Six Leadership Practices that Support Employee Well-being and a Thriving Culture

In our constantly evolving workplaces, there is one area that organizations should prioritize as a strategic focus to attract and retain the best talent: Well-being.

Well-being is a state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy. A feeling of fulfillment, satisfaction with life, and positive functioning.

The pandemic has taken a toll on the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of many employees. That’s why well-being will continue to be an extremely important element to focus on to keep highly engaged, productive employees.  

There are two elements of well-being: personal and organizational.

Personal well-being includes the flexibility and freedom to enjoy life outside of work; including healthy boundaries, greater involvement with family and children, time to rest and rejuvenate, and recreation. Companies that expect employees to be responsive and available on weekends and vacations, insist on employees being in an office five days a week, and care about results at the expense of people will struggle to stay in business.

Organizational well-being includes an enjoyable work environment and culture, a meaningful and fulfilling position, a manager and colleagues who are supportive, development and opportunities for growth, and the ability to be authentic and use your strengths at work.  

Gone are the days of staying at one employer your entire career to collect a pension and a gold watch. Today’s employees don’t want to work long hours at the expense of their personal lives. They want work that supports and contributes to their personal well-being.

Employees want to actually enjoy and feel fulfilled by their work, and work with leaders who appreciate and acknowledge their contributions.

Well-being is beyond wellness programs and employee assistance programs. These programs are beneficial and contribute to and support well-being in the workplace, but the most important influence on an employee’s experience at work is their direct manager.

As an organization, well-being should be a strategic priority.

There are two important elements that impact well-being that, if practiced, can significantly increase employee well-being and engagement:

1. A rigorous focus on management quality.

Companies that employ transactional managers who micromanage and believe a paycheck is a reward for work, who don’t prioritize coaching and developing employees, and who don’t model healthy boundaries at work, will increasingly struggle to keep exceptional employees. A toxic, demanding boss does not cultivate positive functioning.

The practice of promoting employees to leadership positions based solely on technical proficiency will negatively impact employee well-being and your culture. One of the best practices you can implement company wide is to only promote for leadership qualities, and ensure you are promoting employees who can be successful in leadership roles. This includes preparing and training employees before they become leaders.

Equally important, is providing training and coaching to managers who have not evolved their leadership and continue to employ a transactional management style. It takes a much higher level of skills and competencies to be an effective leader in today’s environment, and executives must proactively coach managers who have not evolved, and take action if progress is not made.

2. An evaluation of resources.

As organizations have become more complex, there is a tendency to require employees to do more with less. This is a slippery slope, and often can result in employees feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. One of the biggest contributors to this is not evaluating resources during the strategic planning process.

Many organizations create lofty goals for the year without properly evaluating the contingencies, resources, and scope of projects. The result is an overwhelmed organization that struggles to achieve results. Taking the time to evaluate resources during the strategic planning process ensures your organization can allocate resources appropriately and achieve exceptional results, without undue stress and overwhelm.  

From an individual leadership perspective, the following four practices will support your team and create a culture where employees can bring their best effort each day:

1. Schedule regular check-in meetings.

It’s a simple practice, yet I am surprised by how many leaders don’t schedule regular meetings with their employees. This structure is a great way to not only check-in with employees, but also to create connection. When designed correctly, a one-on-one meeting can be meaningful time together to share updates, feedback, support, and provide coaching and development for each team member. Having regular connection points increases engagement and productivity.  

2. Encourage and model boundaries

‍I wrote a whole blog post on boundaries, with examples of how boundaries protect our time and energy, and help you work at our best. Taking breaks throughout the day, disconnecting on weekends and vacations, and scheduling blocks of time on your calendar to focus on high value tasks are examples of boundaries. Parkinson’s law tells us that work tends to fill up the time we allot it.

Compressing your workday (leaving by a reasonable time) encourages focus and productivity. The most successful leaders understand that they won’t get everything done. Our job is to stay on top of the most important key result areas of our job for maximum results. When you practice boundaries, you model for your employees a healthy work life balance that allows time for rest and rejuvenation and fosters each person to bring their best energy to work each day.  

3. Priority plan what’s important

‍Most leaders are so focused on projects and tasks, that they struggle to find time for coaching and developing their team, providing meaningful feedback, and demonstrating appreciation. Yet these are precisely the leadership practices that are most important for creating a high performing team and a thriving culture.

A best practice is to do what I call Priority Planning—putting important practices on your calendar ahead of time so they become a priority in your day. Examples of activities to Priority Plan include scheduling recurring coaching sessions with each team member, time for strategic thinking and planning, vacations, doctor appointments, important children’s events, and blocks of time for focused work on projects. All of these ensure that you prioritize important leadership practices that contribute to results and well-being.  

4. Prioritize appreciation and connection

‍One of the top reason’s employees leave their companies is a lack of appreciation for great work. Leaders have complex and demanding jobs, and it can feel challenging to focus on people and results. To cultivate an environment of well-being and positive engagement, leaders need to be intentional with specific, meaningful feedback and appreciation.

A handwritten note, a small and meaningful gift, and quality time with your team are simple ways to demonstrate appreciation.  

To create an exceptional culture, leaders should care about the whole person - not just work performance - and prioritize personal and organizational well-being. Not only will you create a culture where employees bring their best energy, effort, and engagement to work each day, but your company will also achieve significant results.

How will you begin or continue to promote your teams' or employees' well-being? Comment below!

By the way, leaders, the performance evaluation process is upon us. It’s underestimated how impactful they can be! When you handle performance evaluations in a thoughtful and proactive way, it’s a great way to set up the next year with your employee.

Have a positive conversation about next year to support their feelings of wellbeing and encourage a connection to you & your organization. Here are a couple blog posts to help you prepare:  

1. How to Write Effective, Meaningful Performance Evaluations

2. How to Hold a Performance Review Meeting that Inspires and Motivates

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