Are you guilty of “wellbeing washing”? It's time to cut the red tape to get the right support, to the right people, at the right time.

Welcome to the latest edition of 'Thank God It's Monday!', the newsletter designed to get you moving from awareness to action on all things mental fitness & wellbeing.

Nobody wants to pick up the phone and say they’re struggling when they are at their lowest. The red tape and the lump in their throats will stop them from asking for help.?We must help people flourish and offer support before they have nothing else left in the tank.

Most wellbeing reports focus on MHFA, therapy and counselling as core support. Whilst these are important components of a wellbeing strategy, they are reactive, and there are often many barriers to entry, including the most challenging to remove; stigma.?

When support is reactive, the impact has already been felt by the individual. Poor mental health and wellbeing translates to low motivation, easy distraction, increased time off, and lower levels of creativity and inspiration. The company will also feel an impact deeper than its pockets. Aside from the costs associated with greater sick leave and the tricky to calculate presenteeism, loyalty can dwindle as employees seek alternative employment with better wellbeing support.?

The cost of attracting and retaining talent is significant, so investing in proactive, preventative, easy-to-access, stigma-free support is fundamental to driving down company costs in a difficult market.

Barriers to entry include:

??? Poor signposting: internal communication around what support is available and how to access it is often not clear.?

?? Lack of confidentiality: in-house support via coaches, HR, and MHFA isn’t approachable as people fear the impact on perception, pay & promotion prospects.

??? Finite support: sessions are often limited, so once “done”, there is nowhere for people to turn.

?? Process-driven access: GP referral to a specialist, HR processes etc., all requiring employee action after the problem has arisen, making it much harder for people to take the step.

Help is often designed in a way that is more supportive of company tick-boxing than real employee experience.

Reflections:

How are you navigating these barriers to entry?

What do you see needing to change where you work?

How many people have you lost, or are you worried about losing due to there not being a "light at the end of the tunnel" regarding a necessary change to support better workplace wellbeing?

Action over reaction

We need to be talking more about prevention and early intervention.

People-first, preventative support needs to become part of company culture, all day, every day. Not as a reaction to when people are ill or when they're burning or burnt out. Nor to make people more “resilient” as a justification to push them harder.

35% of businesses are “wellbeing washing”. This is where firms support mental health publically but do not support the workforce internally. The power of micro-cultures is enormous here, and significant responsibility is on people managers’ shoulders. Wellbeing support is not just a series of initiatives across the calendar focusing on awareness; it’s about inclusivity and, most importantly, action. It’s about active listening and leading with empathy to shift the culture from stigma to support and encourage people to show up authentically.

Effective training to equip and upskill leaders and clear signposting are fundamental, as is ensuring clean and simple sign-up and self-referral processes.

It’s often a coaching-led approach that can tick all the right boxes.

Time To Talk?

Last week it was “Time to Talk” day. It got me thinking that despite the past few years, we're still not so good at discussing the things that matter. In fact, we’re very good at boxing off what we don’t want to face or, more to the point, what we don’t think others can handle.?

Why is this? To accommodate us? Them? To take the path of least resistance? Or are we scared of what people might think, say or do?

Simply put, we can't talk without being listened to. So how are you showing your people that you can listen without interruption, solution or judgement? We all need to feel safe and have permission to share, download and process our thoughts and feelings.

Saying you’re feeling low, anxious, stressed, flat, depressed, or struggling does not mean you’re mentally ill. It also does not need to be met with judgement.

In 2021, a Benefex survey showed that 9/10?global HR leaders reported greater numbers of employees discussing personal issues at work. Yet, two-thirds of workers in 2022 said they would not share their mental health problems with their employer.?

UK workers report nearly four days off a year due to poor mental health, but more than half who do are calling in with a physical illness instead of telling their employer the truth.

Until we stop judging and taking permission off the table, people won’t talk, and businesses can't afford to keep losing talent in this way.

Reflections:

Are you creating an empathetic context where people feel safe and encouraged to bring up what’s happening??

How do the empathetic leaders you know cultivate this culture of openness?

What one thing can you do differently with your team from this week to better support open dialogue around the real challenges and difficulties they may be facing with their wellbeing?

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