How good are your organisation’s wellbeing foundations?

I’m often asked to deliver presentations, talks and webinars around how we can improve wellbeing and resilience for individuals and teams at work, particularly with so much uncertainty on the horizon.

Rodolfo Quirós, Pexels

Often, these requests are focused on approaches for developing toolkits for individuals – small changes in habits and routines that we can all use in our everyday lives to prepare for and ride through change and disruption. 

But when I have these conversations, I’m always keen to find out what else is going under the bonnet of the wider organisation in terms of wellbeing. 

I’m on the lookout for things that may not be your typical idea of what wellbeing and resilience support looks like. Although things like employee benefits are important, they form only one small piece of the jigsaw that needs to be in place for a thriving organisation in terms of people’s wellbeing and resilience.

Here are just a few of the basics I’ll be looking for: 

  • Leadership, wellbeing and resilience - what is your leadership team’s position around wellbeing? Are they willing to focus on this as a strategic priority for the organisation? 

  • What’s working - how do you get feedback from your teams on what’s working – and what’s not? How do you address these and share feedback on progress?

  • Data that helps to show the state of wellbeing in your organisation -– do you use a psychometric tool, like WRAW – Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing - to measure and track people and teams’ wellbeing and resilience? Do you understand what impact wellbeing has on your organisation’s performance?

  • Working patterns - what sort of working patterns do you already have in place? Are you working flexibly or hybrid?

  • Communication drumbeat - do you have regular communications from leaders to teams and are there different ways in which people can raise issues or ask questions of leaders? Do they work and are they used (and so trusted)? 

  • Training resources and support - do you have training and resources in place that can help broaden people’s self- awareness in resilience and wellbeing?

  • Social connection - do you intentionally create opportunities for people to connect, particularly if you have teams working remotely?

As the levels and pace of uncertainty accelerates, both in terms of planned and unplanned change, rethinking how we support employee’s wellbeing and resilience will become increasingly important. 

Although it’s essential that individuals know how to look after themselves, it’s equally important that the system in which they’re working is supportive.

If you’d like to chat about the foundations of wellbeing and resilience in your organisation or find out more about how WRAW could help your and your team, please get in touch.