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Why this Moment Matters

This is about making time for bonding and energizing moments that support the safe working environment where everyone can be their whole self. Connecting the team members through the human dimension, looking beyond the ‘daily work routines’ will enforce the team cohesion, well-being and performance.

What to do as a leader

• Make it a habit to foresee time and space to connect informally. It can be either on the regular basis (embedded in regular team meetings), either periodically, as a team building;
• Especially when navigating turbulent times, changes or a new team-reality, embedding time together, without a business agenda, is key;

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.

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 Tool that 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, and so on.

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.

Who are the experts? Who can I approach for help?

• Preferred contact persons -  Syensqo Occupational Physicians: Aline Hugé and Ariel Shen
• External psychologist, coach, or any other well-being support (Employee Assistance Program) and hotline 24/7 with our provider Workplace Options)
• Local Occupational Physician/Nurse on your site
• Syensqo Country/zone medical Referent

Training (WIP)

Here you can find training for you and your team to follow:

• Discover Digital Courses

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. 

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 the workload 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?).

Discover and align on the Group's ambition, understand the intent and support your team in the transition, help them to take the best of the transformation. Be the catalyst of the change expected, empower your team and be the role model they hope with the appropriation of the mobile & hybrid working.

Be aware of the challenges these new ways of working could raise for you as a manager. But stay confident in the fact that change can be managed! Your engagement is key.

How about taking a look at the SWOW Wiki page to start the discovery journey?

This award program provides a cash opportunity or Special Recognition Award (SRA) to celebrate success and recognize individuals or teams for achievements that are above and beyond what is normally expected from the role.

What to do as a leader?

• The nomination of the employee is done by the Line manager or Project Manager where the employee directly contributes or Site / Entity Leadership teams;
• This person then submits a request to Service One here (this link takes you directly to the category of "Special payments & deductions").
• If you are accessing this from the Digital Workplace home page then you have to click on "Browse Categories" - click on "Human Resources" - then click on "Pay & Compensation" --> "Special payment & deduction";
• For the approval - this depends on the award amount; small awards are approved by the Line manager. For higher awards - approval of Manager+1 or Head of Entity might be required (see detailed policy below).

Read the policy to find more detailed information on:

• Eligibility;
• Criteria;
• Nomination Process ;
• Amount of the Award;
• Approval Process;
• Communication of Award.

Click here to open the policy.