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The Workplace Health Insights series brings you the latest healthcare trends, interviews with medical experts and specialist insight from Bupa: all designed to keep you and your organisation one step ahead.
For the latest insights on supporting health in the workplace, take a look here.
Business leaders expect spending on employee wellbeing to rise by 13% this year, but the value this delivers for talent retention will depend on several factors.
At the forefront, are the soft skills, emotional intelligence and resources that are invested in line managers.
They have day-to-day responsibility for supporting staff and helping to create healthier workplaces.
Line managers play a key role
Line managers are ideally placed to encourage their teams to focus on wellbeing, potentially through
incorporating relaxation exercises, stretching or physical activity into breaks during meetings and through the day.
Using the five behaviours the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) identifies as the hallmarks of a good line manager, here are some approaches to consider:
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Being open, fair and consistent
- Do as you say. It’s easy to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.
- Provide psychological safety and allow people to be themselves when they’re at work.
- Take 10. Encourage line managers to regularly take 10 minutes to have a conversation with each member of their team.
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Handling conflict and people management
- Understand how to set the scene for successful conversations. These are supportive and productive, rather than combative.
- Look for win-wins where organisation and staff agendas align.
- With hybrid and remote working, policies may need updating. They may need to address digital etiquette and potential issues around remote working and cyber bullying.
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Providing knowledge, clarity and guidance
- Line managers are well placed to encourage their teams to do relaxation exercises, stretching or physical activity.
- Lead by example and role model a healthy lifestyle.
- Set boundaries, particularly around work-life balance.
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Building and sustaining relationships
- Virtual meet-ups and dedicated social time reduces the risk of staff feeling isolated.
- Encouraging employees to speak to line managers if they are feeling overloaded.
- Building trust. Managers need to show they can be trusted on small things. Colleagues are then more likely to trust them with challenging health and wellbeing concerns.
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Supporting development
- Training should include the impact work can have on employees and how to prioritise employee health and wellbeing.
- Recognise and reward empathy.
- Organise remote and hybrid working to focus on outputs or outcomes rather than process.
- Embed wellbeing into management accountability and operational policies and tools.
Resources and guides
To help organisations address these ambitions, Bupa provides a wide range of resources and guides.
This article has been abbreviated by Health & Protection. The full article on supporting wellbeing and employee retention through health in the workplace can be found as part of the Workplace Health Insights series from Bupa, take a look here.
