It’s OK not to be OK....

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) hosted a webinar on 14 April 2021 discussing the issue of Wellbeing. It is a topic firmly on the CMI agenda, in fact 72% of employees have rated this as their top priority for 2021.

Key messages from the webinar were:

· Wellbeing has to be driven by leaders.

· It is the right thing to do…. and makes financial sense. Recent research from Deloitte has shown that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion per year.

· Communication is key – make sure the services you offer are accessible.

· There is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health – if you are able to offer an anonymous service, this will help.

· Help your managers feel comfortable with wellbeing conversations:

o Encourage empathy

o It can be as simple as ‘How are you?’ and ask again if you are picking up signals that everything is not OK.

o Managers shouldn’t think they have ‘fix’ everything. You wouldn’t expect to fix someone if they had a broken leg; think about wellbeing in the same way. Sometimes a conversation is enough or just giving someone the space/time/support to work through things themselves.

· Managers must ensure that they ‘put on their own oxygen masks first’. They must look after themselves and be the role model for their people to follow.

· Especially as we come out of lockdown, organisations should go back to basics – focus on their purpose, values and vision. Is everyone aligned? It is absolutely essential to ensure that everyone is connected in a shared journey.