A guide for managers: Supporting employee wellbeing

We are looking primarily for signs that someone isn’t themselves. Perhaps they are usually easy going and become irritable; perhaps they seem more cynical or withdrawn than usual, sometimes a colleague might draw their concerns to your attention.

We are also looking for physical signs. Unexplained ongoing throat infections or stomach problems, weight loss or gain, looking tired and perhaps not taking care of themselves. Sometimes it may even be rashes or hair loss.

Often however, the first signs we will see that there is a problem are when someone’s performance is impacted. As a manager we may feel irritated when someone doesn’t perform the way they normally do but we should ask ourselves (and them!) why. It could be that they are overloaded with work, have an issue with their role, we haven’t briefed them well enough or, perhaps they have something going on at home. Most people don’t perform well for a reason!

Approach

Approaching the individual will depend on lots of factors

• Our relationship with that individual and how we know they like to be dealt with. Are they very direct and likely to appreciate that kind of approach? Are they more private and introverted and may want you to couch your question more sensitively?  
• How urgent do we feel the situation is? In my view, we should just normalise pointing out concerns in a way that shows we are genuinely interested in the answer, as quickly as possible.  Many people are struggling in today’s world and addressing issues early on can prevent them from snowballing into significant challenges. It’s vital to create a safe space where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns.  
• Are we seeing them face to face soon and can we create an opportunity to take them for a walk, a coffee or a drink? If we can, we should avoid sitting opposite someone with a table between us – people may feel more comfortable to speak when side by side or at a corner angle. Walking and talking can be gold.
• If we are not seeing them face to face, we may want to consider a phone call rather than an approach online via zoom (or equivalent). For some people, it can be extremely uncomfortable to be staring you in the face when they share a difficult issue.

Asking and Assessing

We may need to ask twice, or at least ensure we are asking in a way which shows we are genuinely interested in the answer. One trick is to ask people regularly “on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being terrible and 10 being amazing, how are you today” or “how are you really”.

Be ready with a couple of examples of what we have noticed which has given us concern and be wary of lengthy preambles of small talk. People generally pick up on a subtext that you want to talk to them.

It can be tempting to rehearse all the angles a conversation could take in our heads beforehand. This can actually be counterproductive as it plays into our preconceptions of an individual and how a conversation with them would go. In fact the only things we need to prepare are:

• Ourselves – are we in the right frame of mind or stressed ourselves? Do we have adequate time for that individual
• A couple of examples of what we have noticed (and make sure we come from “I” and don’t say “we’ve noticed”)
• It might be useful to know some of the company resources you may have available (see C for C-create a plan further below)

If someone is using language which suggests they may be considering harming themselves or taking their own life, we should ask directly. Contrary to what we may think, it won’t put an idea into their heads but conversely it may be a relief to talk about it.  We may want to seek help from our EAP, the Samaritans or emergency services. (There are also courses available on Suicide First Aid)

This is the hardest and most important part of our role. It is challenging because we are hardwired to be helpful, to give advice, to think about how we can share our own experience, and instead we need to hold ourselves in check.

We often listen to respond, instead of really listening and acknowledging what the person has said. Whilst we do want them to go away with some next actions and support, we need to let them say all they have to say, because if we don’t we risk alienating them and looking like we are very poor listeners.

The focus instead should be on understanding, empathising and perhaps normalising what the person is going through rather than offering immediate solutions. 

We will notice ourselves judging, solving, relating to our own experience – and we just bring ourselves back to listening. Consider using these active listening tools to acknowledge the person has been heard and understood:

• Summarising, reflecting what the person has said back to them
• Clarifying questions
• Body language – nods and encouraging sounds
• Silence – or at least a pause enabling you and the person to collect your thoughts

As we have seen in “B for Be present”, instead of imposing solutions, we should encourage individuals to participate in creating a plan that addresses their challenges. By jumping in too early with our ideas, they may feel you have minimised their problem and don’t really care or understand. Co-creation fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration, resulting in more sustainable outcomes.  The most effective way of doing this is to ask good questions!

A plan might consist of:

• Things the individual can do for themselves (like phoning the GP, speaking to other people, prioritising their sleep/exercise/nutrition). It may also comprise efforts from you as their manager, or other members of the team to buddy and mentor.  It may involve more training or direct supervision for a period, time off, some help in re-prioritisation of tasks, some mediation – it all depends on the issues raised.
• Your EAP can be a great signposting resource – if you don’t have one then consider speaking to your HR team about how your organisation can signpost and pay for counselling. An EAP will provide financial and legal advice and counselling (generally much speedier than your GP can support with this)
• You shouldn’t expect yourself (or them) to have all the solutions there and then, in fact it can be a good idea to take time out to consider – and to suggest they do the same. 
• You might need to consider formal or informal adjustments to the role. An informal adjustment might be just lightening the workload temporarily, time off for appointments,  or some additional flexibility on hours or where they work from – as long as this is normally the way your business functions. Once you get into role changes, shorter hours or a change in work location (outside of your normal policies) then you need to get your HR team involved. This is called a reasonable adjustment and as we will see in “D for Duties”, is really important to consider and be seen to consider for most ongoing health issues.

It is usually a good idea to inform your HR team once an individual says they are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression or another chronic health issue. They will support you in ensuring you manage the situation in line with the Equality act 2010. You may also consider a referral to your Occupational Health team.

In managing wellbeing at work, people managers have legal duties to comply with (which it is worth noting, or not shared by mental health first aiders).

The duties are under health and safety regulations –  a duty of care to ensure that the organisation manages stress appropriately, and under the Equality Act 2010 which contains laws against Disability Discrimination. Health and mental health issues may be considered disabilities (under certain circumstances).

Under the Health and Safety at Work act, consider using an organisational stress risk assessment. It may also be a good idea to consider an Individual stress risk assessment when someone is returning from work after ill health. Mind’s Wellness Action plans form a similar role.

Golden rules for people managers to ensure you stay within your duties as a people manager:

Prevention first

Check in regularly with your team, ensuring that they have the time and resources to do their job appropriately. When issues do arise, ensure you start conversations early and agree how you can support the individual as an organisation and ensure that you are clear on review dates. 

Considerations on confidentiality

Opening up about any health concerns can be tough, especially as mental health worries can be very personal. You should reassure the employee that you will not share anything they tell you, unless there’s a good reason to. Note that you may indeed need to discuss what the individual raises with your HR business partner, occupational health provider or your own manager, and you should be clear about this in your conversation.  Note this differs entirely on advice to mental health first aiders who should not discuss the conversation unless there is a risk to life.

Documenting and follow up

On completing each conversation, write a short-written summary for the individual about what you discussed and what was agreed, and email it to them. This creates clarity and shows the conversation took place. Ensure you follow up.

Reasonable adjustments

If someone says they are struggling with a mental ill health issue which may end up being considered a disability under the Equality Act or equivalent, you should demonstrate that you have considered reasonable adjustments and where these are not practicable for you as an organisation, that you have communicated as to why they are not practicable. In parts of Europe, a company doctor will recommend these adjustments. These adjustments should be time limited and reviewed.

Use internal resources

Involve HR and their specialists and follow company procedures.

Sickness absence

When someone is off sick, stay in contact and always do a return-to-work interview.

People managers have a crucial role in ensuring wellbeing of their team. By fulfilling their managerial duties within the legal framework, managers can confidently navigate these conversations while protecting the interests of both employees and the organisation.