Today’s employees expect much more than an employer offering to pay for a gym membership as proof that employee well-being is important to leadership. They want to feel safe, supported and valued.
When we discuss employee well-being now, it’s in the broad, holistic context of someone’s physical, mental, emotional, social and financial health in the workplace. It can be measured by factors such as:
- job satisfaction.
- opportunities to learn and grow.
- work-life synergy.
- a company culture of growth and happiness.
Employee well-being should be a leadership priority because team members who feel supported in their roles within the organization have been shown, over and over again, to be more engaged and productive in their work. They’re also much more likely to stay (saving the hefty costs of hiring and training replacement staff members), and we know that attracting and retaining top talent drives success.
For these reasons, leaders must understand employee well-being encompasses much more than perks like providing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or offering yoga at lunch once a month. Consideration of employee well-being should be integrated into strategy and organizational culture.
Redefining well-being in the workplace
Employee well-being must become a core leadership responsibility to create lasting and effective change (rather than offering a few optional programs for folks to opt-into).
What does that look like now? In addition to the extras or perks we’ve already mentioned, a much broader approach would include:
Mental health supports
In addition to an EAP, for instance, some organizations have increased the extended health benefits for mental health. Organizations can also commit to addressing stress, recognizing overwhelm and preventing burnout. This is critical because research indicates that traditional well-being programs have failed because they were more focused on individual programming (for example, mindfulness apps or stress-management workshops) than systemic change (for example, focusing on job design, workload and healthy leadership practices like creating a coaching culture).
Flexible work options
We learned during the pandemic in 2020 that team members can be productive working remotely. Hybrid options and flexible scheduling allow employees to have some input about when and where they work. There are studies that find that having this sort of autonomy correlates with job and life satisfaction. Managers who can facilitate opportunities for their team members to have flexible work options demonstrate support for work-life balance and employee well-being.
Social connection
While work-from-elsewhere options give staff flexibility and have opened our eyes to the benefits of allowing staff to do their work during hours that work for them and for the organization, we have also seen that completely virtual workers are struggling with lack of connection, social isolation and loneliness. As with many things in leadership, finding an equilibrium that works well for the organization and each individual employee is ideal. As well, there are many ways that effective leaders can lead with empathy to build strong relationships on their teams, which is foundational to creating a strong sense of community and belonging. (We have more on the balance between social connection and flexible work options below).
Psychological safety
Effective leaders create a workplace environment that is psychologically safe for employees to share dissenting opinions and concerns candidly and without fear of reprisal. There are many ways to encourage respectful conflict around ideas (not unhealthy conflict around personalities), creating psychological safety in the workplace. When leaders carefully consider things like managing stress levels, encouraging folks to really unplug on vacation and addressing the ill effects of unspoken tension, it’s providing support for mental and emotional health.
Physical health supports
In addition to individual programming that encourages physical health, leaders can consider how job design supports healthy lifestyles. For example, if you have a team meet an aggressive deadline by working long hours, allowing them to have hybrid work schedules during this time permits team members to work without the stress of commuting. Additionally, leaders can take action to bolster safety in the workplace and improve extended healthcare benefits.
Identifying the higher goals
We know that when leaders create a purpose-driven workplace, employees report higher feelings of job satisfaction. We want staff to understand the “why” behind what your organization does, and to see how their contributions lead to the “why.”
Career development
Thinking beyond financial compensation to professional development planning is an important way to improve employee engagement, retention and—you guessed it—employee well-being.
How to Achieve These Goals
Flexible work policies are here to stay
Hybrid, remote and flexible work hours are evolving into the norm for many forward-thinking organizations. We know flexible work policies can work and that they need to be handled strategically.
According to HBR researchers, truly flexible work—when employees have choices and autonomy—can be transformative. However, there is also research that highlights that remote or hybrid work has a mixed impact on well-being and productivity. It’s vital for organizations to support employees when they work remotely with things like role clarity, isolation from coworkers and strong connections through effective communication and meetings.
Here’s what leaders need to focus on:
Prioritizing outcomes
Prioritizing outcomes over being present in the workplace (“presenteeism”) means measuring output, not daily work hours logged.
Leading with trust
It’s important to build clear expectations around accountability. Give folks options they can choose for how they work, while communicating clearly about who is accountable and what individual goals and milestones are going to be.
Designing for flexibility
Involve your teams in the discussion about how they want to work. What are their ideas? Where do they see potential challenges? What supports will be helpful? Co-create the model with their input.
