What kind of leader are you? Liberal and laid back? Micromanager? Helicopter hoverer? What about your heart: does that come into play? How about empathy? Are you compassionate? Approachable? Have you ever really thought about it?

If not, now is a great time to start. Because as more and more of us struggle with our mental health in lockdown 3.0, more and more leaders are beginning to recognise their responsibility for employee wellbeing.

People deliver their best work when they’re content

A recent Fortune/Deliotte CEO survey revealed that leaders are looking to 2021 with renewed optimism; all good stuff, but CEOs need to focus on instilling this same optimism and positivity into the rest of the workforce. Encouragingly: “An overwhelming majority of CEOs (98%) agreed that employee mental health and well-being will continue to be a priority even after the pandemic is resolved.”

We know you can’t wave a magic wand and just make people happy; you’re not Santa. But as a leader, you know that people deliver their best work when they’re feeling contented, comfortable, and accepted at work; when they’re not worried about redundancy; when they’re working in a psychologically safe environment. And these are all things you can influence.

When Form Founder Rob Stephenson recently chatted to Amanda Mackenzie, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, on the Form Guide Podcast, he made a beautiful observation: this is one of those rare times when the business case for something is in perfect harmony with it being the right thing to do.

Leading with heart and humanity makes great business sense, but you’ll also be doing an awful lot of good in the world; even if that world is a team of ten people.

Real-life examples of great leadership

There’s an encouraging amount of compassionate-minded organisations taking the opportunity to do better by their people – perfectly illustrated by Amanda Mackenzie:

1. Morrison’s has developed a hardship fund for their hardest-hit workers

2. Santander has made a psychologist available to its employees 24/7

3. Lloyds has set up safe places for their people to go to at night if they’re not psychically or mentally safe at home

And then there are the businesses introducing ‘wellness hours’, where no calls are allowed and a walk in nature is the order of the day; the CEOs delivering sessions on kindness and wellbeing; the leaders introducing 25-minute meetings instead of 30, so their team can make a cuppa or get their steps in. Little things that make a huge difference; especially if people are stressed out, or struggling to cope.

You see, choosing not to take heed of employee wellbeing doesn’t make it go away: it simply takes an opportunity and turns it into a problem.

The impact of bad leadership

I always like to draw on real-life examples: I have plenty of them for one thing (mainly because a lot of people talk to me; probably because I overshare), and I do think they add a certain something when I’m over here trying to make a good case. So here goes.

A close friend of mine recently quit her job. She’s incredibly hard-working, ambitious, and focused, but the recognition was non-existent. She was getting hounded at night about things that could wait until the next day. She was being belittled by stressed-out managers, who were cascading problems with no understanding.

She called me today and said: “I’ve lost all motivation; I’ve lost all enjoyment in my job. What if I feel the same about my next job?” (She’s got a new role in a smaller, more people-focused company).

So I was there to offer words of encouragement: you won’t feel the same. And they weren’t empty words. You know why? Because that’s not her. The lack of motivation isn’t her. The absence of job satisfaction isn’t her. The drop in productivity isn’t her.

It’s a result of poor and abrasive management styles; because that’s the real impact of bad leadership.

Leadership-focused wellbeing tips

• Diarise a ‘wellness hour’ for your employees; no meetings allowed!

• Talk about your own challenges; you’ll pave the way for others

• Let your employees see your softer side

• Arrange regular check-ins, and don’t just talk about work

• Ask people how things are at home; how they’re coping with lockdown

• Show compassion when things go wrong

• Encourage your team to arrange virtual coffee breaks together

• Watch out for cues that someone on your team could be struggling 

• Make meetings 25 minutes long instead of 30

• Be genuine and authentic when you talk to your team

• Open up about your own mental health; let’s smash that stigma

Creating connections for a brighter future

We might not be commuting at the moment, but we’re working longer hours; we’re not getting out as much; we’re isolated, and we’re all a bit lonely. So how we’re treated at work carries even more clout than it did pre-pandemic.

How leaders choose to connect with their people will be the difference between employees who are raring to go, and employees who are running out the door. So be thoughtful in how you connect. Think about the impact your words have. Consider ways you can make work more fulfilling.

Remember that your people are, well, people. Humans. Fathers; mothers; daughters; sons; sisters; brothers; friends. That they have lives out of work, and that when they let the ball drop (as all humans do), they might just need a bit of compassion, rather than a late-night hounding.

Article by Emma Attenborough-Sergeant, The Wellness Writer.

With a passion for mental health and wellbeing, Emma set up The Wellness Writer to help leaders and organisations improve culture and engagement through relatable wellness content.