How Entain is transforming culture with wellbeing training for managers
To deliver great customer experiences, global sports and gaming business Entain knew it had to first deliver great employee experiences. So, in 2020, it partnered with Unmind to support employee wellbeing and prevent burnout.
Industry research shows that manager support is a critical driver of wellbeing and performance. Managers have a powerful influence on organisation-wide wellbeing but, worryingly, two-thirds of managers aren’t equipped to identify or support mental health at work. Without these essential skills, employees are more vulnerable to burnout and less likely to perform at their best.
Entain’s assessments supported this research. In 2022, Entain ran a global wellbeing survey and discovered an eye-opening link between manager conversations and employee burnout. The more regular and open conversations people had with managers, the fewer people suffered burnout.
There was a clear need for wellbeing training for managers. And so Entain’s next step was to roll out Unmind’s Workplace of Tomorrow training course across its global employee population.
“We want to create a culture of psychological safety and trust and Unmind Manager training is a huge step in the right direction,” says Stella Gavinho, Entain’s Group Head of Wellbeing.
On-demand, expert training
Unmind has developed evidence-backed training tailored to the needs of managers.
Workplace of Tomorrow gives managers the skills to:
- Nurture and support their teams.
- Support their own mental health.
- Create lasting positive change in the workplace.
Exclusive virtual events
- In-depth sessions with wellbeing experts.
- Preventative wellbeing content.
Says Gavinho: “It is very easy to say, ‘You should have more conversations’... but you need to give people the skills and confidence to do that. You have to lay the foundations on mental health and give everyone the same basic skills.”
Delivering at scale
Entain needed a global-scale solution that engaged managers. With content aimed at a global audience and a strategic, targeted roll-out, it surpassed industry targets with a 94% global completion rate.
Step 1: Localised launch
- Training delivered first across local retail teams to pilot the programme.
Step 2: Global rollout
- Seamless integration with Entain’s LMS systems.
- 12-month implementation strategy – a tailored launch for each region every one to two months.
- Collaboration between stakeholders, HR teams and comms at every location.
- Flexibility at each location around the time period to complete the training.
Step 3: Monitoring success and engagement
- Unmind’s engagement team supported Entain to deliver personalised campaigns.
- Entain’s people leaders accessed aggregated, anonymised data from Unmind to monitor engagement and training outcomes.
“Having a localised approach to the global rollout of Unmind Manager training was very effective in ensuring everyone was on board and the training had a meaningful impact,” says Jessica Fitz-John, Wellbeing Manager at Entain.
Rapid training, powerful results
In just over an hour of online training sessions, managers increased effective behaviour (33%), confidence (14%) and knowledge (13%).
Of the 3,000 Entain managers who completed the training and their teams, 97% said they found it helpful and, most importantly, 73% took action after the training.
By engaging in behaviour to prioritise both their own mental health and their team’s wellbeing, managers have a significant influence on the organisation’s performance and engagement.
Next steps
After the rollout’s success, Unmind Manager training is now seen as a key part of Entain’s manager development. Putting these skills into practice, Entain is further embedding wellbeing into its culture by including wellbeing conversations with employees and ensuring managers put the skills learned into practice on a regular basis.
Says Gavinho: “Our plans involve fostering a culture of psychological safety within our teams. We see Unmind as a vital component for creating a supportive and healthy work environment, and we look forward to working with Unmind to further cultivate this aspect of our culture.”
In partnership with Unmind
Our vision is to create a world where mental health is universally understood, nurtured&celebrated.
