Organisational Wellbeing With Kate Flowerdew

Over the last month we have covered insights into how, this year, business needs to adapt and move forward with a positive outlook and renewed energy. Looking forward ourselves, through a series of upcoming insights, we are going to be looking at one of the most important aspects for any business – creating an environment where your team can thrive and ensuring they are functioning to the best of their ability.

In today’s climate, the awareness of how the personal wellbeing of employees (and business owners!) can affect performance, focus, creativity, and productivity is starting to see the attention it deserves, mainly brought abought by the shift to remote working, the added stress we have all had to deal with, and a shift in priorities in the work-life balance for many.

To aid our clients in addressing the future of wellness in the current circumstances and raise wider awareness of just how important personal wellness is to wider organisational health and growth, we spoke with a specialist in the field, Kate Flowerdew, who we work closely with and is exceptionally knowledgeable on the implementation of effective and sustainable wellness initiatives within the workplace.

First off, Kate, tell us a little bit about what you do…

Typically, I work with busy professionals who understand how vital it is to invest in their wellbeing - finding ways to fit it into their busy schedules in a meaningful and sustainable way, and a growing number of organisations that see the benefit of investing in the wellbeing of their employees and understand that a happy, healthy workforce leads to organisational wellbeing (i.e., it’s both a duty of care as well as a return on investment that makes commercial sense to priories workplace wellbeing).  

In short, I help my clients to boost their levels of health, happiness and wellbeing either through coaching, workshops or online resources.

What impacts on business performance have you seen due to remote working and lockdown?

From what I’ve observed the impact has been vast. If we rewind back to pre-pandemic times, many employees wished they had more flexibility to work remotely but it wasn’t considered the norm for the majority of organisations. Could employees be trusted to maintain their productivity and output? Would it be a hassle / too much investment to set workers up at home? There were too many questions and too much risk in many leaders’ minds so remote working was the exception, not the norm. 

Of course, things have changed drastically over the past year and a great many industries have made a quick transition to the work-from-home model wherever it’s been possible. Leaders have been forced to trust employees, IT teams have worked their magic to get everyone set up with the tech they need to operate in a work-from-home setup and tech providers have delivered new and improved solutions to make communication possible. 

I think most would agree that overall, the almost over-night transformation in how we work has been a huge success. From a tech perspective, we have embraced the online model - maintaining team connectivity, client interactions, training programmes and board meetings have all been possible in the virtual world. Whilst we might’ve initially worried about the speed of our internet and whether it might drop out during an important meeting, we now know everyone’s in the same boat. 

From a trust perspective, employees have risen to the challenge and proved they can in fact work with autonomy and deliver quality outcomes. We have adapted well and there’s a lot to be proud about. 

All that said, working from home over such an extended period of time has not been without out its challenges for both employees and for organisations. I’m guessing that even those employees who had previously wished for more flexibility, and organisations with every bit of tech and capability to work from just about anywhere, would all probably agree there’s a better balance to be struck when it comes to optimising the Future of Work. 

In reality, there are lots of aspects of office life that work well and from what I can gather (from conversations with clients across quite a range of industries), the general consensus is a blended approach will be the ideal set up post-pandemic. Whilst the jury is out on what the exact amount of time will be optimum to spend in the office, there is a strong argument that employees attend the office enough of the week to ensure they can spend quality time supporting and collaborating with each other and enjoy the social aspects of office life. There are plenty of benefits for recruiting, onboarding and training when you have the option to utilise the office space. Don’t get me wrong, there are a huge number of examples where these processes are being done exceptionally well, and no doubt, parts of these processes may continue online. I think it’s fair to say most of the people I have spoken to have missed in-person interactions of office life to some degree or another and see the benefits of flexible working that still includes some time in the office.

How can businesses expand their support for the wellbeing of their employees? 

Whilst running wellbeing initiatives can be hugely beneficial as part of a well thought out plan, the biggest mistake I see is organisations approaching wellbeing as a box-ticking activity. “We’ve got this perk or policy so we’ve got wellbeing covered”.  

“My advice would be to take a much more holistic and strategic approach.”

Take the time to understand what your employees really need, build a wellbeing plan around their ideas and empower them to be involved. 

Support your leaders, help them prioritise their wellbeing and become role models. Give them a coaching tool kit so they, in turn, can support each other and their teams more effectively. Get these things right and you’ll create a culture shift that values wellbeing – this is where you’ll start seeing a return on your investment. 

What are your thoughts for the future on the role of personal wellbeing in business?

I think attitudes towards wellbeing have changed quite dramatically in recent years and even more so since the pandemic. We are far more open about our wellbeing, and what challenges us. So, it’s hard for organisations to ignore the role they play and the impact they have. However, as things stand today, the ways in which support is being offered are rarely hitting the mark. 

McKinsey recently published a report highlighting that 96% of companies globally were providing resources to support mental health. However, only one in six employees actually felt supported. There is a big disconnect, so clearly the majority of organisations have some work to do to ensure employees have what they need to feel their wellbeing is being supported. 

I think it’s a challenge the pandemic has amplified but we need to remember it already existed. It would be naïve to think that as soon as we’re past all the lockdowns and restrictions of the pandemic that wellbeing issues will suddenly be resolved. We have a fantastic opportunity now to shape the Future of Work so employees can flourish and thrive and in turn, organisations can benefit from productivity and performance, thus creating organisational wellbeing. 

I believe it will be the leaders that aren’t afraid to ask questions about what wellbeing actually means in their organisation and involve employees to form wellbeing strategies that truly hit the mark and get the results.

We are looking forward to exploring this topic further with Kate and other specialists over the coming weeks – delving into the positive impacts it can have and the different approaches to how businesses and individuals can effectively incorporate mindfulness and wellbeing into their schedules.

If you would like to get our insight on how the shift in candidates’ priorities has affected hiring strategies and employment packages Contact Us and let’s have a chat, and for more information from Kate regarding her services and how best to support your employees – reach out and book a call with Kate at info@kateflowerdew-wellbeing.com.