The important issue of employee well-being was attracting lots of coverage in the business media even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the reasons for this are very simple.  The scientific evidence is overwhelming and shows that better employee well-being is directly linked to higher productivity and profitability.  Survey after survey also shows that younger people prioritise their well-being and this means that any business which wants to attract and retain the talent of tomorrow must ensure that it is tackling well-being effectively today.  However, most of the articles that are written about well-being tend to deal with the issue at a strategic level, rather than giving managers and supervisors guidance on what they can do now to improve well-being in their immediate team.  This article aims to address that gap by giving you seven simple ways you can raise well-being in your team today.

The first and easiest thing to do is to show your team that you care about their well-being by communicating with them.  They are best placed to know which well-being issues matter to them, so asking them and then doing what you can to address those issues is the most effective thing you can do.

Second, give your team a sense of mission and purpose.  Everybody wants to feel that they working for something that is more than a monthly paycheck.  Your business exists to do something that makes other people’s lives better by giving them a service or product that matters to them.  Show your team how that purpose is important and socially useful, and then explain how your team contributes to achieving that mission.

Third, let your team members identify what they can do to boost the well-being of the team, and recognise them when they do.  You may have a colleague who can teach meditation, who is willing to work evenings or change vacations to free colleagues to be with their families, or who is willing to help others with childcare or other family commitments.  Encourage those people to do what they can and publicly recognise their contribution to your team.

Fourth, encourage colleagues to share their insights and advice with other team members.  If you are a good leader you will know a lot about the strengths and knowledge of your team, and you will also know their limitations and worries.  Young people will be worried about all the things that happen in early adulthood, whether it be marriage, mortgage or kids, and talking to someone who has been through all these things and survived can be a great comfort, so why not encourage a more experienced colleague to have chat and offer some advice ?  Equally, older workers may struggle to cope with change and be anxious about what innovation means for them, so why not pair them with a younger colleague who has the patience and knowledge to help ?  Of course, you need to know the character of the people concerned to ensure you match them well, but when you get it correct the sense of well-being in your whole team will be immeasurably better.

Fifth, always be cheerful, constructive and positive.  The way you interact with colleagues will shape how they interact with each other.  If you’re tetchy and critical, then your team will be filled with negativity leading to unhappiness and demotivation.  If you are positive and willing to give constructive feedback in a fair and confidential way, you will find that well-being in your team increases.  As an added bonus, you will also find that people admit to mistakes and tell you about problems before they become much more serious, so everybody will perform better and be much more relaxed.

Sixth, never publicly disagree with your superiors, and always support the company, its policies and decisions.  There are few things as demotivating as working with someone who is constantly complaining and there is nothing more corrosive that relentless carping.  If you are willing to be hostile about your boss or repeat what others have said to you, your colleagues will quickly begin to wonder what you say about them to other people.  This will lead to anxiety and suspicion within your team and will kill the open and trusting relationships that boost well-being and make a team a happy place to work.  If you are unhappy about something always remember the golden rule that you should only ever complain upwards.

Seventh, don’t be your team’s biggest stressor.  It’s a truism to say that people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses, so ensure you are the best boss you can be.  Listen and show consideration, think about the impact of what you do on your team, and be willing to listen.  Nobody likes a boss who doesn’t consult, who sets unrealistic work targets or who tries to micromanage.  You would not feel a sense of well-being if you worked for a boss who did these things to you, so don’t do it to others.

The biggest things in life are built from the smallest, so do the little things to look after the well-being of your team and be best boss they have ever had.

Professor Hew Gill
Chancellery Office
Email: @email

This article was first published in Business Today, 11 December 2022.