Guest article by Pip Simmons
Even before Covid-19, experts knew we had a stress pandemic on our hands. The workplace in particular presents a huge range of potential stressors to employees. From pressure to perform, to the management of many different relationships that exist in workplaces; peers, bosses, direct reports, clients and their whānau, and other key stakeholders.
Where workplaces used to be highly structured and predictable, they are now constantly changing. Most organisations regularly go through change – new team members, new IT platforms, restructures, mergers, acquisitions, the list goes on. Add to this the continued burden of Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and possible recessionary times, it is little wonder that as many of 66% of us will be demonstrating signs of stress, anxiety or depression at any given time. That is up from 24% in 2019.
Certainly in my experience working with SME businesses across a range of industries, from manufacturing to professional services, the sense of overwhelm for our people is real at every level within an organisation, and it can’t be ignored.
So, what can you do?
With unemployment at just 3.2%, leading business owners recognise the value ensuring a positive and personalised employee experience. As well as the ordinary – clear expectations and goals, opportunities for personal growth, recognition and praise, communication, connection to purpose, flexibility and strong leadership – the recent Hays Salary Guide 2022-2023 tells us that 54% of team members are now actively drawn to organisations that offer mental and physical health and wellbeing programmes.
There are many frameworks you can use for creating a well workplace, including the Mental Health Foundation’s Five Ways to Wellbeing which encourage brainstorming practical actions you can build into your workplace under the five key areas: Connect (talk and listen), keep learning (embrace new experiences), give (give your time, your words, your presence), be active (do what you can), and Take Notice (remember the simple things that give you joy). Some simple ideas for adopting this in your workplace could be -
Connect – Create space for your team to come together socially, both within and outside work hours. Remember that 73% of Kiwis feel a sense of isolation through remote working, so while flexibility has its place, remember to dial your team members in to meetings or learning moments.
Keep learning – Design a clear learning and career pathway for your business and support your people to drive their continued personal development. Provide training in life skills, not just technical job-related skills. Communication, self-awareness, empathy, problem solving and critical thinking.
Give – Sign your team up to sponsor something; a guide dog, perhaps, or adopt a bee (yes that’s a thing), participate in Gumboot Friday, or volunteer at a local charity or community event for a day. This is a great way to come together as a team, and give back to others through something like tree planting.
Be Active – Encourage ‘walking meetings’. Easier said than done in winter, but this gives you a chance to soak up some natural light and vitamin D as you walk and talk. Join Steptember as a team, run or walk the Corporate Challenge together, or get behind the upcoming Football World Cup and start some indoor football challenges.
Take Notice – Celebrate the wins within your team (both personal and professional). Give someone a handwritten ‘thank you’ note, talk even more about what’s going well, and if you sense something’s up, lean into a wellbeing conversation with your people.
Four top tips for embedding a wellbeing culture in your workplace
- Talk to your people. Understand what wellbeing means to them, as it is different for everyone
- Be realistic in what you can offer, and educate and support your people to take ownership of their own personal wellbeing
- Design workplace wellbeing initiatives that are simple, meaningful and memorable. Where you can, build them into your existing workplace rituals (team meetings, coaching conversations)
- Appoint Wellbeing Champions within your team so it doesn’t all fall on your shoulders as the owner or director. And remember, wellbeing is vital for everyone, so get involved and have some fun alongside your team!
Pip Simmons is an HR consultant at Bona Fide Consulting, based here in Christchurch. She specialises in team culture & wellbeing, organisational development, DiSC profiling & team workshops, and recruitment. She is also available to assist business owners with HR issues such as performance management, disputes and disciplinaries.
If you’d like to learn more about how Pip could help your business, give her a call on 021 474 736 or email pip@bonafideconsulting.co.nz
