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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 mental health in the workplace, take a look here.
Line managers are at the frontline of talent retention and employee wellbeing, so it’s never been more important to make sure these key players have the skills and resources they need to support their teams.
Healthy relationships lay the foundation for healthier workplaces. They’re also a driving factor in whether or not employees decide to leave a role and their performance.
Strong relationships with trust and respect are essential for promoting a healthy working environment and staff must have the confidence to raise wellbeing issues with their line manager.
Businesses recognise this and the latest Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index shows one in five UK managers believes an increased emphasis on workplace wellbeing and mental health will be key to recruiting the best talent going forward.
And more than a third (37%) say their organisation already has a dedicated health and wellbeing officer in place.
The importance of training and upskilling line managers is vital, but many managers feel unsupported, particularly if they have to wait for training or feel they do not have the skills necessary to foster individual and team engagement.
This combines with evidence that younger staff are demanding an increasingly pastoral, and more personally supportive, working environment.
The Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index found 33% of 18 to 34-year-olds wanted their company to increase its focus on employee mental wellbeing, but only 7% of over-55s did.
In contrast, flexible working is valued more highly by older staff, with 64% of over-55s and 45% of 35 to 54-year-olds citing it as important for engagement and wellbeing, compared to 29% of 18 to 34-year-olds.
What makes an effective line manager?
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) identified five behaviours as the hallmark of a good line manager:
- being open fair and consistent
- handling conflict and people management
- providing knowledge, clarity and guidance
- building and sustaining relationships
- supporting development.
Meanwhile, global employee experience and engagement platform Glint has identified three ways of working associated with effective line managers:
They meet more often
The more time managers spend meeting with employees, the greater the engagement. Managers with high capability are open to new information and are able to navigate difficult conversations.
They look for solutions
Research identifies problem-solving as the quality people most want in a manager. Good managers remove barriers and enable individual autonomy.
They take action
Engagement increases when employees believe managers act on their feedback.
Bupa support
To support line managers who are tasked with meeting these challenges, Bupa has developed a series of in-depth guides. These can empower key team members and provide the resources they need to build healthier, happier, teams.
These include guides which address specific issues, such as musculoskeletal problems or neurodiversity. Plus, information on how to start difficult conversations around mental health and other challenges.
This article has been abbreviated by Health & Protection. The full article can be found as part of the Workplace Health Insights series from Bupa, take a look here.