Employers need to focus more on the positives

The large majority of us tend to focus on what is wrong in our lives, both at home and in the workplace. This needs to change if we are to be successful in creating a positive working environment where people are able to achieve their potential.

Think about what your leaders and managers focus the majority of their time on. You will probably find they give more time and attention to problems, rather than focusing on the positive things that are happening within their team and organisation. For example, managers tend to focus more time on what employees are not doing or what is not being done properly instead of sharing all the positive things that have been achieved.

This happens naturally and is what our mind is trained to do. Think about the ‘fight or flight’ response, our body's automatic response prepares us to fight or run from danger or a threat. But times have changed. We don’t need to be on the look-out for danger in the same way we did years ago.

It is important to remember that problems create problems and therefore focusing all of our attention on what is wrong will have a detrimental effect on business and our employees. It creates a ball of negative energy that just attracts more of the same.

This negative focus will eventually lead to a hostile working environment and a disengaged workforce, which will have a negative impact on both productivity and the happiness of our employees.

It’s time for leaders and managers to take a stand. We need to focus on what is positive within our organisation and training our people to do the same. By this I don’t mean we should ignore problems, I simply mean we need to turn most of our attention to what is good and build on this.

This is not easy and our mind will quite often naturally default back to focus on problems and negative things that surround us. It will take time but this shift needs to happen if we are going to attract and retain the best people and succeed as organisations.

Mind management is at the heart of everything we do.  Crack this, and everything else becomes easy.

Click here for more information about our mind management workshops.

We must help our employees work more smartly

Reports suggest the pressure is on and an increasing workload has left 72 per cent of UK employees having to put in around ten hours extra a week without being compensated, according to recent research from Travelodge.

Whilst working hard is always good, long working hours is not always a good thing and does not necessarily mean an increase in productivity. In fact, long working hours can be counterproductive and have a negative impact on businesses, such as reduced productivity and poor performance.

The key to success is to work smartly. As employers and leaders we need to ensure that we put the right support in place in terms of training, tools and systems to help our employees work smartly.

This does not simply mean providing access to the right IT systems/technology and support functions but there other factors that impact on our effectiveness, such as time management.

Timothy Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Workweek, really put the concept of working smartly to the test when he went from working 80 hours per week to just 4 hours. He says, "By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It's the perfect example of having your cake and eating it, too."

Whilst Ferris has some critics what he really does emphasise is the need to work when you are at your optimum and to focus on the tasks that are going to add most value.

By helping our employees to prioritise tasks effectively, focusing on what will add most value to the business and giving them the skills to manage excess pressure/challenges when they arise we really have the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of our people.

This is not only good for our business, in terms of productivity etc, but it will also improve the wellbeing of our employees and this means improved employee engagement, a nicer working environment and so much more.

To find out how you can help you employees develop mind management practices to improve effectiveness in the workplace click here and sign up to my free 30 minute webinar.

Employee wellbeing – make sure it’s more than a tick box exercise...

Our research, Health and wellbeing at work – where we are at and where we need to be, shows the large majority of employers have wellbeing on their agenda. However, many organisations don’t know where to start or what to do to really improve employee wellbeing and deliver return on investment for their business.

In addition to this, many professionals who are responsible for wellbeing are time poor and have budget restraints. This means welbeing often moves down their list of priorities.

I attended a recent conference focusing on employee wellbeing and two things stood out to me:

1. There are still some organisations that treat wellbeing as a tick box exercise

2. More can be done to deliver return on investment

Let me give you an example...

A senior HR Director talked about his approach to employee wellbeing. He was asked how he got buy-in from those at the top to provide employees with private medical insurance.

He said: “I’m lucky, I don’t have to get buy-in. The directors just get the need for it. They understand the importance of having people in work and therefore understand the need to help those who are off sick get back to work quickly, so I have never needed to make a business case.”

But he then went on to say private medical insurance is very rarely used and claims are very low because of the profile of their workforce.

