Firms need to go further than the idea that ‘staff are our most valuable asset’ to ‘staff ARE the organisation’. When the individual staff member is ill or under-performing, the organisation is ill too. This can result in:
- Lower productivity
- Increased absence
- Pressure on colleagues
From this perspective, when one person is under-performing, or not at work due to sick absence, the whole business suffers.
If we want to address the issues of sick absence and under-performance, we need to start with the individual. If the individual is psychologically well, free from stress etc, they’re more likely to be engaged. Conversely if they’re more engaged, they’re more likely to be psychologically well (as work is fulfilling, meaningful, they’re motivated). Equally we need staff who have skills and attributes such as: resilience; confidence; optimism; being flexible and being able to deal with change and uncertainty.
Ask yourself: How good are our people in these areas?
If we have staff with these skills and attributes, they are more likely to perform well and be able to deal with the challenges work and life brings. Most importantly, as indicated above, these characteristics will apply to the organisation as well, and if our people ARE the organisation, we can have a business that is resilient and not resistant to change.
Promoting wellbeing/Addressing workplace hazards
What can the organisation can do to foster an environment that promotes wellbeing and those skills mentioned above?
An industry-standard model that is evidence-based is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards approach. These are the 6 ‘wellbeing indicators’ that we can use for free - again at the individual level or organisational level – to ensure that, as far as is possible, we are encouraging the environment described above.
We are at the same time minimising the chances of one or more of these workplace hazards creating a problem for us. These indicators can be used on an ‘informal basis’, one to one with a member of staff, no matter what the size or nature of the organisation, or incorporate them fully into the way your organisation operates and functions. As an example of how we can use them have a conversation with your staff member around:
- the Demands they’re under work-wise (too much, too little, any problems with equipment/environment-wise?
- the Control they have over their work (do they need more/less flexibility?)
- the Support they get at times of need from you the manager/the organisation/colleagues
- the Relationships they have at work, what they’re like and whether there are any issues
- the Role they perform, how clear-cut it is and whether it’s a good ‘fit’ with others’
- how they’re coping with Change and how we can support them with it
We’ve put together some manager questions for the above - please drop me a line if you’d like a copy. The HSE have a wealth of info, advice and resources on this at www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards.
More details and further resources on promoting wellbeing and resilience and preventing and managing stress can be found at www.stressmanagementplus.com. Please get in touch with Marc Kirby at Stress Management Plus on 0118 9721820 if you have any questions or need support or advice.
