Keep up to date at www.iod.com/westmids and at www.iod.com/east-midlands Covid-19: Employee mental wellbeing ‘The workplace mental health wake-up call of a generation’ Continued from page 31 Yet while businesses may think offering support to their teams such as that available through TERC and BHSF / Vivup may be a costly extra, Tracey points out the huge financial benefits it brings. “Put simply, better mental wellbeing equals better productivity. Businesses that aren’t looking after all aspects of their workforce’s wellbeing are missing a trick.” This might not be the only mistake the pandemic has exposed, either. “I have a lot of worries around how we’re going to reintegrate people back into the office. “Employers will have to devote time to reintegration; it will be a big project. We have received calls from employees who feel aggrieved at the money and time they have spent on commuting to their workplace when their co-workers have remained at home.” “Will people who have been working from home settle in the office again? Will there be clashes between those who have been furloughed, those who worked from home and those who stayed in the office? “Bringing your teams back together might not be easy; even the most united group may not gel after a year apart. TERC offers a mediation service to smooth out differences in your team.” In such situations, good communication is vital. “It’s long been recognised as a key skill of leadership, but communicating well to your people has never been more important than it is today,” she says. “We know people will be worried about the future landscape of the office and their confidence will be fragile. The traditional model of how we work has been blown away, and it will leave some people very anxious. They’ll need careful handling; it’s another area where TERC can help.” But there are other worries to consider. “How are your HR people?” Tracey asks. “One of the things we’ve noticed is just how hard HR teams have been working throughout. In many cases they are at the coalface, dealing with initial staff problems, relocations, IT resources and keeping people settled. They have been under a huge amount of pressure. Are you looking after them?” And there is another group that Tracey feels has been left exposed, too – directors. “We must support our leaders. Most directors and senior managers have been spinning plates like never before; who’s got their back? They have been at the forefront of the crisis, carrying an 38 unprecedented workload. No leave, long hours, always on hand to help their teams, they are building up a lot of stress. They need help, too.” One of TERC’s key offers is help in building resilience and managing stress within leadership. “It’s important we start to do this better,” says Tracey. “Every business should have stress management policies. You need to create a culture of attendance where people go into work feeling well but know that there is support when needed. Companies must go above and beyond what’s expected and invest in their employees’ mental health.” ‘‘ Better mental wellbeing equals better productivity... businesses that aren’t looking after all aspects of their workforce’s health are missing a trick ‘‘ Tracey sees the Covid-19 pandemic as the “wake-up call for our time”. “Covid has highlighted how vulnerable many people are; confidence is at a low ebb and we’ve never needed to support each other more than at present.” So how does Tracey view the recent media furoré around Goldman Sachs’ alleged 95-hour week, after employees complained about the company’s punishing schedules? A weary shake of the head says everything. “You hear stories like that and just sigh. It’s so wrong. It’s unsustainable. You will burn staff out and lose them. No-one can work at that level and keep going indefinitely; in the end, people will crash. “They’ll either be ill, their performance will drop off or they will walk away. Either way, you’ve lost them. And once people start hearing about that kind of culture, you’ll struggle to recruit good people to fill their shoes, too.” It all goes back to that old-fashioned phrase of ‘work-life balance’. “In my training I studied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s a theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, depicted as a pyramid. “From the bottom up, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing); safety (job security); love and belonging needs (friendship); esteem, and self-actualisation. The stuff at the bottom – the base – must be in a place in order for you to become a more rounded, fulfilled person. Working a 95-hour week cannot give anyone the base needs – rest, security, safety – that are required if we’re going to go on and reach our full potential. Cultures like the one at Goldman Sachs can’t win.” If we agree the pandemic taught us something, it was perhaps the time has come to take our foot off the accelerator. “Step back and smell the flowers. Perhaps literally; during lockdowns we had time to go for walks, to reconnect with our families and with nature, and improved our mindfulness. It’s important we keep that spirit as we emerge from Covid-19.” And that philosophy of looking after mental wellbeing has to start at the top. “One of the things I always stress to business leaders is that if they want their employees to acknowledge when things are not going well and they need support, nothing makes that happen more than when those at the top do it themselves. It’s all very well thinking you must stay strong and that weakness isn’t allowed, but that sends a message to your team that that is how they have to behave, too. It’s counterproductive. If directors are seen looking after themselves and their mental wellbeing, it sends a powerful message that everyone should do the same. “Best analogy for this? Think back to the last time you were on an airplane, and the steward demonstrated what happens if the cabin depressurises. “The oxygen masks fall from the panel above. Put yours on; don’t try to help others around you first, including your children. You have to look after yourself first, and only if you are okay, can you look after those around you. “It’s the same with mental wellbeing; look after yours, and it will help you look after your team’s.” WANT TO KNOW MORE? To speak to Tracey about your employees’ mental wellbeing, email her at tracey.paxton@tercltd.co.uk For more on BHSF see www.bhsf.co.uk For more on Vivup see www.vivupbenefits.co.uk www.iod.com/emidlandsevents
www.iod.com/westmids/events 39
Change language