When the pandemic first hit the priority for most businesses was putting robust plans and systems in place to support remote working. With working from home now pretty much the norm, we thought it would be useful to gain some insights into what longer term strategies organisations should be putting in place to support employees and line managers with their mental health and overall wellbeing.
We spoke to Mike Thompson – who runs a wellbeing company that advises organisations around wellbeing and engagement. Additionally we spoke to two senior HR professionals, Anna Lees, Head of Engagement & Growth at Refinitiv and Jonathan Mayes, Head of HR for Technology, Operations & Central Functions and Head of ER at TSB Bank to gain some insight into what their organisations have embedded to support their employees.
Mike Thompson is former head of Early Careers at Barclays and now runs wellbeing company Gen Healthy Minds. His passion is the wellbeing of young people progressing through their early careers and his business provides training and support tools for both graduates and apprentices to help them thrive on their programmes.
Over the past 9 months we have all been through a real rollercoaster ride of emotions as everyone’s lives have been turned upside down by the arrival of COVID-19. Whilst all workers have been impacted, one group have been hit particularly hard and that is young people, including apprentices and graduates making their way in their careers.
The expected journey from education into the workplace evaporated overnight, to be replaced by virtual inductions from a bedroom or living room, meeting your line manager via a Teams call and never stepping foot in an office or factory environment.
Dealing with the change brought about by COVID-19 has been hard for all of us but for apprentices and graduates it has felt particularly hard and living in the new world is having an impact on their wellbeing and performance. The team at Gen Healthy Minds work with groups of new apprentices’ day in and day out to equip them to stay well and thrive. On our workshops two common themes come through consistently.
These two challenges are often interlinked with heightened stress levels impacting upon our emotional state and making it harder for us to concentrate and maintain motivation levels.
At Gen Healthy Minds we focus on positive psychology. The essence of positive psychology is that we can all lead happier healthier lives by adopting simple positive daily behaviours.
These behaviours are all grounded in research and are shown to lift our mood. We have been working with apprentices and graduates to put in place some simple positive psychology behaviours. Here are 6 of the behaviours we recommend everyone should consider as they think about their wellbeing and motivation.
Whether you employ 5 people or 5000 the questions you should be asking yourself are the same:
In our new COVID-19 impacted world we are seeing increased levels of mental ill-health because of the extra stress and anxiety people are facing. If companies do not address this and put in place proactive practices then, at best, they will see productivity fall and at worst a growth in sickness and long-term absence from work.
Employers who neglect to look after the wellbeing of their colleagues are also more likely to see lower employee engagement and higher attrition levels. The opposite is the case where employers genuinely care for their colleagues and put in place proactive support strategies. Here we see higher engagement levels, productivity and loyalty.
Communication is key. It is vital to stay in touch with colleagues and check in regularly on how they are feeling. You can do this in numerous ways through buddy systems, short surveys, line manager 1-1s etc but the most important thing is to keep checking in. This is particularly important given how we can no longer see each other in an office environment. Look out for individuals who are living alone in particular where the risk of isolation and loneliness is far greater.
Technology can also support your measurement. Online surveys or apps can be used very effectively to reach colleagues and check-in on them. Our Gen Healthy Minds app provides wellbeing training and support but also asks individuals how they are feeling each time they log in thus building a picture for the employer of the wellbeing of their workforce.
It has always been important to focus on positive mental health but in the current environment it has moved up to number one priority in my opinion. As HR and Early Careers Professionals we can no longer sit back and hope our occupational health colleagues or providers can support us. We must take the bull by the horns and build wellbeing into the heart of the programmes we run.
Mike Thompson
Managing Partner - Gen Healthy Minds and former Head of Early Careers at Barclays
mike@genhealthyminds.co.uk
www.genhealthyminds.co.uk