Modeling Wellbeing at Work
What does it take for employees to feel that their company or organization cares about their wellbeing?
When we look at the statistics, it is clear that we have a long way to go: Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report indicates that only 24% of employees strongly agree that their employer cares about their wellbeing.
Companies can show care by stepping up to prioritize employee wellbeing with programs like mental health days, child care or free fitness programs. But employee wellness programs can only go so far.
One important but overlooked component of building a culture of wellbeing is the habits of organizational leaders.
We know that the behaviors of organizational leaders and team supervisors have a substantial impact on the daily experience of their employees. Unless people are experiencing care directly from their leaders, and seeing them put wellbeing values into action, it won’t matter how supportive the company’s offerings and policies are on paper.
Leaders who themselves model wellbeing, for example, by normalizing conversations about mental health, create the ripple effect that lays the foundation for a culture of wellbeing.
Leadership practices, more than any offering provided by a wellness program, can profoundly shift an organizational culture and improve wellbeing outcomes for the employees who work there.
So, how can leaders demonstrate care when it’s not part of their job description and they are feeling busy or approaching burnout themselves?
At True Measure, we focus on small, sustainable practices that have a big impact. Many leaders out there want to learn how to better support their team members’ wellbeing, but feel daunted about adding yet another task to their plate.
Here are 3 easy ways leaders can model wellbeing at work:
1. Notice changes in others – and be curious about them.
Sometimes, the signs that a team member is struggling are loud and clear – we’re just not watching for them. As a leader, part of your job is looking out for team members who are struggling. Some indications are major life changes like moving, or behavior changes like a team member who is usually quite talkative becoming more withdrawn. Asking someone how they are doing can open up a meaningful dialogue. Keep in mind that a team member is more likely to share what’s going on if you already have a friendly rapport. Don’t pry if they’re clearly uncomfortable!
2. Share your own struggles and strategies for managing them.
Open dialogue on a team starts with a leader who is willing to be vulnerable. For many employees, it can be scary to share when we are struggling with our supervisor, for fear of appearing weak or incompetent compared to other team members, uncertainty about how a supervisor will respond, or other negative consequences. Leaders who open up and share about their own struggles modeling wellbeing in two ways. First, leaders who share their struggles help normalize conversations about wellbeing and mental health, a subject that once seemed taboo or too personal to discuss at work. Expectations have shifted, and managers are now expected to notice, care and follow up on team members on personal level. This is a hard change, and it might feel awkward at first, but the payoff is worth it. Second, leaders who discuss the ways that they themselves have managed or overcome their struggles show team members that they’re human, and that it’s ok to seek out help and support when we need it.
3. Make time to connect about life outside of work.
When we get busy, carving out time to connect as people seems much less important. But connecting with your team members often makes it that much more likely that they will seek you out as a resource when they are struggling or approaching burnout. One quick way to connect is to take 5 minutes of your Monday meeting to go around and share something you did over the weekend. You could also have everyone share one gratitude at the beginning of a meeting, or at the end of the week, something you’re looking forward to over the weekend. Remember to lead by example and share something personal! This practice encourages coworkers to actually have a life outside of their jobs – something that is important for everyone.
In 5 minutes or less, what small move can you make today to model wellbeing at work?
