Proactive management of mental wellbeing at work
Good mental wellbeing is not necessarily about feeling happy and confident all of the time. It is about living and coping well, despite challenges. Just as it is possible to have poor mental wellbeing but no mental illness, it is entirely possible to have good mental wellbeing with a diagnosis of a mental illness.
There is evidence that a manager can make a real and positive difference to employee wellbeing. This section of the toolkit will cover proactive management of wellbeing – how you as a line-manager can help to support your team’s wellbeing and help team members feel happy and engaged with their work.
Compassionate leadership means paying close attention to people and the challenges they face both inside and outside of work. It means understanding and responding with empathy by taking thoughtful and appropriate actions. Promoting equality, valuing diversity and challenging power imbalances are also key to compassionate leadership.
Compassionate leaders get to know the individuals within their team – how they prefer to work, what support they require, what else is going on in their lives – and not view them simply as a resource to complete a given task. Compassionate leadership helps to build resilience within individuals and the team as a whole, it fosters a team spirit and boosts colleague trust, engagement and commitment to the employer.
Resources
7-minute Q&A by Michael West (video)
Longer talk by Michael West (video)
The HSE's Stress Management Competency Tool is an evidence-based tool to help line-managers assess whether they are adopting behaviours found to be effective in the prevention or reduction of stress at work.
Be clear on pressures within your team. Individuals can complete the Workplace pressures risk assessment. Also consider involving the whole team in a Team Workplace Pressures Risk Assessment exercise, to explore possible sources of stress at work and ways of making the situation more manageable. If there are stressors you are unable to resolve, e.g. around workload, you should escalate the issue upwards and consider discussing with your HRBP. The Stress Indicator Tool (SIT) is an online survey tool that larger teams can use to help identify workplace stressors and plan improvements.
Normalise conversations about wellbeing and try to create a culture where colleagues feel that they can trust that their colleagues will respond sensitively to discussions on mental health. Ensure that team members are aware of Colleague Wellbeing resources, including the University’s staff counselling and advisory service, Spectrum Life.
Consider flexible working arrangements within your team to help colleagues maintain a work/life balance
Facilitate colleague self-care in their working day (see Self-Care at Work section)
Other resources
Tackling Work-Related Stress Using the Management Standards Approach (HSE)
Talking Toolkit (HSE)
Work-related stress webpages (HSE)
Investing time in your team and getting to know each team member as an individual will help to ensure that you are meeting their specific needs, while supporting them to fulfil the demands of their role to meet business needs.
Regular one to one meetings with team members will provide an opportunity to talk through what is going well and not so well at work. Identifying and responding to difficulties or concerns at an early stage will reduce the risk of escalating anxiety. Include a wellbeing check-in in all one to one meetings.
Other resources
Show your colleagues that their work is valued – studies have shown that feeling valued at work is a key indicator of job performance. Employees who feel valued are more likely to be engaged in their work and feel satisfied and motivated. See also the University's Above & Beyond Scheme within Reward and Recognition.
Training helps people feel their personal development within the organisation is important to the University and to you. Visit the Learning and Development pages which includes courses relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Consider flexible working arrangements within your team to help colleagues maintain a work/life balance.
Check that new recruits have completed their New Starter Health Questionnaire, which will highlight to Occupational Health (OH) any workplace health requirements, including reasonable adjustments.
A thorough and well-paced induction to the role will help to develop confidence and identify any learning needs. It is required for all new University staff and for any change of role. It aims to assist the new member of staff to perform effectively in their job role and within their work environment as soon as possible. Effective induction has recognised wellbeing benefits.
Signpost team members, particularly new starters, to Colleague Wellbeing resources, including the University’s staff counselling and advisory service, Spectrum Life.
Support team members to incorporate self-care into their work arrangements. Make them aware of resources on campus, or remotely, to facilitate wellbeing. Monitor working hours to ensure that colleagues are achieving a reasonable work-life balance. Encourage them to take refreshment breaks, ideally away from the desk, and regular annual leave.
Taking annual leave at regular intervals throughout the year is a really helpful way for colleagues get staggered breaks away from work. Try to look at annual leave from the perspective of the whole team to enable you to effectively manage workload.
Remember that self-care applies to you too! Supporting the mental wellbeing needs of your team, alongside managing the demands of the business, will bring many challenges. Without good self-care and the type of positive line-management we refer to here, you are at risk of developing the negative effects of excessive pressure that you are trying to prevent in your team. Have open and honest dialogue with your own manager about pressures at work, monitor yourself for signs of stress and take action if you notice these. Monitor your work-life balance and make your manager aware of concerns, and adopt all the good self-care measures you recommend to your team.
Resources
The Colleague Wellbeing webpages are full of advice and guidance to help colleagues manage their wellbeing
Spectrum Life - University's Employee Assistance Programme (including a free counselling service)
Consider flexible working arrangements within your team to help colleagues maintain a work/life balance
The University has many excellent facilities available to staff, including the Sports Centres on the Streatham and St Luke's Campuses and the Sports Centre in Cornwall available through FXPlus in Penryn
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) website for staff and students at the University of Exeter. Here you will be able to find information on issues relating to race, gender, faith and worldview, sexual orientation and disability, amongst other equalities initiatives at the University of Exeter
The Multifaith Chaplaincy: Chaplains work together to serve the whole University community: students and staff, of all faiths and worldviews, whether religious or not
From the University
Management referral to Occupational Health
Strategy 2030 University of Exeter
Change Blueprint – ensuring that employee wellbeing is taken into consideration at each stage of a change project.
Exeter Speaks Out - Support/ reporting of incidences of harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination.
Managing Mental Health & Stress Standard, University of Exeter, Health and Safety
External Resources and tools
Challenging conversations and how to manage them (ACAS)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Well-being (Office for National Statistics)
Good Work – The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices
Guide for Line Managers: Wellness Action Plans (WAPS) (MIND)
Mental health and employers | Refreshing the case for investment (Deloitte)
Mental health facts and statistics (MIND)
Stress management competencies – the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have published a set of competencies for line managers that will enable them to explore if they are adopting behaviours found to be effective in the prevention or reduction of stress at work.
Thriving at Work Guide - How to Implement the Thriving at Work Standards in Your Workplace (full report below)
Thriving at Work Review Farmer-Stevenson review of mental health and employers (implementation guide above)
Understanding Job Burnout (video) Dr. Christina Maslach, Prof. of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
Working From Home Wellness Action Plan (MIND)
What are the signs of stress? (MIND)
Contact
| occupationalhealth@exeter.ac.uk |
colleaguewellbeing@exeter.ac.uk |
| hradvisors@exeter.ac.uk |
peopledevelopment@exeter.ac.uk |