Support system

Wellbeing policies that function only as a safety net are not sufficient for organisations that want to build a culture of caring for the people they work with and employ.

Protecting mental health at work is one of the employers’ duties to employees. Beyond the legislative argument, the justification for promoting wellbeing can be borne out of compelling economic benefits. Despite a 2020 report by Deloitte finding that absenteeism and presenteeism as a result of ill mental health cost British employers £42 billion per year, many organisations don’t have the frameworks in place to support their people effectively.

I recently spoke with the CEO of a charity that was experiencing economic turmoil. I asked her what support was in place for her or the trustees. The answer I received was as unfortunate as it was unsurprising: ‘Nothing’. As a small charity, the funding had been directed solely towards programmes of work, without investment in the necessary governance frameworks for an organisation to survive, let alone thrive.

Many charities in the UK will be in the same situation, not out of ignorance of the importance of wellbeing, but because of the lack of funding available for so called ‘non-core’ activities – a catch-all for any work the organisation does to sustain itself. Spending money to maintain the organisation is still a sore topic in the sector. Often grant-giving organisations don’t fund salaries, let alone employee wellbeing programmes; a sad irony, given the number of charities delivering mental health services to communities.

Most charity trustees will be acutely aware of the financial constraints that much of the sector experiences and the pressure these place on staff and volunteers. Anyone who has ever engaged with the charity sector will know that the sense of purpose derived from contributing to a social cause can be countered by the weight of responsibility of knowing how much beneficiaries rely on the services provided. Combine this with the growing dependency on charities within our society to deliver essential services, and it is no wonder that around 66% of charities report concerns about staff burnout, as reported in the Ecclesiastical Charity Risk Barometer 2020.

People are an organisation’s most important asset so wellbeing should be governed with the same rigour as finance. The CIPD actively promotes the implementation of holistic frameworks to support people’s health and safety and mental health. Physical, emotional and financial wellbeing all contribute to our mental health. While access to helplines, a set number of sessions with a mental health professional and mental health first aiders can be the safety net of a wellbeing policy, they won’t create a culture in which mental health is prioritised. However, there are several practical steps that most charities can take to begin their journey towards a healthier workplace.

Prioritisation of wellbeing

From a governance perspective, wellbeing encompasses mental health risk management, change impact, representation and organisational strategy. Charities, with the support of occupational-health experts, should assess which mental health risks their teams are exposed to and consider the most appropriate mitigation strategies.

In strategy development, it is paramount that the wellbeing of teams is at least equally balanced with the financial needs of the organisation. Yet while each charity board will have a treasurer responsible for overseeing the finances of the organisation, most boards don’t have a wellbeing champion.

Some charities have beneficiary representatives on their boards but it is still rare to have a staff representative. Trustees need to be able to make informed decisions about the strategy of the organisation, but without the staff perspective, they are reliant on survey reports or senior leadership advocating for the needs of their teams, neither of which is as effective as hearing first-hand accounts. That is not to say that quantitative tools should be abolished, but they should complement and be explored together with staff representatives to better understand the data.

Wellbeing as a culture

Culture is everything that drives behaviours in the workplace, including values, policies and reward and recognition.

Values can help teams feel a sense of belonging. When embedded well, they represent the identity of the organisation and expected behaviours. Unfortunately, too many organisational value sets are littered with generic buzzwords with little or no relevance to the team. Reviewing values as part of strategy development can be a powerful way to engage staff and volunteers and to give meaning to what it is to be part of the organisation.

Aligning reward and recognition with behaviours that represent those values empowers teams to act with clarity and authority in pursuing organisational goals. This sense of trust and autonomy supports workplace wellbeing and can lead to greater productivity and innovation too.

Make it relevant

Understanding what is important to your teams is essential when developing policies that are aimed at improving wellbeing in the workplace. Each workforce is different and while there are hygiene factors that each organisation should have in place – policies such as EDI, learning and development, parental and care and so on – there are also factors that will vary from one organisation to the next.

Too many overly wordy policies won’t improve wellbeing; instead, they may undermine the sense of trust individuals experience and add to their workload. Policies should be considered as guiding lights rather than binding shackles. Here, trustees can set the tone and work with the leadership team to get the right balance.

Make it achievable

Individuals who can see how their role contributes to the achievement of organisational goals are more motivated and experience a greater sense of purpose than those who don’t have that insight. This, in combination with balanced resource allocation – giving people the tools they need to succeed, including training and personal development – can help to make common workplace stress factors more manageable.

Finally, charity leaders can demonstrate a willingness to show vulnerability. This can create a sense of safety for others to express how they are feeling and increases the likelihood of concerns being expressed more openly. By engaging with openness and empathy, trustees can gain insight into what is going on and how they can support people through effective governance.

Workplace wellbeing is much more than a policy. Online resources include fact sheets from HSE and CIPD, and MIND and What Works Wellbeing both have a library of tools; there is even an ISO accreditation available.

Michael is available on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/michaelruiter/