Six pillars of employee wellbeing series - support
‘Support’ is a broad area which encompasses employees requiring training in order to fulfil the duties of their role, as well as covering employees who are having a hard time and need the support and understanding of their employer to help them to get through a particularly difficult period of time. Each of these different variations of support are equally important and can have an impact on an employee’s wellbeing.
I think it is true to say that all employers want to provide some form of support network to their employees. You can see ample evidence of this through the provision of employee assistance programs and employee training initiatives, as well as discretionary absence for certain issues such as bereavement. However in reality these ‘policies’ (for want of a better word) are only part of the solution, and it would seem that managers are fast becoming the most important aspect of effective employee support.
I believe that these days managers are required to be much more than work supervisors and the approvers of holiday - they are on the front line dealing with employees personal issues, employer and employee disputes as well as short and long-term illnesses. Not only are they expected to deal with these issues, they are required to pick up on them quickly and before they manifest into something more serious. It begs the question - can we honestly say that we all provide our managers with the ‘support’ and training they need in order to fulfil this aspect of their role? Some do, many don’t, and I for one could use some more training in this.
In terms of professional training the opposite is true, most companies are very good at identifying training needs and sourcing appropriate training for their employees. Of course, the reason for this is clear - it has a tangible benefit to their business - the better qualified, the better service and in some cases the higher the hourly rate.
However the same is true for emotional and physical support. If employees are struggling with personal issues or if they have problems with a colleague it will impact on their productivity and their engagement - surely that is a damaging situation with wide-reaching implications for any business, and something they would be keen to avoid?
Aside from manager training I think we need to be more open and aim to create an environment where our employees feel comfortable and willing enough to discuss their problems. In this ‘new world’, managers would then be able to concentrate on providing support through relevant channels already in place, and which they are fully trained in. Couple this with champions in HR and even Occupational Health and you can have a true support network that can be attentive in its support. This is the type of company that we should all aspire to work for.
This article was supplied by Barnett Waddingham.
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