This article will outline the basics of a Resilient Wellbeing Strategy that will help as workloads have changed and increased since the pandemic and as we work in a more hybrid way.
After speaking to many HR and business leaders I am only too aware personally that the fallout from the pandemic has left many key performers emotionally exhausted. The McKinsey management reports verify this and the feeling of discombobulation post-pandemic is being reported in the national news. There is no doubt that emotional wellbeing and caring for your team is more important now than ever. How can you do this when there are so many firefighting issues? The key is in the planning and taking a proactive approach to wellbeing, rather than waiting for burnout to strike with key performers. There is clearly an increasing need to consider the longer-term issues around wellbeing which is why I’ve put together this article to outline a Wellbeing Strategy that will help your hard-working teams navigate stressful periods in their personal and professional lives and create a workforce that remains resilient.
HR managers are recognising that most individuals have increased their working hours and are spending even less time on decompressing than before. Therefore, creating a planned and structured Wellbeing Strategy will offer teams annual long term resources which will ease the burden from bottlenecks like wellbeing teams and HR, but also help reduce stress amongst individuals themselves so that they own their wellbeing and feel that they have the skills to not only support themselves but also have the skills to be aware of their impact on others.
An effective Wellbeing Strategy – especially during hybrid working – will ensure that your organisation will stay on track and thrive over the longer term.
What is a Wellbeing Strategy?
A Wellbeing Strategy is an annualised wellbeing programme and support and works as a proactive approach to wellbeing so that your organisations avoid those team members that hide or fail to raise their hand before the mental wellbeing becomes critical and they are forced to take time off work.
It is widely agreed that simply reducing the stigma around mental ill-health is now considered a reactive approach. In the post-pandemic world organisations are looking for individuals to be aware of their own work-life boundaries, create resiliency strategies that will help them so that the ownership – whilst supported by the organisation – is personal and individual to each team member.
Creating a Wellbeing Strategy creates a proactive wellbeing approach which will mean that your organisation will be more prepared for future change.
Team members will be better able to avoid potential mental health issues
The biggest advantage of creating a long term Wellbeing Strategy is that it offers the organisation a deeper, more informed and better internal understanding of your business and more importantly what your business will need to thrive in the future.
Routinely feedback from wellbeing initiatives by using a comprehensive Wellbeing Strategy will mean that real-time reporting will allow wellbeing initiatives to be personalised and adapted to the needs of your teams.
A resilient Wellbeing Strategy includes a programme that shifts the wellbeing load throughout the organisation so that everybody can pull together as working to reduce the burden from a bottleneck in a proactive way.
Who is responsible for Wellbeing?
Who is responsible for Wellbeing?
Creating a wellbeing strategy that has been agreed upon and endorsed by the senior team will mean that the shoulder of responsibility is acknowledged throughout the organisation.
Piecemeal wellbeing initiatives create a reactive response to a problem and often means this piecemeal approach is often then down to the individual or team who agreed to the training to find out if it was relevant and a good ROI for the organisation. A unified planned approach to wellbeing avoids this and creates a wider perspective where everyone is involved in the decision making – through feedback and creating the next steps.
Ultimately piecemeal wellbeing strategy is reactive and often ineffective in dealing with the bigger and longer-term issues that organisations face when dealing with productivity and team engagement.
Creating a Wellbeing Strategy means co-creating a wellbeing programme that covers a range of topics that individuals will be interested in.
Personalising this training to each organisation will further ensure that the wellbeing training is relevant and therefore a good ROI in terms of energy, time and financial expenses for your business.
Creating managers and team leaders that have the skills to have wellbeing conversations will also reduce the burden onto one department or wellbeing team lead.
Coaching conversations are an important consideration not only for management training but also for wellbeing and team engagement
Making these conversations ‘easy to have’ rather than managers and team leaders feeling overwhelmed about what to ask and what will the inexperienced manager need to do. These feelings of ‘not knowing’ creates avoidances, therefore a Wellbeing Strategy and a Coaching Culture means that coaching conversations around wellbeing are commonplace and benefits everyone, creating a place of belonging
Shouldering the wellbeing responsibility throughout the organisation by using coaching enquiry techniques and courageous conversations which as a culture are part and parcel of the annualised wellbeing programme.
SUMMARY: A wellbeing Strategy will create
- Wellbeing Strategy creates organisational wide responsibility and reduces bottlenecks of pressure and overwhelm for wellbeing teams and HR
- Shouldering the wellbeing responsibility throughout the organisation so that team members are aware of their own responsibility to their mental wellbeing.
- Using coaching enquiry techniques and courageous conversations will further improve team engagement and create easier communication for wellbeing conversations.
- Range of Wellbeing Training which is incorporated into the annualised wellbeing programme so that team members have personalised resources that works for them and is part of and is synergistic with the organisations overall purpose and mission.
- Wellbeing and consideration for others creates a coaching style of managment that works through every part of the business from onboarding new team members, team meetings, wellbeing check ins as well as being created from top down from the leaders of the organsation.
Why does your organisation need a Wellbeing Strategy?
