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Employee Engagement Series: Healthy Engagement

There are many things that can boost employee engagement and one is how well you support the health and wellbeing of your workforce.

Much broader than just encouraging healthy eating and physical fitness, research has found that employers consider health and wellbeing to cover issues such as stress, security and morale.

But a key determinant of people’s wellbeing is alsohow well they are managed and supported – and this is where one of the strongest links to successful employee engagement lies.

This is because the way people are managed on a daily basis is crucial in supporting their health and wellbeing – and therefore can dictate how motivated, engaged and enthused they are in their work.

Managers – as leaders, coaches and role models – play a vital role in establishing your culture and as such they can influence your engagement levels – both positively and negatively. You only need to read a Dilbert comic strip to get the gist!

So in order to help your managers make their impact as positive as possible and for them to deal confidently with health and wellbeing issues – from sickness absence to alcohol abuse, remote working to rehabilitation – managers need to be clear about what is expected of them and made aware of the tools and support that are available to them.

Then you will be well on your way to healthy engagement!

Want to find out more? Why not come along to our Health & Wellbeing Awareness Session where you can also find out about the Health & Wellbeing Good Practice Award from Investors in People too. Click here for more information.

Things to consider when promoting supportive management & healthy engagement:

• Remember that the little things mean a lot – from saying ‘thank you’ regularly to being more flexible should employees need to visit sick relatives or attend family appointments, the little things can mean a lot – and can help to develop a nurturing culture where employees show greater commitment and enthusiasm

• Involve your people in operational decisions – when decisions are being made that could affect people’s health and wellbeing, make sure you involve all the experts and enthusiasts in your organisation

• Remember health and wellbeing in performance reviews – when setting objectives, consider the impact of people’s work on their health and wellbeing and what support or flexibility they might need to achieve objectives

• Look at your capability or competence framework – it’s a good idea to extend your management competencies framework to include the behaviours expected from managers to support health and wellbeing within their team

• Give positive feedback – praise and reward achievements, letting people know what they have done well

• Make time for individual discussions – provide regular opportunities for one to ones, be flexible and understand

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by idg .