I spent some time towards the end of last year sifting through our attendee data (over 40 organisations and 2,500 people) to understand which elements of mental wellbeing strategies proved effective in 2018.
From this I wanted to identity if any themes appeared. The below is what I found.
Hold in mind that although every organisation is slightly different the below strategies were highlighted as having made a positive impact in over 95% of our clients.
Which one could your organisation begin planning for today? Valuable change is often simple actions on a regular basis.
Any questions about the below please email me: sam (at) tinypause.co.uk
Wishing you a proper break a some point today.
Learns From 40+ Organisations in 2018
A number of behavioural studies show that human behaviour is more influenced by 'do as I do', then 'do as I say'. With this in mind, if leaders and managers are fully committed to the mental wellbeing of their teams then they need to be seen attending training. The message of a leaders presence is vital 'yes I have important things to do, but I make it a priority to manage stress and strengthen resilience’. This makes it much easier for staff to give themselves permission to take small steps to manage their mental wellbeing more effectively. This short article by Investors In People makes the point succinctly.
Make available provision as visible as possible. Many organisations provide mental wellbeing provision that very few staff access, because they either don't know about it, or it's not easy to find when they need it. Simply making provision available is often not enough to shift staff survey scores or meet stress needs. How can your organisation make available provision more visible and easier to find when the need arises?
Amend stress management processes for managers to follow. Studies show the two biggest causes of stress at work is workload and your manager. Improving how managers manage stressed staff members or heavy workload in their teams is vital for effective change.
Little and often. A wellbeing week once a year is a nice gesture but not that effective. Why? Staff might not feel in need during that one week. What happens if they feel overwhelmed on any of the other 50 weeks a year? Focus on small actions that can be committed to weekly.
Encourage staff to take a break with one other person and leave the office building, even if its only for a hot drink. 15 mins out of the office together is often the simplest way to increase regular mini restorative breaks.
Create a team of people who are not part of HR. This team make themselves available to listen or signpost you in confidence. People have a big fear of being judged on their ability to do their job well, and due to this fear do not confide in their manager or HR how stressed they are really feeling. Remove this barrier with people who want to help and are separate to any formal process. This can help staff take that valuable first step.