This article was written By Jill Ward, Founder of Sarella James Training Services
We live in a time of digital advancements, where we’re chronically online, so we can be forgiven for thinking that pressing the magic ‘switch off’ button on your work devices can be a very difficult action to take.
When emails continue to arrive and work calls follow you into annual leave, switching off becomes increasingly difficult, affecting both wellbeing and work-life balance.
As a business leader, switching off at the right time needs to be the top priority for you and your team members long-term wellbeing.
The lines between work and home are becoming blurred. You and your team’s stress levels are potentially through the roof, as you are under constant pressure to meet deadlines and provide consistently high levels of customer service delivery.
What if the secret to your long-term sustainable business growth was not just the end of year performance bonus, which is, of course, a fantastic motivator for achieving team targets and boosting team morale, but something more.
As a leader, your workplace wellbeing agendas are continually changing due to things like increasing business costs, AI and digital transformation, and the greater demand for flexible working requests from your staff.
How do you create a wellbeing agenda for your staff that is imbedded into the culture of your organisation in an authentic manner?
Business leaders often organise annual employee wellness days, where registered health care professionals visit the office, daily lunchtime walks, sensory based quiet spaces in an office and annual leave reminders, all of which are a good start.
Creating wellbeing groups (with trained mental health first aiders) also work well, particularly if people are experiencing financial stress due to the cost-of-living crisis, work stress, and work-life balance pressures.
These stresses are very common and addressing them in a confidential and safe manner can help to alleviate some of that pressure. Making all staff aware of your organisations ‘Mental Health First Aiders’ is vital.
Leaders must lead with authentic impact.
Recognising that the signposting in confidence to external mental health services, can give your staff time to offload, and providing confidential financial signposting support to regulated FCA organisations can often make all the difference to your staff.
Having trained staff on your emergency rotas can help those on annual leave feel that they can truly switch off. The handover lists before holidays are paramount and the communication channels across organisational structures or global teams must be clear and inclusive.
If a staff member seems distracted, ‘frazzled’ or appears to be putting on a brave face, this is the time for you as a leader to show your commitment to their wellbeing by having the ‘How’s things?’ conversation, which builds your teams trust and offers up a ‘psychological safety net’.
Lead by putting your employees’ wellbeing at the heart of organisational change.
Create a culture where people feel confident to solve problems, share ideas and speak openly about what’s working and what isn’t, without fear of criticism.
An open and collaborative approach helps organisations respond to change, strengthens trust and supports long-term business success.
Investing in employee wellbeing helps create a healthier, more engaged and productive workforce.
When people feel supported, they are better equipped to manage challenges, contribute new ideas and perform at their best. In turn, this strengthens team culture and supports sustainable business growth.