There we have it. Private medical insurance is not adding real value to this organisation or its employees. In fact, the organisation is wasting thousands of pounds on a service that very few employees will ever need and very few will ever get to benefit from.

Challenge what has been done before
In order to deliver real change we need to move away from treating wellbeing as tickbox exercise or a standalone activity, it is something that needs to be threaded through all talent management activities and that really becomes part of the culture.

It is not enough to simply offer private medical insurance or hold one event or workshop. Only by understanding the challenges your people are facing, such as poor engagement and low energy, can you set your objectives. And these challenges change over time which is why what you offer needs to be reviewed regularly.

In order to influence those at the top and really improve employee wellbeing, HR need to focus on what’s best for employees and what will improve business health.  It is time to challenge what has always been done, review what people related initiatives are in place, start being innovative in our approach to employee wellbeing and not be afraid of change.

To listen to our October 2012 webinar, focusing on practical ways to tackle wellbein, please click here.
 
Please email emma.price@energiseyou.com for a copy of Health and wellbeing at work – where we are at and where we need to be.

Senior executives cannot afford to ignore their own wellbeing

I have been working with senior executives for years now, helping them to improve the wellbeing of their employees and helping them as individuals improve their own health and wellbeing.

Many leaders do recognise the need to invest in the wellbeing of their workforce but all too often they ignore their own needs - this not only has a negative impact on their own health but also the health of their organisation.

It’s true that senior executives are there to lead and need to hold everything together but this does not mean that they should ignore their own wellbeing needs. In fact, Ben Wilmott, Head of Public Policy, at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recently told the Financial Times that it is no longer good enough for senior executives to pass stress on. He said that by failing to deal with their stress this will in turn create a toxic culture and will undermine performance.

I agree with Ben. We know that by improving employee wellbeing organisations can reap the benefits in terms of the increased productivity – individuals are more energised and motivated to achieve goals.

It doesn’t matter whether you are just entering the workplace or whether you are at the very top, the fact of the matter is that someone with more energy and positivity is going to be much more beneficial for the organisation. It is this that has a positive impact on bottom line.

The CIPD’s 2011 Employee Absence survey finds stress is now the top cause of long-term absence and senior executives are not immune to the impact of stress. In fact Michael Sinclair, City-based psychologist and author of Fear and Self Loathing in the City, raises real concerns about the pressure high-flying executives in the City face and the fact more CEOs are being signed off work.

There is a real need to help those at the top as well as the average worker. Individuals, whether they are at the top or bottom of the food chain, can only take such pressure and ignore their own wellbeing for a short period of time before it starts to impact on those around them.

We have all seen it in the press – senior executives burning out. Failing to address the health and wellbeing of those at the very top will have a detrimental affect on the business long-term. By giving those at the top the tools to improve their health and become more resilient they will be in a much stronger position to lead their organisation.

How high-flyers can avoid burnout…

We have all seen it in the press – reports about senior executives burning out. It can be a lonely job at the top and a role that comes with immense pressure. But it is how we manage this pressure that will determine our success.

Once reaching the top things often change. Not only is there more responsibility but colleagues can react differently to you when you move into a leadership position and very few individuals can truly be used as a sounding board. This adds to the pressure.

Also, when you are in a position of leadership and authority you are quite often tasked with having to make difficult decisions. Get it right and you’re doing a great job, get it wrong and your reputation can be tarnished. Unfortunately this is quite often the reality of the corporate world that we live in.

It’s how we as leaders handle this pressure that will lead to the success or failure of a business. All too often we talk about stress – it seems like every other week there is a new report out highlighting increasing levels of stress among managers, leaders and employees.

But let’s face it, if we are honest a little bit of pressure is good. As a leader myself I know that a little bit of pressure can motivate me and give me the drive to achieve great things but I also see it in my team. Pressure of some sort will always exist and it should not be considered a bad thing. What is important is our reaction to it.

As leaders, we need to learn how to deal with this pressure effectively and ensure our employees are able to do the same. Only then will we be successful in creating a resilient workforce.