Managers are one of the integral pieces of a functioning business. By strategising, leading, and monitoring the progress of projects, managers can drive their teams toward success. Yet, far too many employees know, managers can also be one of the worst things about working in a company.
Bad managers are absolutely everywhere. Often, while an employee is good at their job, there isn’t a direct correlation between their prior performance and their ability to lead and manage others well. In fact, 85% of managers don’t even get training before assuming the role, which can lead to frustration for all parties involved.
Out of all the impacted parties, employees under a bad manager are often the ones that come off worst. A bad manager can radically decrease employee engagement, with management accounting for around 70% of employee performance. In order to create better workplaces where employees feel supported, we need to lift our managers up.
In this article, we’ll explore how integral managers are in the employee wellbeing balance, demonstrating how businesses can improve their management techniques.
Let’s dive right in.
Focus On Positive Feedback
Beyond just managing projects, one of the core roles that a manager has is inspiring and motivating employees. While everyone has different internal motivating factors, one of the most common ways of boosting engagement at work is through positive feedback. 43% of highly engaged employees receive positive feedback at least once a week.
As a manager, you can create a space where you and your team share positive experiences that you had that week. For example, on Friday morning, you can host a short meeting where you highlight some impressive or positive factors that your employees have shown that week. Selecting people that are doing a good job and telling the whole team about them will give that employee a sense of pride.
Be sure to give space for your employees to highlight their coworkers. Not only does this ensure that everyone has the opportunity to speak and be mentioned, but it also helps to form better coworker relationships. As we’ll discuss later, these relationships can make a huge difference to the overall employee satisfaction within your workplace.
How to use effective communication and office meetings to boost employee wellbeing
Most employees have a fairly negative perception of workplace meetings. With over 50% of meetings being a waste of time, it’s not hard to imagine why. As a manger, it is your responsibility to cut back on the amount of useless meetings you have in a week. There are several ways you can do this, but the best of all is simply by asking for meeting feedback.
After reviewing the feedback from a meeting, if several employees didn’t feel they needed to be there, then cut that meeting. Ask the host to change its format into a text bulletin and save everyone time. Cutting back on meetings will give everyone more time to get their work done, reducing stress and streamlining operations.
What’s more, less meeting time means that managers will have enough spare time to create a 1:1 support meeting. One-to-one meetings allow managers to sit down with an employee in a private space and ask about how they’re coping with work. Using a private office meeting pod can do wonders here, as they create a private space where employees can talk without being overheard.
In these meetings, spend time outlining what the employee is currently doing well. Positive feedback can go a long way to improving employee wellbeing. Also, allow time for them to speak. Ask if they are struggling with the amount of work they have or if you can help make their work life easier.
While the first few of these meetings might feel a little strange, they will soon become a leading force for positivity in the workplace. Managers should lift up their employees, with these sessions being the perfect opportunity to do so. What’s more, they allow you to check in and make sure that an employee isn’t suffering from burnout.
Supporting employee wellbeing through nurturing social relationships
We can all relate to a work experience where we didn’t love the job but loved the people we worked with. Most of the time – in fact, for over 70% of employees – our coworkers are the very best part of our jobs. As a manager, it’s important to understand that the social network of connections within your team will impact everything from employee wellness to engagement rates.
While you cannot directly engineer better connections between employees, you can offer spaces where employees can make their own connections. For example, creating a culture of going for a drink after work or hosting monthly employee activities can make space for communication.
Not all of your employees will naturally want to get involved, but those that do will often find themselves creating friendships with other employees. Over time, these repeated efforts can turn an unfriendly team into one that has a deep network of social connections.
Considering the sheer amount of time we all spend at work, creating a positive culture that’s built on better connections can go a very long way.
Final Thoughts
Managers are one of the most important parts of a successful business. When done well, a management role can help inspire employees, create better workplace connections, and increase employee satisfaction. But, the opposite is more typically the case, with the vast majority of employees suffering under bad management.
Understanding that your employees need support and motivation will help drive your progress as a manager. Over time, you’ll become more effective at empathising with your staff and helping them shine.
The strategies used in this article will help to guide new managers toward a better working structure. From engaging with 1:1 support meetings to changing how a manager communicates with their employees, there are tips for everything. Using this advice, managers can convert themselves into champions for employee wellbeing, engagement, and support.