Change starts by building solid foundations
A recent study has once again suggested what many have long proclaimed - that a large number of the initiatives being used by employers, to support their staff’s wellbeing, are not only useless - but can even cause more harm than good.
While this may not be obvious at first, it would make sense, when those initiatives are brought into a culture which is inherently detrimental to its workers.
We are, of course, at the very early stages of a workplace movement, which hopes to use the workplace as a starting point to improve mental health and wellbeing, across communities.
But to do so, those changes need to be less about the campaign, more about the culture.
Cultural change is far easier said than done. But as company’s around the world experiment with new ways of working, we can begin to see some of the ways in which those changes may come. Few companies have found the winning formula. But with enough of them trying, we can surely find inspiration.
Below are some of the key considerations which corporations have been taking, and experts suggesting, in order to not only talk about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace - but to create real cultural change within it.
1. Commitment & Strategy
For real change to occur on any level, in any situation, there needs to be a commitment on intent, beyond lip service. While apps and workshops may be useful, they’ll fall into the “sticking plaster” category if strong foundations aren’t laid.
Signing up to pledges, like that of the Global Business Collaboration, is a good way to start. But it must be followed up internally, perhaps with a reassessment of organisational values, policies or clear, accountable commitments.
BP, for example, has set targets outlined in its ESG Investor pack, to launch a comprehensive health & wellbeing programme for employees and families, foster a culture of care and encourage discussion of mental health issues and improve the mental health of, not just employees, but contractors and local communities.
Not every organisation has BP’s wealth of resources. But a commitment can be as simple as senior management buy-in, an open announcement and a monthly assessment on the state, progress and areas to improve.
From here, the company can build in a wider strategy and objectives, from which to build actions, tactics and steps to get there.
2. Understand the problems
No problem can be resolved without first identifying what that problem is. Mental health charity, Mind, has compiled guidelines on how to take stock of a company’s mental health. They include:
Carry out a policy review: As per the previous point, companies may review their policies and values to asses whether they address mental health and wellbeing. If they don’t, then this would be a good place to start.
Capture employee experiences: Offering staff the opportunity to raise any concerns themselves can help employers to better understand the issues. Whether an anonymous survey, focus group or interview, employers may uncover issues around workload, leaders and management, opportunities for personal development and internal communication. Mindshare Partners suggest these 5 questions to ask.
Use Human Resources data: Supplement what you know about the employee experience with data that the organisation collects on things such as absenteeism and staff turnover and with feedback gathered in exit interviews.
Develop an action plan: Once the issues are better understood, an action plan can be developed to go about resolving them - which may include some of the suggestions in this post.
Build temperature checks into the organisation’s culture: Ongoing assessments will not only maintain an awareness of the issues, but will also reassure staff that their wellbeing is a constant priority.
3. Multi-way Communication
Providing staff with regular opportunities to communicate how they feel, covers one direction of communication which is vital for creating change.
Another, of course, is in the opposite direction – assuring staff that their wellbeing is a priority, making it clear that it’s OK to speak up if they need to and making the resources available to them front and centre.
SAP, for example, conducted a study and found that workers overwhelmingly wanted to discuss mental health challenges as it related to work, but felt disempowered to do so and feared retribution.
So the company begin a strategy to destigmatise mental health discussions in the workplace, by having leaders at all levels talk about it. The company also launched campaigns to teach individuals and managers to recognize developing mental health challenges.
Employers may also offer ways for staff to communicate among themselves, providing peer-to-peer support for employees to share among themselves. Employee Resource Groups can create such communities, for employees to connect with like-minded staff – such as those offered by Chipotle, in areas from minority groups, wellness or social causes the brand is involved in.
4. Systems & Structures
The recent surge in attention to mental health and wellbeing has accelerated ideas around how employers can change the way they work, to create a better work-life balance and reduce stress and burnout.
Accounting firm PwC, for instance, set a company-wide goal of shortening meetings by 25%, encouraging managers to do things like cut hour-long appointments to 45 minutes. They also encourage employees to block out Fridays after 12pm, to use in any way they like, except meetings.
An increasing number of organisations, such as Nike and Bumble, are offering dedicated periods of company-wide paid leave, while Volkswagen configured servers so emails are only sent to employees’ phones half an hour before the start and after the end of the working day – and not during weekends.
These initiatives are all experimental. It’s worth noting that such initiatives can sometimes even add stress to employees, perhaps requiring an additional assessment of the productivity and efficiency of current working methods.
But ultimately, assessing these systems are a question of whether organisations can move from a culture of “work hard, play hard”, to one of “work smart, enjoy life”.
5. Empower people, provide support
While apps, classes and campaigns alone may not make a huge difference to staff’s wellbeing, empowering individuals can play a vital part of a company’s overall wellbeing strategy and cultural change.
The range of on-demand options open to employers is vast – from meditation apps to counsellor match-making services and wellbeing trackers. Employers should therefore take careful consideration in which to choose.
These may be supported by workshops, coaching and other ways to provide staff with tools to manage their mental health and wellbeing. Within this, individual training may be provided – particularly to senior leaders and line managers – in mental health awareness.
The role of mental health champions within the workplace should not be underestimated. While the most ideal scenario may be to employ a full-time wellbeing officer, those who are passionate about the cause may be trained and mobilised to ensure the message is maintained far and wide throughout the company.
6. Keep it going
As anybody who’s ever embarked on their own mental health journey will attest, the journey never ends.
Companies shouldn’t assume that immediate changes will be all that’s needed for long-term success. It’s progress should be regularly measured and monitored, through pulse surveys, listening groups and through external benchmarking.
And while some of the above ideas and outcomes may seem intimidating to any company at the beginning of their journey, taking ourselves back to point #1 can help – with a simple commitment.