Balancing operational and tactical demands
It’s challenging to juggle strategic direction while leading operational and tactical teams but there are strategies to help. While tactical execution is important, in the context of remote or hybrid work, strategic leadership must ensure the flexible work model supports both the organizational goals and the employee. Again, it’s critical for leaders to view flexible work as a foundational component of employee well-being and modern work design.
Mental Health is a business imperative
The high stress of competitive industries, never-ending workloads, constant connectivity and urgency cultures all threaten the well-being of workers.
Effective leaders recognize that mental health isn’t separate from business outcomes.
Here are some ways leaders can support mental health:
Normalize mental-health conversations
If it is safe for folks to say, “I’m feeling stressed” or, “I need help” because they won’t be shamed, team members can reach out for support. There are ways that we can build resilience alongside productivity. Open communication around mental health is a starting point for breaking negative thought cycles, setting healthy habits and providing practical supports when they’re needed.
Model vulnerability and self-care
When leaders share their humanity and model things like taking breaks or setting healthy boundaries (like respecting personal time after hours), it gives permission for others on their teams to do the same. Prioritize building your personal capacity to handle pressure so that you can lead effectively.
Refer to meaningful resources regularly
Remind folks that there are resources available to them—for example, EAPs, extended health benefits and coaching—and encourage them to use them. Engaged management support of coaching ensures valuable ROI.
Consider ways to address stress levels for your team members
As leaders, we can reduce unnecessary meetings, clarify priorities and make sure that roles and responsibilities are manageable. While meditation can help to alleviate stress, having a sustainable work volume mitigates the risk of burning out.
The role of psychological safety in sustaining well-being
When leaders foster psychological safety, teams can challenge ideas and contribute freely. Having permission to be candid and make mistakes without fear of retribution improves employee engagement and resilience.
At Padraig, we like to use Dr. Timothy R. Clark’s 4 Stages of Psychological Safety model as the basis for our psychological safety work with clients. There is a progression from feeling included to feeling safe to learn to feeling safe to contribute and then feeling safe to challenge the status quo.
Here are three tips to foster psychological safety:
1. Solicit feedback
Use regular feedback loops with your team members. Ask for input, show that you consider it and act on it and thank folks for speaking up (because effective leaders can handle criticism).
2. Model learning from mistakes
Leaders who are vulnerable enough to admit when they’re wrong, share what they learned and show how they’ve improved are teaching team members how to have the emotional courage to make mistakes.
3. Encourage everyone to have a voice
Are you hearing from the loudest team members? Make space for quieter personalities to have a say. There are times when silence indicates agreement but there are also times it is a sign that there are issues of psychological safety. Building effective communication in team dynamics helps to get everyone engaged.
Investing in well-being through coaching and development
Have you ever thought that if team members seem well, there’s nothing further required?
Some leaders do think the absence of a mental health crisis is sufficient. However, a more holistic view of employee well-being requires a more proactive approach.
When employees are given supports to strengthen their leadership and professional skills, they are much better prepared to navigate challenges and change—and avoid burnout.
To help folks feel more confident, connected and capable, leaders can:
Offer coaching regularly
In an organization with a coaching culture, coaching is not just for folks who have a problem, but for ongoing development. There are options for peer coaching, one-to-one coaching and investing in a coaching culture to create a ripple effect throughout the organization.
Communicate clear pathways for development
When employees see potential for personal growth, they are much more engaged and satisfied. Pro tip: Creating a robust succession plan doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Have professional development conversations
Leaders who have one-to-one meetings with team members build a solid culture of engaged employees. Professional development is not just about career progression; it’s about understanding what individuals need to thrive and feel they have purpose and value.
Purpose, inclusion and belonging are intangibles that matter
Employee well-being is tied to meaning, inclusion and belonging. When folks feel that their work matters and that they belong in the workplace, productivity and performance improve.
To help foster these important intangibles, leaders can:
- Emphasize the organization’s purpose and how each employee plays a part in making that purpose a reality.
- Take action to create an inclusive workplace where diverse voices are heard, differences are valued and folks feel a sense of belonging.
- Link the idea of meaningful work to personal wellness. When setting goals with your team, remind them that what they do connects to the organization’s purpose. Work that has meaning is much more motivating and satisfying, which contributes to a sense of well-being.
Essentially, to fully support employee well-being, leaders should strive to embed well-being into all aspects of corporate culture, not refer to it as a separate wellness initiative. When prioritizing employee well-being permeates the workplace, employers will reap the benefits of having healthier people, a stronger workplace culture and better performance.
Coach’s Questions
How do organizational policies and practices support your team’s well-being? How do your personal behaviours and practices affect the well-being of your team members? What needs to shift for you, for your team and for your operating model to better support employee well-being?
