion needs to be heard and valued without prejudice, whether they are challenging or reinforcing the status quo. This will only work if your vision and values are authentic. The impact on engagement will be negative if your actions don’t match the statements on your website and in your annual report.
Valued & trusted
If you are able to meet these fundamental needs, your employees will feel engaged in the business – with lower levels of stress and higher productivity. An investment in training shows your people that they are valued and trusted, and upskills teams in tools such as Strategy Mapping and Balanced Scorecards that will support your business to succeed and grow. Integrity and authenticity are key.
I’ll be sharing some more tips about how leaders and managers can upskill to cope with change, increase engagement and reduce stress in my next blog.