Interim managers’ role in the wellbeing of their staff

The need to invest in and support the mental health and wellbeing of employees is increasing more than ever. People are now less willing to remain in a job where they are unhappy or have to sacrifice their health or personal life for their job. It has been found that executives can sometimes overestimate how well their employees are doing and how supported they feel by their managers. So, this #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we thought we’d share some tips on how you can ensure the wellbeing of your employees…

1. Implement the ‘Thriving at Work’ mental health standards

These include:

• Promoting employee wellbeing by getting senior leaders on board
• Raising awareness about good mental health and wellbeing
• Involving staff in dialogue and decision-making to create a culture of openness
• Encouraging a healthy work-life balance
• Providing opportunities for learning and development
• Offering positive working relationships and social connections

Think about how you will tackle the work-related causes of mental health problems by having regular 1-to-1s with your employees, so they have a safe space to open up about their mental health and upskill line managers by providing training about how to spot signs of poor mental health and wellbeing, propose clear guidelines on managing mental health, also ensure to consult with staff on their working environment preferences. Click here to view the full guide.

2. Use Guides to Wellness Action Plans

Support your team as well as yourself using wellness action plans created by Mind. Once you are aware that you or one of your staff is struggling with their mental health, don’t let it get worse and actively try to work towards better mental health. There are many different plans available for whatever the working situation, including guides for people working in the office, remotely, hybrid working as well as for line managers. The guides contain lots of information about working towards better wellbeing, followed by questions to answer and things to think about. Click here to view the plans.

3. Make appropriate changes

More and more companies are beginning to make adjustments to the working environment to better support their own as well as their employees’ wellbeing. This may include:

• Implementing mental health days
• Flexible working hours
• Early finishes on Fridays
• Allowing staff to work in environments that work best for them – being sure to cater for neurodivergent or disabled employees.

All of these changes can contribute to less burnout experienced by you and your staff, fewer sick days are taken, and a more positive attitude in the workplace which results in everyone being more motivated and productive.