In this week’s newsletter regarding the “Future of Work Redesigned” we are going to explore the WELLBEING point on the compass.

There are six points on my Future of Work Redesigned compass. These are the six directions in which you must head if you are going to redesign the future of work in your organisation.

Culture – improve the culture in the organisation so the benefits of hybrid working can be realised

Strategy – co-create a hybrid working strategy

Leadership – leadership requires an uplift in skills and competencies to lead high performing hybrid teams

Technology – optimise hybrid working now and into the future by using the best technologies available to you

Empowerment – employees need empowerment and autonomy over where, when, and how they work and there must be trust

Wellbeing – provide every employee with a holistic and contextual platform for mental wellbeing and increased resilience

The future of work redesigned compass

Employee wellbeing

All leaders must have employee mental wellbeing as the priority. Not one of many priorities but the priority

Employers have been grappling with the prevalence of health challenges in the workplace for a long time.

The events of 2020 and 2021 raised the stakes due to a greater awareness of the workplace factors that contribute to poor mental health. Unfortunately, not enough has been done to address the issue. Employers must connect what they say to what they do. It is time to get serious about employee mental health. Leaders of hybrid teams must be cognisant of the mental health and wellbeing of all of their team members as well as their own wellbeing.

The state of mental health

Even before COVID-19, the Productivity Commission Mental Health Inquiry of 2020 found workplace mental ill-health cost Australia up to $39 billion in lost participation and productivity.

The Business Council of Australia summed up the situation with their perspective.

“As we prepare for the post lockdown return to the workplace, the psychological safety of our workplaces, raising awareness around mental health and eliminating stigma, must be a priority. There is increasing evidence that investing in workplace mental health strategies creates a more committed and stable workforce.

It is a sound financial decision. A recent report by KPMG found a return-on-investment range of $1.30 for essential job control interventions to $4.70 for psychological conditions and return-to-work programs. The economic case is inseparable from the social and moral case.

Corporate Australia is also uniquely positioned to develop critical early intervention service responses to supporting the mental health of the workforce as we plan returning to the office.”

Holistic and contextual

A mental wellbeing platform must be holistic and contextual. This is the time to stop kidding yourself that the sweat patch that tells employee they are stressed; the happy or sad wrist band; the gym membership; the mindfulness and meditation classes; the Friday yoga sessions; the gratitude app; will take care of employee mental wellbeing. It won’t.

Whilst all these things have value, on their own they are just point solutions. A couple of colleagues and I, passionate about this topic, put together this 3-minute animation in early 2021 to raise awareness of the situation.

Another point solution example is the provision of Mental Health First Aiders. Whilst the initiative should be applauded, the fact is if there is a stigma around mental health in the workplace, employees will not reach out for help. They will not seek out these resources due to fear of repercussion or reprisal. The stigma of mental health needs to be eradicated, leaders must be educated and have open and honest conversations, and employees must feel safe in sharing their issues and reaching out for support.

The mental wellbeing platform must address the needs of everyone in the organisation (holistic) and meet the needs of employees at a point in time (contextual).

Holistic

The platform must meet the needs of everyone in the organisation. Not everyone enjoys yoga or going to the gym. These can be part of the mental health platform, but it also needs to contain resources that are address the needs of everyone. It must be inclusive and support the entire organisation not just a portion of it. It must address the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of wellbeing.

Contextual

Employees need specific tools and resources that will help them address the challenges or adversities they face at a given point in time. As an industry colleague, Paula Davis, once said, “You cannot yoga your way out of burnout.” 

If I am stressed, anxious, and approaching burnout because I am struggling to resolve a complex problem I am faced with and have a tight deadline in which to find a solution, the Friday yoga session is not going to help me. I need access to support and resources that address problem solving, collaboration, self-efficacy, and communication.

Remove the stigma

As mentioned above, every organisation and the leaders within it, must work to remove the stigma of mental health at work. Mental health stigma is the negative view or attitude to people struggling with their mental health, including those living with a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression.

The stigma can lead to discrimination and harassment and prevent those struggling with their mental health from feeling safe to disclose and seek support from their employer or others around them. If the stigma is not removed, all the other tools and resources provided will be a waste of time and money, as no-one will feel safe to utilise them.

Leaders need to learn more about mental health and how best to respond in the workplace; educate their teams; and speak openly about mental health in the workplace which can make others feel more comfortable to do the same. Employers need to raise awareness through education and resources and encourage open and honest conversations.

Everyone needs to feel safe to talk about their concerns, anxieties, and stresses. Leader must create an environment of psychological safety that enables these open and honest conversations with fear of adverse reactions.

Remove the cause

Another shift organisations must make is to stop only concentrating on the effects of mental health issues in the workplace but give as much, if not more, attention to the causes. As mentioned earlier, for many remote workers, the demarcation between work and home life can become blurred which can lead to burnout if not addressed.

Increased workload is by far the biggest cause of mental health issues in the workplace. Most employees want to do the best they can and sometimes feel obliged to work long hours to complete all the work they have been assigned, which can then lead to burnout.

Leader must look for the signs that employees are working excessive hours by noting the time that emails or texts are sent indicating that employees are not switching off from work. Leader must help employees clearly define their day into professional and personal – work and life.

I talk to employees who struggle with this and advise that they allocate one place in the home from which they will work. Make it sacrosanct. It is only place to be used for work purposes. It could be the kitchen table, the spare room, the sofa, the laundry bench, or the study. It really doesn't matter where it is, but it takes on the mantle of the “office.”

When you walk away from that place, you are closing the door of your imaginary office. At the end of the day (which must be clearly defined) you walk away, close the door, and do not go back. You have left the office until the next day.

Leaders must also ensure that they are not assigning tasks to employees for which they are not equipped to carry out. I wrote about capability visibility in the leadership competencies newsletter. It is ok to set stretch goals when you ensure the recipient is comfortable with the assignment, but it is not ok to set goals that send an employee into the terror zone.

There are many actions that can be taken including managing workloads, encouraging respectful behaviours with a zero tolerance for harassment, and promoting work-life balance. The crux of the matter is to take the time to find out what is causing mental health issues for your employees in your organisation and then taking action to remove the cause.

Know the signs

It is imperative that everyone knows the signs to look for that may indicate someone could be having mental health issues and know the right action to take. Signs could be changes in language, demeanour, or behavior. The ability to identify these signs can be more challenging when some employees are working remotely. Leaders need to proactively and intentional reach out to employees and enquire about their wellbeing. It should be an integral part of every conversation.

Leaders, and employees, are often reluctant to reach out and ask if someone is ok in fear they may say they are not. The reason is they don’t know what to do next, so they avoid the situation. Leaders especially need to be able to reach out to their team members and check-in on them if they suspect everything is not as it should be. They need to know that they are not expected to be medical professionals, general practitioners, or psychologists. They just have to know the right thing to say and help the person find the help that they need.

Leaders then need to check-in on a regular basis to find out how the person is progressing whilst offering them continual support and compassion.

Summary 

This is the last in the series dealing with the six points on the “Future of Work Redesigned Compass” and probably the most important. Looking after the mental health of your employees is not part of your job – it is your job. We need to look out for those with existing issues, those at risk and for the organisation as a whole.