Better Life at work is a holistic approach to improving the quality of life for all employees. This includes various aspects. Better Life at Work is part of our sustainability strategy, and includes not only well-being at work, but also diversity, equity, inclusion, benefits, and other
What is Well-being at Work?
Well-Being at Work is a holistic concept which relates to all aspects of the working life that ensures workers are safe, physically and mentally healthy, satisfied, engaged and efficient.
"Taking into account the physical and emotional well-being of our co-workers: this is the new concept of success".
Syensqo offers a range of preventive activities to preserve physical and mental health. In this win-win strategy, wellbeing is clearly beneficial for employees and society, but can also reduce the significant costs of absence and employee turnover. Providing support at earlier, preventative stages of the employee journey may deliver a better average return on investment. Addressing well-being at work increases Talent attraction, Talent retention and productivity by as much as 12%. Read more below.
Managers have responsibilities and impact. The topic is complex : it is not only about preventing the negative, minimizing the risk factors of stress, but above all actively generating Wellbeing at work through positive practices.
Positive effects of “Well-treating” managerial practices on well-being at work are well known: support from the supervisor, transparent communication, organizational justice, fair repartition of roles and workload, quality of the relationship between leader and team members, inspiring, role model, appreciative and realistic optimist all contribute to creating a positive atmosphere.
Today's managers are more like coaches, with encouraging words instead of directive authority and control, empowering, developing and stimulating team members, while trusting them and giving them autonomy and recognition.
In this section, managers will learn about how their role can lead to a better life at work.
What will I find in this article?
In this section, you will find more information about the ways to support employee’s wellbeing as a manager, both to face existing problematic situations and acting preventively.
It includes how to be attentive to mental health and wellbeing at work, how to detect early signs of distress or fatigue, which initiatives can be taken, who are the contacts persons in the company to help employees having difficulties, what are your responsibilities and their limits, and where/from whom you can get support.
In addition to detecting signs of discomfort and taking action in the event of problems, you'll learn about the elements that contribute to generating employee well-being: good managerial behavior, attitudes, organizational work factors, ways to improve performance and commitment by keeping employees motivated and fulfilled.
1. What can I do as a manager for my team?
As a manager, you have a duty to look after and take care of your team. To do this, you have various tools at your disposal.
Prevention
You have the power to take action in terms of prevention.
Define clear role : what’s in and out of your scope
setting clear and achievable objectives for each member of your team.
it is imperative to establish a communication relationship with them, allowing for feedback and formal or more informal exchanges. In this way, your team members will dare to come and talk to you if they encounter a problem or difficulty.
You can also help to increase your employee's resources by providing support, recognition, constructive feedback, participation, skills and coaching.
On the other hand, attention must also be paid to reducing job demands and risk factors, such as:
Work overload, Mental overload
Emotional overload, Emotional dissonance
Role ambiguity, Role conflict
Routine
Mobbing, interpersonal conflicts
Uncertainty
Lack of adequate tool
Practical Tools
You have the following resources at your disposal
Pulse surveys: conducted three times a year, these surveys will help us assess our well-being at work.
Promoting these surveys is crucial to achieve a high response rate and obtain a comprehensive overview.
Discussing your team's results is important to better understand them and decide on an action to implement.
Workload Assessment Toolthat can help in the dialogue between employee and manager about the topic
The Employee Assistance Program:in this program, you can access a specific “Manager assist” program. In this program, you can have an UNLIMITED number of sessions to help you as a manager. For example, if you want to know how to do the year-end assessment. If you want help to announce difficult news. If you need to deal with conflicts,...
Warning Signs
If you detect negative changes, no matter how small, lasting more than 15 days in the following areas:
Mood (angry, sad, etc.)
Behaviors (isolation, etc.)
Performance (working as always but with lower efficacy)
Lifestyle (diet, sleep, schedule, etc.)
Open a discussion with your employees to suggest them discussing the matter further with an expert.
It's impossible to live without stress. We all experience stress, and that's perfectly normal. Stress is a natural process that can be positive, also known as positive stress or Eustress: for example, when you are challenged and have to step out of your comfort zone, but this will help you to acquire skills, evolve and grow.
Negative stress or Distress: stress becomes negative when you are exposed for too long to a period of stress, challenge or uncertainty, without any period of rest. Rest can be a stress-free period, such as doing things well, or receiving recognition, even if you fail in your challenge (and it can happen!). If you have the support of your manager, your colleagues, your customers, to do better next time, and there are no reprisals, stress won't become negative.
When should I worry about my employees' stress levels? How do I know when stress is becoming negative?
If the employee can no longer organize or prioritize. They are more sensitive, change their behavior (arrive more often late or much earlier, stand aside or express themselves much more frequently, seem much more tired, etc). They're still working hard, but less efficiently (lower performance). And these changes last for more than 15 days.
3. What is burnout and how to identify it?
Burnout is the result of a long process linked to an accumulation of stress, the main source of which is work. Burnout is the result of significant and/or recurrent stress factors, without sufficient resources to cope (relaxation period, recognition). A number of symptoms can then be observed and should sound the alarm, such as concentration problems, reduced performance, fatigue, mood disorders, cynicism, detachment, an inability to act, or over-commitment to work that doesn't necessarily lead to the expected results.
To avoid negative stress and burn out, you can take preventive action :
Avoid work overload, Mental overload, Emotional overload - assess them using theworkload assessment tool
Clearly define the role to avoid ambiguity with team members or customers.
If someone has a dotted reporting line or works closely with other teams, make sure there is no role conflict. Be aware of the workload and responsibilities. Communicate regularly with the other team/manager.
Ensure that employees can nurture themselves, continue to learn and grow personally.
Pay close attention to all forms of harassment, mobbing, interpersonal conflicts and relationships at work.
Be as transparent as possible and clearly inform employees of the reasons behind any changes to avoid uncertainty. Even in the case of bad news, if employees understand why, it will be easier for them to accept decisions (even if they do not agree with said decisions).
You can also use the available resources (under Practical Tools) or contact experts (under Who are the experts? Who can I approach for help?).
