Article by Polly Joseph, owner of Elevare Learning, a learning, development and well-being consultancy. Polly has worked for Hollywood Bowl Group in recent years as a Talent and Well-being Partner and Mental Health First Aid trainer.
People are the most important asset to any organisation. They are the driving force behind businesses success, vital to every customer interaction, and all aspects of daily operations. Investing in your employees through learning and development, fair remuneration, a relevant benefits package and with a positive work culture is crucial for attracting and retaining talent which is essential for all areas of your business growth.
The Changing Landscape of People Management
The landscape of managing people is continuing to change at a rapid pace and shows no signs of slowing down. Our teams look to their employers to provide a more well-rounded offering these days, including support for well-being and inclusivity. Well-being at work includes supporting not only the physical health of your employees but also their mental and emotional health. Supporting your team and their well-being will improve productivity, and positively affect your company’s financial performance by reducing sickness and team turnover and creating a more stable, reliable and engaged workforce. This is particularly relevant in the fast-paced hospitality industry. Busy shifts, increasing customer demands and changes in technology and systems mean we need a resilient workforce who remain supported and capable.
Workplace Mental Health Statistics You Cannot Ignore
The statistics in this key area speak for themselves. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) one in four of us will experience a mental health issue in any given year. According to the CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) mental health is also the leading cause of long term sickness absence in the UK and the second most common cause of short term absence in the UK too (after coughs and colds).
Building a Supportive and Open Business Culture
It is clear to see that this is an important area for all businesses these days. Your business culture should be carefully communicated through your mission statement, your values, your online presence, your recruitment tools, your company induction, your benefits package and within your internal communications. It is vital to build a culture where there is open and honest communication, where your teams feel psychologically safe and where your managers are trained in leadership & empathy.
Generation Z and the Future Workforce
As more and more of Generation Z (commonly cited as those born between 1997 and 2012) enter the workforce it is also important to consider that different factors can hold different levels of weight to other generations. This will help you to ensure that your offering is going to attract the sorts of people that you need in your business. Gen Z tend to be digital natives and they are the most diverse generation yet. They are often socially and environmentally conscious and they face significant well-being challenges including (but not limited to) stress and anxiety. Gen Z are also often more open to discussing their mental health, seeking therapeutic support and adopting wellness practices.
What Supporting Well-being Means for Your Business
What does this mean for your business? It means that as well as taking the time to build and communicate a positive and supportive culture from the outset (and encouraging healthy coping mechanisms in the workplace), that you need to have some tools in place to support your teams with their mental health. Dependent on budget and on organisational size and structure there are several different options available to you. One basic non-negotiable however is ensuring that each and every employee gets a monthly 1-1 with their manager where well-being is discussed (amongst other key topics). This means that all managers will require some training to ensure they are able to respond to teams in the right way during their 1-1 and to signpost confidently and appropriately for next steps. Empowering and supporting managers with this is an important part of this process. Early intervention is key and so these monthly touch points give the best odds of nipping things in the bud and/or getting people the professional help they need as soon as possible.
Mental Health Support Options for Different Organisation Sizes
For smaller organisations support can be provided by using a freelance Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) but for larger organisations you may wish to consider training up some MHFAs/Well-being Champions (WBCs) for your business. It is key that these MHFAs/WBCs have regular supervision sessions with an experienced MHFA trainer as speaking to multiple colleagues about their mental health can be very draining in itself. Some organisations may also utilise an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24 hour well-being support for their teams and/or a freelance MHFA including particularly complex cases or when senior team are affected.
Monitoring, Measurement and Continuous Improvement
As well as the preventative and the reactive actions there are also other key steps to take such as ensuring that supportive return to work (RTW) meetings are consistent, that phased returns to work are considered and that wellness action plans (WAPs) are utilised and adhered to as is appropriate. Track the reasons for absences so that you can look for patterns and target support, track the cases and calls that the MHFAs/WBCs deal with and stay close to the EAP provider and all the data they will give you. Having mental health advocates who are willing to share their lived experience within the business can also be hugely beneficial and regular engagement surveys to your team (including questions about well-being) will ensure that your teams well-being needs are being met and give people a chance to bring new ideas to the table and talk about how well supported they feel in your workplace.
Can You Afford Not to Support Employee Well-being?
At the start of this article I asked you a question…..’Can you afford to support your team with their well-being in 2026 and beyond?’ I think that question has now changed into ’Can you afford to not support your team with their well-being in 2026 and beyond?’. I firmly believe that any organisation who doesn’t make this a key part of their people strategy going into 2026 will not only get left behind but will also need to spend a lot of money, time and effort on recruiting and training new team rather than truly looking after the well-being of the all important people who already make their business what it is.
Polly Joseph Bio
Polly Joseph is a freelance Well-being, Learning & Development Consultant with almost twenty-five years experience in several fast paced, market leading retail and hospitality businesses. Polly is a MHFA trainer and can offer both freelance MHFA and MHFA supervision sessions. Polly has a huge passion for helping businesses to support their teams well-being and personal development and she prides herself on accessible pricing, blended learning and using her significant lived experience to create fantastic learning experiences.
Check out www.elevarelearning.co.uk, email Polly on polly@elevarelearning.co.uk or give her a ring on 07951591009 to find out more!
