I was recently asked to support a manager who wanted to be sure his team members were doing all they could to get through the winter months in good shape.
It was interesting because in this organisation, as in so many others, wellbeing has jumped right up the agenda - rightly so as it’s an important topic. It’s particularly important to understand how much of an impact a poor wellbeing routine has on overall mental health and resilience, especially when organisations and people are facing big changes – and that’s pretty much every person in every organisation right now.
Image: Filip Bunkens, unsplash
However, there’s a danger that wellbeing can become a tick-box exercise and that ‘wellbeing washing’ can be a way of acknowledging the problem without solving it. I’ve worked with leaders of organisations (big and smaller) who have put in place wellbeing programmes, with education sessions, employee assistance programmes (EAP), mental health first aiders and a host of other initiatives. Brilliant stuff.
But on the other hand, managers and leaders tell me that they’re concerned that people don’t have time to join in with lunchtime webinars or go for a walk. Employees don’t want to call the EAP service as they’re not sure it’s completely confidential (hands up, that was me when I worked in-house).
I feel that one of the challenges is going to come in the gap between structured organisation wellbeing programmes and people’s own wellbeing routines. How do managers and leaders plug the gap between a job that can be really demanding – and will become even more so in the next couple of years – and how do they encourage their people to look after themselves?
One of the areas a leader can start considering is how team members support each other. When we work in teams – even remotely – we can get a feel when things are just not quite right for someone. How leaders encourage and enable team members to respond to that and support each other can make a big difference and it’s often a case of walking the talk and really leading by example.
When I’m coaching a leader through this process, I often use five small steps, like these, as an example:
Nature – people generally feel better when they’ve been closer to nature.
Leaders can organise walking and talking meetings and do them – even if it’s raining. As the Finns say, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing. If for any reason someone in the team can’t get outside, encourage them to take an interest in indoor plants. Every little helps.Pause – encourage people to let go and take a few minutes to themselves, free of activity. This can seem counter-intuitive to many leaders and managers who are usually focused on improving productivity, but it actually helps people to be more productive. Ask your team members to tell each other when they plan to take a break in the day and set an alarm to move away from their desks. Sitting too long is not great.
Observe – encourage people to look carefully at something familiar. It’s not always easy or possible, but leaders can encourage their teams to plan their days to allow time for more observation and review. Asking someone else for a second pair of eyes on whatever they’re doing has many benefits, not least, getting a different perspective from what they’ve observed.
Connect – encourage people to call someone they haven't spoken to in a while. This is particularly important when you notice that someone has gone quiet.
Gratitude – have a gratitude log and encourage everyone in the team to add something that they're grateful for, every day. There’s lots of new research around gratitude in the workplace, especially this year. It does make a real difference and if I told you it had a positive difference on the bottom line, you’d probably be very keen to find out more. Check out the links below...
So, you may be asking about the title of this post, which includes ‘winter’. What about it? Seasons play a big part in how we feel during the year. I spent almost four years living in Finland which was a big education for me in looking after my own wellbeing. Dark and gloomy mornings mean that making time to get outside in daylight becomes even more important. So, when you’re planning your walking meetings, try to take that into account too.
If you’re thinking about wellbeing in your organisation, remember that leaders need support to able to support their teams too.
Wherever you are in introducing wellbeing practices in your teams, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Things you might find interesting
On gratitude in the workplace:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_transform_your_workplace
The science behind social connections at work:
https://positivepsychology.com/positive-relationships-workplace/
On the perils of sitting:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/