The practical guide to managing employee wellbeing

The ‘great resignation’. ‘Quiet quitting’. These terms have quickly become mainstream in recent years, as businesses deal with the fallout of the swift workplace changes that have occurred since the beginning of the pandemic. 

While it’s easy to blame increased staff turnover down on the ongoing skills shortage, this is not necessarily the case. For many companies, high turnover combined with increased employee disengagement and lower productivity, could be signs that there are problems with employee wellbeing. But finding the root cause is not always a straightforward process. 

We must remember that a lot of factors impact employee wellbeing, many of which are not overtly visible. Some issues, especially behavioural ones, may be so ingrained within the organisation’s work culture that they almost go unnoticed.  

Such invisible issues can include:  

• negative managerial style 
• Blame-culture and adversarial team relationships 
• office politics and toxic culture leading to poor morale 
• Nepotism, favouritism or obscure/poorly defined performance criteria 
• workplace bullying or sexual harassment 
• burnout from under-resourcing 
• lack of tangible rewards and growth opportunities 
• lack of autonomy 

These are serious challenges that can derail even the best performers and teams. And with opportunities around every corner, your top talent will not hesitate to jump ship if these issues are not addressed. In fact, research from Swinburne university showed that more than 90 per cent of workers now say their physical and mental wellbeing is just as important as their pay – and that’s during a cost-of-living crisis. 

What can organisations do to manage employee wellbeing effectively? While changing organisational culture can take time, there are specific actions HR leaders and executives can take to minimise the biggest threats to employee wellbeing.

1. Don’t wait for the exit interview to flag issues

Once employees have made the decision to leave, they are more likely to be honest about the reasons why. While exit interviews are a great way to find out where issues lie within your organisation, it’s a ‘horse already bolted’ scenario. 

Instead, ask yourself why you are only finding out about these issues now. The psychological safety of your workplace may be one reason as to why. When people feel safe to speak-up and share concerns or ideas without the fear of repercussions from their leadership, you’re already ahead of the game in providing a workplace that’s good for employee wellbeing. Promoting this kind of risk-free openness between leaders and their team creates what are known as ‘fearless organisations’ which have been shown to be higher performers and innovators. This openness is even more important as hybrid environments have increased since the onset of the pandemic.

2. Recognise and acknowledge burnout

Burnout is now so common it’s recognised by the World Health Organisation for the serious consequences it has on people’s physical and mental health. This is particularly common for employees in high-pressure jobs who have little control over their workdays. 

Ignoring the signs of burnout is not only bad for your employee’s wellbeing, but also for your business. Burnt out employees bring rising resentment into the workplace each day and often actively encourage their colleagues to join them in leaving their jobs, creating a toxic environment. 

HR and managers should learn to spot the signs of burnout, including emotional and physical exhaustion, increased isolation, particularly in remote and hybrid environments, hypersensitivity and increased absenteeism.  

Show good faith in having an open and candid discussion to try and identify problem areas and actively find solutions. Create roles with more fluidity and autonomy, and work to prevent micromanagement. 

Remove the stigma of leaving work on time and encourage people to leave when the workday is done so they can spend time with family and friends.

3. Say goodbye to hustle culture and hello to work/life balance

While being a workaholic may have been a badge of honour prior to the pandemic, the flexibility of remote working has reignited a desire by employees to seek a greater work/life balance. 

People have been making trade-offs for years between family and work. Do I stay at work and miss school sports day or take a family member to the doctor’s? Whichever choice they make, people feel they are either letting down their work team or their family. It’s a no-win situation which creates frustration and stress. 

Businesses need to find ways to accommodate family and other personal commitments to give employees the flexibility they need. If they have a happy home life, they’ll be a greater asset at work. 

This can be challenging in a work culture that prizes and rewards ‘presenteeism’, or the appearance of working long hours over actual performance, which hurts hybrid and remote workers the most. The antidote to this is to focus on performance and output, regardless of actual time spent at the desk.

4. Trust your people 

Fairness is a key component of trust. If an employee feels they work in a fair workplace then they are going to be less stressed and more satisfied and committed to your business. That means management needs to trust them to do their jobs without constant micromanagement or supervision. That also means management needs to be transparent about their expectations, goalposts and criteria for success for their workers. 

This translates into feeling that they are on a level playing field that is evident in fair pay, equal opportunities, and promotions with a lack of favouritism. 

5. Be sensitive to concerns about diversity and inclusion

When employees experience workplace misconduct, such as bullying or sexual harassment, they are often reluctant to report the issue because they feel it won’t be handled fairly, or that it will put a ‘black mark’ next to their name. It’s an extremely distressing and stressful situation for everyone concerned. So, it’s essential that HR and management handle the report with a thoughtful and authentic response. 

Promoting your diversity and inclusion policies and training is one thing. But how reports of this nature are handled can have an enormous impact on all employees, and how they perceive the values of the company they work for.

6. De-stigmatise mental health 

Even before the pandemic, many companies were realising the value of placing a greater priority on the mental health of employees. 

While we’ve discussed some of the wellbeing concerns arising from the workplace, it’s often the stresses and strains employees are suffering outside of work that can be the issue. Whether it’s caregiving or financial struggles, the stress and anxiety caused by problems at home can be exacerbated at work. 

Compounding this issue is the stigma around mental health issues. Employees often don’t feel safe disclosing issues to their employers as they fear repercussions, and that it could be held against them in future opportunities making colleagues less likely to be open about mental health concerns. 

When people do come forward, businesses need to show that they will handle these issues with empathy, flexibility and openness. It also needs to be clear that any discrimination in the workplace will not be tolerated.

Employee wellbeing is business wellbeing 

Increasingly, people are choosing to work with employers that not only offer the salary and promotion opportunities they’re looking for but also represent a culture that ensures their psychological and physical wellbeing. When employees feel that their employers genuinely care about them, and ‘genuinely’ is a key word here, they’re more engaged, more likely to stay and more likely to recommend your business to others.  

There is no doubt that businesses that take their employees’ wellbeing seriously will reap the benefits. It’s an opportunity to promote awareness amongst its leadership and create an environment of openness, transparency and fairness that shows that your business’ values and policies are more than lip service. Being aware of what can negatively impact employee wellbeing promotes wellbeing for everyone, at all levels.