Workplace Wellbeing

With over 28 million people in work in England, it is estimated nearly 5 million people in this group struggles with mental ill health including depression, anxiety or issues relating to stress. The first point of contact for employees to obtain the support they need from their companies should be their managers. Hence, it is important to place in these positions smart leaders equipped with the resources and knowledge to best improve workplace response to mental health issues.

Managers play a significant role as they are responsible for supervising systems and leading employees to drive the success of their companies. There is no algorithm for a successful relationship between people, for the development of wellbeing in the workplace, leaders need to set the tone of an organisation and communicate to employees about acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour that enables teams to thrive.

By training leaders to deal with issues of mental health in the workplace, companies are also providing them with the tools to build teams of happy, efficient employees that will not just survive or meet a quota or output level—but will thrive in their industry. Managers must adopt a culture of wellbeing to ensure employees get the support they need and execute the best strategies to meet the needs of their employees enabling them to fulfil their jobs without having to compromise their mental health in the process.

3 Ways to increase productivity & build thriving teams

Therefore, it is in the interest of businesses to take note of the following 3 key elements of their workplace environment:

1. Passion –the key to understanding why you do what you do in order to align the role with your values. Recognising the passions of your team will become a source of motivation for your employees, driving them to do their work for a greater satisfaction. This always goes beyond money or any perks offered
2. Proclivities–this key is meant to help leaders recognise the natural inclinations of current and potential employees to build strength-based teams around shared goals and skills. This allows for the creation of teams that thrive and makes it straightforward when hiring new staff since leaders focus on selecting people to compliment their team
3. Productivity–when doing a job one finds fulfilling the temptation to work 24/7 can take over. Often this becomes a bad habit without employees noticing it. Rest is important and something leaders should encourage, just as they should discourage presenteeism in the workplace, which has been known to cut individual productivity by at least one-third. This is how managers can expect to tap into achievements that surpass initial goals for production and encourage their employees to strive for innovation and more ambitious pursuits within their industry.

In the end, by supplying managers with methods of supporting employees’ mental health in the workplaces, businesses can achieve the rise of productivity, reduce the number of sickness absences, and eliminate some of the obstacles holding employees back from achieving higher levels of innovation and happiness at work. Therefore, the benefits of training managers and business leaders to take on the challenge of developing workplace wellbeing becomes indispensable in guaranteeing employees’ health and consequently the rise of productivity.