Modern Mentor

Who's in charge of workplace wellness?

Episode Summary

Everyone wants it but no one seems clear on whose job it is to make it happen.

Episode Notes

Workplace wellness is a trending topic. We all know it’s important. But do we know whose job it is to bring it to life? Turns out, it’s everyone’s job.

Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.

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Episode Transcription

Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping organizations drive team engagement in service of delivering stronger results. And one of the key drivers of engagement is workplace wellness.

Workplace wellness has featured recently in many of my conversations and client engagements. Everyone knows it matters, generically. But people are struggling with what to do, specifically.

It’s been interesting to watch the evolution of workplace wellness over the now alarming number of years I’ve been in the workplace. When I joined the world of adulting, both “workplace” and “wellness” were words most people could use in a sentence. But as a pair? Really not so much.

In the middle part of my working years, “workplace wellness” did come to have meaning. And that meaning was essentially crisis hotlines, smoking cessation programs, and a membership to Weight Watchers. It was literally the workplace’s attempt to support your physical wellness.

Today the meaning of workplace wellness has expanded significantly. It’s come to be about your physical and emotional wellness both in and out of the workplace. It’s about more than just keeping sickness at bay—it’s about supporting employees in feeling balanced and connected and confident in managing their own energy. It means time on and off are both valued.

And it has a lot of moving parts.

I’m delighted by the direction it’s taken. But the problem I’m seeing? Everyone wants it but no one seems clear on whose job it is to make it happen.

Today I’m here with a point of view. And that is—workplace wellness is everyone’s job. I believe there’s a role for the organization to play, another for team leaders to play, and finally, I think every employee has a job to do in driving workplace wellness.

Let’s talk about what this looks like in a “working” workplace.

First, what’s the organization's job in supporting workplace wellness?

A culture of workplace wellness can only exist in an organization that values workplace wellness—in which executives talk about it openly, invest in programs and tools, and align incentives to the right behaviors.

When I’m working with an organization striving to build wellness into their ways of working, here are some of the recommendations I offer them:

• Give executives the stage and talking points. Workplace wellness needs to be normalized. Not as in “It’s OK not to be OK,” but “It’s essential that we’re all thriving.” Leaders need to talk openly about this. To share their own stories—of taking time off, of finding meaning in their work, of having energizing strategies on hand. They need to be showing people that great work doesn’t come from hustling and grinding but balancing and living a full life.
• Assess and curate your programs. Are you offering things (like group yoga or on-site massages) that sound sexy and check a box? Or are you offering programs that meet the actual needs of your employees? Look at your engagement surveys, host focus groups. Ask your employees what they need. Whether it’s learning and development, family support, career counseling… make sure their answers are informing your investments.
• Review your goals and incentives. The worst thing a company can do is give lip service to workplace wellness, but then only reward teams and leaders that are working 60-hour weeks. Be sure leaders are incentivized to grow teams that are engaged and healthy—not just deliver the greatest quantity of work.
• Link wellness with business outcomes. Leaders in well workplaces don’t look at wellness as an expense, but as an investment. Employees need to see their wellness as an enabler of business outcomes. When they recognize their energy drives their creativity, their ability to serve customers—they’re much more likely to lean into wellness.

Next, the team leader’s job

Once the organization has thrown its support behind wellness, the team leader has a job of their own to do in supporting their teams. Here are some tips I’ve offered recent clients.

• Check in regularly. Whether in small groups or one-on-one, leaders need to create the time and space to talk to their team members. To ask how they’re doing, how their workloads are, where they might need help or support. But also to ask what has them excited, what opportunities they’d like to pursue, and how the leader can help them. When leaders open the door to these conversations, their teams will offer the inputs that become the roadmap.
• Act as role models. When leaders tell their teams it’s OK to shut down at 5 but then send barrages of emails at 8 pm, this is not OK. Leaders need to mind their own behaviors because employees watch what we do before they hear what we say. Leaders should take breaks and ask for help and seek new opportunities and expand their networks—all in service of keeping their energy tanks full. Letting their teams see them do it is powerful.
• Help employees find their solutions. Whether it’s collaboration on a project, a skill to develop, a counseling program—whatever someone on the team needs, it’s a leader’s job to help them find it. When employees express needs, a leader’s job is to help them navigate the maze of potential solutions.
• Carve out time and space. Helping employees find what they need is important. But it’s only valuable if the employee has the time and space to make use of it. Whether an employee needs to attend a training or take some time off or meet with customers to reconnect with a feeling of purpose, leaders need to help them carve out and protect that space so they don’t feel judged or fall behind.

And finally, the individual’s role

At this point, I hope you’re feeling like “Hey—my company and my leaders are doing some things really right in the wellness arena.” Really, I hope so. But whether you do or you don’t there are absolutely some things you can do to have a positive impact on your own workplace wellness. And if you’re a leader, please recognize you’re a person first—so this advice applies to you as well.

• Manage your energy. A lot lives outside of your control. But a lot also lives within it. You may not be able to control everything about the shape of your day. But try paying attention to your energy levels. When is your creativity highest—and can you carve out some of that time to do heads-down work? Is there a meeting you can bow out of in a low moment, so you can take a quick walk, and then get the download from another attendee later? Think about what you need, and how you can take small actions to keep your tank from hitting empty.
• Ask for help. Asking for help doesn’t have to mean you’re breaking or flailing. You might just need a bit of collaboration for some fresh ideas. Or you might just need someone to bounce ideas off of. Or maybe you need someone to make an introduction or recommend you on LinkedIn. Help comes in many forms. But help only comes when we ask for it. And only you can know what you need.
• Offer support. Because workplace wellness can and should be contagious. If you aren’t the one needing support at the moment, then be the one who offers it. Who around you looks overwhelmed? Or confused or bored or anxious? What might you be able to offer that both helps them out now, but also serves to ensure they’ll be ready the next time you need a boost?

Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience or deliver some leadership development that activates change. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.