Managers, Wellness, and Work
Employees say that work/life balance (WLB) is more important than salary, according to a recent study of what attracted them to their current role. Benefits and policies play a role, but managers can make choices that have huge impact.
Here are some tips managers can use to enhance the WLB and wellness at work for their teams:
🗣 Talk to your team about their WLB and wellness at work. Ask them how it’s going. Normalize managers who talk about WLB. Normalize talk about wellness at work. You don’t need to ask for confidential health information. And don’t overshare.
📆 Model healthy WLB behavior. SHRM best practices for wellness at work include a senior leader who models heathy behavior — that’s you! Managers can describe healthy habits, and talk about their not-so-great ones that they want to change.
🙈 Model bad WLB behavior, because you are human, then call yourself out! “Sorry I sent that at 11pm. I can do better!” Your model for leadership can include the idea that we will all improve together. That’s what leadership looks like today.
🌠 Curtail overnight or weekend messages. It’s kind to write “no need to respond until Monday.” But does the recipient have to open and read the message on their weekend in order to find out? That can disrupt restful time away from work. 📧🕒 It’s called scheduled send, use it!
👂 Ask your team about sources of WLB strain. As they answer, get real quiet 🐁, then ask some questions. You don’t need to explain why the work is important. They already know that. You can just listen.
🧘♀️ Brainstorm healthy behaviors. Ask your team to share wellness practices: meditation, exercise, therapy, coaching, work habits. If Jim’s standing desk helped, ask him to tell the team. If Gladys says getting a goldfish on her desk helped, ask her to share. (The idea, not the fish 🐠. It’s her fish.)
🆗 Every week, in every 1:1, before any other question, ask: How are you? Are you ok? 90% of the time, it’s “Yep, I’m fine!” 10% of the time, something interesting will happen. That’s why you ask. Every person, every time.
🏆 Recognize individual and team contributions weekly. Recognition provides self-actualization, the apex of Maslow’s needs. Sounds a bit much? Serial celebrations are fun! Way better than annual performance reviews. Recognition shouldn’t be limited to an archaeological excavation of evidence to support achievements once they’re nearly forgotten 📜.
🦺 Cultivate psychological safety. Research shows that productivity will be rewarded if teams feel the safety to speak up about ideas, questions, concerns, and to point out mistakes. No other people management technique has stronger scientific support. 🧑🔬
😇 Companies with strong social responsibility policies retain employees longer. There’s some evidence these employees are also healthier and live longer. Managers are powerful advocates for the CSR behaviors that matter most to employees.
What’s something you can do as a manger to improve wellness on your team?
OR
What do you wish your manager or leaders would do to improve your health or well-being at work?