Welcome to this edition of Dale in Digital where we will focus on wellbeing and resilience.
Research from the Northern Health Science Alliance reveals that COVID-19 has hit the North of England hardest. As we enter another period of lockdown, leaders will need to refocus on the impact these fresh restrictions will have on our teams.
Fortunately, in most of our conversations, it seems that this lockdown is more of a ripple than a tidal wave and recent challenges have served to embed new ways of working. Equally, this latest blip creates a fresh opportunity to equip managers and teams with strategies to support and maintain wellbeing.
Here are some ideas that leaders can apply to help maintain a healthy and positive workforce.
Develop a Plan
A 2020 CIPD report showed that private and non-profit sectors are more likely to take an ad-hoc approach to well-being vs. their public sector counterparts. Everyone needs a plan, no matter how simple. Taking a proactive approach with senior leaders to outline a wellbeing strategy will get you one step ahead of potential negative eventualities.
Walk it off and throw down a challenge
With less daylight, taking exercise in daytime hours is crucial. You could consider holding online team meetings ‘on the hoof’ via smart phones, start a monthly ‘step counting’ challenge for your team, try each other’s recipes, or going vegan. You could even start a book club – anything that opens conversations, builds morale and laughter is fair game.
The Chatty Challenge
At Dale Carnegie Northern England, we found ourselves missing non-work-related chats. Online group calls are great, but do not always provide opportunities for 1-2-1 ‘coffee shop’ interaction. So, each week, we draw names and pair-up people who will have a call together for a good old catch-up. We have found this to be a proactive way to boost morale and get people talking and interacting.
Send a note
How often do you get something in the post that is not a bill? Consider sending out a note or card to thank your team members for their resilience and hard work. It is often the little things that mean the most.
Develop your managers
Managers are our most effective resource for maintaining wellbeing and building and maintaining trust, morale, and that feeling of support. They need to be able to recognise when people are struggling and have the skills to help lead and coach in difficult situations, enabling them to give their best to people, and the business.
Invest in your team
As our Thought Leadership team discovered, ‘Research shows that top talent won’t stay if they don’t feel they are getting the chance to grow their professional skills at work’ and ‘interpersonal skills continue to be identified as among the most valuable since they underpin employee engagement, resilience and organisational agility.’
Tough times can create fertile ground for personal growth and business innovation. For our teams, feeling valued, and having a sense of career progression matters. Investing in teams highlights your commitment to their long-term future with your company.
In the rest of the newsletter you can find resources to help people to thrive and stay healthy. In addition to this you can access the well-being blogs on our website by clicking here.
Enjoy.
Juliette Dennett
Managing Director