The statistics offer some startling insights:
- 51% of managers have admitted to burnout over the last few months, as a consequence of adding in more hours into their day as a direct result of hybrid working.
- Coordinating work and firefighting is consuming 60% of the day, meaning that meaningful work sits on the sidelines.
- These stats are showing that managers are burning out in higher numbers – 75% and it is likely to get worse, with the majority of managers not planning to take the necessary time off to decompress
- 80% of employers are concerned about the drop in productivity and concerns over future business success.
- 2022 Pew Research Survey discovered that the lack of opportunities for advancement and feeling disrespected by leadership are among the top reasons why so many quit their jobs in the Great Resignation
- January 2022 MIT Sloan Management Review reported that toxic organisational culture due to poor leadership is the biggest factor for the turnover of staff during the Great Resignation.
The first steps in a Wellbeing Strategy
What are the first steps in putting a Wellbeing Strategy together?
As outlined above a Wellbeing Strategy is a proactive approach that creates sustainable change as well creating a culture of autonomy and respect amongst teams which is required working in the hybrid model.
Wellbeing strategy also addresses the issues raised in the Great Resignation with more individuals feeling supported and cared for rather than told what to do and by when. This command and control style of management is outdated, lacks compassion and creates a culture of resentment, distrust and means that key performers leave to find organisations that do support and nuture them.
If you are interested in developing a workable strategy, I’ve outlined a straightforward key resilience Wellbeing Strategy that I’ve been using with organisations to develop key performer’s skills, here is the post link: What you need to know about Resilience Strategy click here
The Guide outlines a simple resilience Wellbeing Strategy framework (with graphics to keep it transparent) that I’ve been using with the companies during hybrid working to create resilient strategies that support key managers so they can support their teams to reduce stress & bolster the foundations for organisational growth.
With my help, these organisations are stepping back from firefighting, and together we are building a resilient platform to support managers during this crisis that benefits the entire organisation.
Creating a Wellbeing Strategy that will support and retain staff is essential – if you are looking for a simple Guide on how to create your organisations’ Wellbeing Strategy then this will be the perfect place to start click here and download your free Wellbeing Strategy Guide
Creating Resilient Managers with Wellbeing Strategy
Workplace Wellbeing Coaching creates resilient managers
Pre-pandemic coaching was mainly for the executive team, whilst this is still true. There is also a recognised need for a workplace coaching culture to be evident in all workplace conversations.
Employees are recognising the value of having wellbeing coaching conversations in workplace situations rather than being directed to do what has been done in the past. Workplace coaching works throughout the organisation, at every level and supports everyone.
Wellbeing and coaching work together.
Wellbeing coaching training is about developing the skills of teams and individuals to improve the teams’ future performance. Bringing the team together so that all team members are recognised for the value that they bring to the success of both the team as well as your organisation.
Recognition works well in creating empowerment and creates workable solutions for the individual and develops the Wellbeing Coaching Culture.
Wellbeing strategy that simply reduces stigma around wellbeing is a reactive approach.
If you are looking for a simple Wellbeing Strategy Guide that will clearly outline how you can create your organisations’ Wellbeing Strategy then this will be the perfect place to start click here and download your free Wellbeing Strategy Guide
Download Whitepaper A Coaching Approach To Management In The Financial Profession
For example, an accredited coach will stimulate feelings of empowerment within the team so that they are able to find solutions to difficult work problems, customer service interactions, delivery issues, or technical problems. The team will have the resources and be equipped with tools to find positive solutions to these difficult problems.
Next steps
To support organisations with hybrid performance issues and boost productivity contact Adele for wellbeing training and coaching sessions for team leaders and employees. Coaching that use a structured approach towards clear objectives, personal growth and moving forward.
“Adele is a great trainer to work with. She has taken the time to get to know our law firm and our training needs and designed a training workshop specifically for us and our needs.”
Jo Shephard HR Advisor at Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
“Adele’s coaching was very valuable and well-timed during COVID lockdown, working from home.”
Lee Jennings Pension Planning at Openworks
“The most valuable feature of Adele’s resilience training was understanding the benefit of communication between colleagues and understanding our own attributes and understanding our colleagues’ interests outside of work to help work effectively as a team. It also encouraged us to reflect on how often we thank colleagues and to practise gratitude on a regular basis. If you’re on the fence about working with Adele I’d say do it, she is a great communicator, empathiser and understands the troubles that people may face. Her wealth of knowledge and understanding is abundantly clear.”
“Adele recently did some training on mental resilience for Saunderson House and it was slick and inciteful, whilst also being extremely helpful. I was particularly impressed that she took the time to follow up immediately on some feedback that I had given with an invite to a personal discussion, which was also very useful. Not only does Adele clearly ‘know her stuff’ but she also cares and is very authentic. I would be very happy to recommend her services.”
Chris Noble Director at Saunderson House Ltd
If your organisation is looking to incorporate a Wellbeing Strategy that has a coaching programme at the heart and you would like to investigate the opportunities that Wellbeing coaching can offer please email me to discuss your organisational requirements or book an appointment straight in my diary
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