The mental health of workers in the UK appears to be at an all-time low. While this may not come as a surprise to many, companies are finding that the responsibility for addressing this issue is increasingly falling on their managers.
Due to the lack of appropriate professional support frameworks, managers quietly intervene to help their team members in difficulty. Accordingly Research from PerkboxAlmost 9 out of 10 managers feel responsible for the well-being of their team. However, this support comes with significant costs.
Providing emotional support places an additional burden on managers, particularly in a high-pressure business environment. Research from Perkbox found that 73% of managers believe they and their team are expected to do more with fewer resources.
Finding ways to support the mental health of their employees in addition to managing an increasing workload is a painful experience for managers that negatively impacts their own well-being.
Carrying the financial burden
While supporting wellbeing is nothing new for HR and people teams, it is now also becoming a part of the daily work of managers as they increasingly shoulder the burdens of their team members — including financial worries.
In fact, 72% of managers say they are now more concerned about the financial well-being of their team members, while 62% say their teams increasingly need advice on non-work-related issues such as the rising cost of living.
Providing this type of specialist support puts managers in a potentially awkward position as they are forced to give advice in areas where they may not feel qualified. There is also a risk that they may give incorrect or misguided advice. Taking on this additional burden will inevitably have an impact on managers, and it is no wonder that their own well-being will suffer.
First and foremost, companies should address this problem by ensuring that their employees receive fair market wages. Second, it is essential that they recognize the challenges faced by both their employees and their leaders and that they offer solutions and support tailored to individual needs. This leads, for example, to benefits that give employees the freedom to choose the support that they believe will have the greatest impact.
This provides all employees with greater support directly from their employers and reduces pressure on managers to shoulder the care burden.
Inspire it amidst the job crawl
Despite this increasing managerial responsibility, other expectations of the job have not evolved to meet the new tasks that managers are taking on. In fact, 57% of managers say increasing pressure from company leaders has made it significantly more difficult to support their team’s well-being.
In fact, many don’t even receive the training or tools from their employer to support this shift in workplace dynamics.
Some managers have made it their mission to further their education. Over three quarters (77%) say they need to independently acquire new skills and competencies to fulfill their expanded leadership role. Meanwhile, 64% say that although they are expected to provide meaningful wellbeing support to their teams, they are not given the appropriate tools to do so.
Leaders cannot afford to ignore this problem. In addition to adequate pay and a range of benefits for employees, it is crucial to invest in comprehensive training and professional development for supervisors. This commitment benefits everyone by ensuring that managers feel recognized for their increased responsibilities and understand the value of acquiring these new skills.
Every cloud has a silver lining
However, despite the negative effects, there are some positive aspects to this shift supervisor-executive dynamic. In fact, the increase in such personal, open conversations in the workplace has increased feelings of trust between managers and their teams.
This, in turn, has led to stronger and more supportive team dynamics, with almost two-thirds of managers (65%) saying their relationship with their team has improved.
Additionally, managers are interested in continuing to provide this type of personal support to their teams: 61% believe it should be their responsibility to look after their team’s well-being. However, to do this effectively they need to be supported by business leaders.
Managers embrace their new roles and strive to support the well-being of their teams. To maintain this, business leaders must support and reward their managers by implementing effective structures and policies while providing the necessary tools to manage all aspects of their teams’ needs. Importantly, this must be achieved while prioritizing the well-being of the managers themselves.
Companies cannot take the goodwill of their managers for granted because they risk losing it quickly. By acknowledging the job creep that managers experience and taking proactive steps to provide the right support, companies strengthen workplace culture while ensuring that managers and their teams feel recognized and rewarded. Creating a supportive framework for leaders will benefit both employees and the company in the future.
Mona Akiki is Chief People Officer at Perkbox
