Welcome to that Wellbeing @ Work Show. Earlier in the year we released a season of episodes that explored in depth the world of workplace wellbeing.  We talked to some of the world’s pre-eminent thinkers to bring you a range of views and opinions.  This compilation episode brings together the key messages from our wellbeing journey.

I start with -award winning psychologist and bestselling author Gethin Nadin who is widely considered as one of the world’s leading employee wellbeing  influencers 

I asked Sandi Wassmer the Chief Executive of the Employer's Network for Equality and Inclusion to explain the link between wellbeing and DE&I.

 Stephen Bevan is Head of HR Research Development at the Institute for Employment Studies. I ask Stephen to explain the difference between employee benefits and wellbeing.

I ask Janet Leighton Timpson’s Director of Happiness about what initiatives Timpson have in place for the cost of living crisis faving workers, what new wellbeing initiatives the firm is working on and the firm’s very public focus on positive mental health provision.

Sam Blevins is the Clinical Health & Wellbeing Development Manager for retail giant the John Lewis Partnership.  I talk to her about the added complexity of introducing wellbeing for front line workers.

Dr Alex Young is a former trauma and orthopaedic surgeon and the founder of Virti a cutting edge technology learning business about the explosion in the amount of wellbeing apps and tech on the market.

Author and Former ad agency boss Nigel Marsh whose TED talk on Worklife balance remains one of the platforms most popular with some six million views responds to my question about whether the change in the relationship many of us had with work duwin g the pandemic would be sustained.

Charlotte Lockhart is co founder and managing director for the 4 Day Week Global campaign, here she explains how the 4 day week works.

Lastly I catch up with Professor Sir Cary Cooper  CBE, the 50th Anniversary Professor of Psychology at Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.  widely considered as the world’s top thinker when it comes to employee wellbeing.I start by asking Professor Cooper if it’s possible for a company to care about shareholder returns and employee wellbeing equally?

There you have it.  Essentially employee wellbeing is now considered a business critical factor. We’ve learnt that wellbeing isnt about juice bars and bean bags but it’s a fundamental approach that looks at job design, the quality of line managers, organisational culture, employee autonomy and of course commitment from the very top ot the orgaisation.  My thanks to all of the guests and contributors to season 1 of That Wellbeing @ Work Show and you can of course listen to all of the episodes in full by visiting https://www.buddyboost.co.uk/podcasts

We’ve almost reached the end of Season 1 of the podcast and thank you for joining me on my journey through the world of employee wellbeing.  We’ve certainly kicked the tyres, looked under the bonnet and challenged some of the orthodoxy surrounding this fast-growing sector.

 So it seems appropriate that my final interview is with an organisation who have placed the wellbeing and welfare of workers at its very core since 1864.

 The John Lewis Partnership is a uniquely employee owned business. What started as an experiment in industrial democracy has grown into one of the UK’s largest retailers spanning department stores, supermarkets and other businesses such as financial services and today employs some 80,000 people who as ‘partners’ have a powerful voice in how the partnership is run.

 Sam Blevins is the organisation’s Clinical Health & Wellbeing Development Manager.  A former A&E nurse, Sam developed a deep interest in Occupational Health and workplace wellbeing leading to her Specialist Community Health Qualification. In her role Sam supports some 1500 internal wellbeing champions tasked with helping deliver engaging, fun and socially led initiatives that contribute to the wellbeing of partners.

Is it fair to say knowledge workers have better access to wellbeing than front line workers? [02:59]
Sam agrees to a point with this statement particularly with regards to organisations who place a lot of their wellbeing services on an intranet which of course front-line workers have limited access to.  The solution therefore is to be more creative and intentional in creating time to communicate to front-line workers.

What is the role of line / people managers in communicating wellbeing? [04:07]
Sam believes that wellbeing is not just an 'add on' discussion and individuals responsible for others really need to 'get it' and in turn this cohort need support in developing the skills to have these conversations.  Sam highlights the role of the 'Wellbeing Champions' deployed across the partnership.

The importance of evidence based wellbeing initiatives [05:57]
Given her professional medical background, Sam agrees that organisations need to evaluate the efficacy of off-the-shelf wellbeing apps.  As she says, it takes 'more than reading a book or attending a one-day course!

Bring your whole self to work? [08:04]
Sam explains that the John Lewis Partnership is committed to psychological safety to ensure that partners are able to be themselves at work and how this link through to the purpose and ethos of the business.

Wellbeing initiatives the whole company can get involved with [09:07]
A challenge with such a diverse business in terms of roles and locations is finding wellbeing initiatives that cut-across such complexity.  Sam outlines the firm's partnership with buddy boost.

Top down bottom up approach [20:02]
Sam explains the importance of the senior leadership team in wellbeing initiatives and how supportive they've been with upping the profile of wellbeing across the partnership.

Financial wellbeing has ramped up! [21:04]
John Lewis Partnership have taken the cost of living crisis very seriously with the firm's senior leadership team keen to explore how the business can help support workers.

John Lewis Partnership - A role model [27:03]
The unique structure of the business means that other organisations are frequently in touch to see how they might model some of the initiatives that JLP are known for.

Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-sam-blevins-6a0120186/
https://www.johnlewis.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk

Are candidates who are job hunting, naive in expecting that every organisation frames wellbeing in exactly the same way?  Is it fair to categorise organisations infamous for their long-hours cultures as bad or toxic cultures? 

This week’s guest argues against this widely accepted orthodoxy. His opinion is that instead of the onus being on the employer to change their culture to fit the candidate, the candidate should instead seek roles that offer the work-life integration they desire.

 William Tincup is the President & Editor at large of Recruiting Daily the world’s number 1 online site for recruitment content.  William is At the intersection of work and technology, he's a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, podcaster & storyteller. William serves on the Board for 20+ HR technology startups. And He's been writing about HR and Recruiting related issues for longer than he cares to disclose. 

 Lastly, the purpose of this show has always been to look under the bonnet of wellbeing and challenge some of the accepted norms. If you disagree with William, tell us why. We’d love too hear from you.  But first have a listen.

How should organisations respond to financial wellbeing? [02:23]
Tincup argues that it's imperative that organisations respond to the cost of living crisis.  He cites a move towards more flexible pay processes such as daily pay instead of weekly or monthly. He also argues the cost of living crisis is an opportunity for HR to get much closer to the employee through a focus on wellbeing.

Leaders need to model behaviour [05.50]
Leaders who display their work ethic by being seen as the first person in and the last person out and expect the same of others are being unreasonable unless of course reward (pay) is equal.

Work-life balance does not exist [06:32]
According to Tincup, there is no such thing as a work-life balance, instead it's trying to integrate the two aspects of your life.  At [07:50], Tincup cites the New York Times article decrying the supposedly poor culture at Amazon. H goes on to say that in most instances work cultures are neither good nor bad - they either fit you or they don't.

The generation gap [10:37]
Gen Z and millennials are Tincup argues, far better at sussing out whether an organisational culture will integrate with their life goals and ambitions.  He believes the pandemic had a major influence on how this cohort thinks about life and work.

The world of work has changed for forever [16:00]
The pandemic Tincup argues has changed the world of work forever.  Many workers now feel enabled to work as they wish to work something that feels was only open to the most talented in a workforce.

Resources;
https://buddyboost.co.uk
https://recruitingdaily.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/

Welcome to That Wellbeing @ Work Show.

 What is the relationship between ED&I and employee wellbeing? Being accepted for our ‘whole selves’ is a central theme of ED&I. It’s a given that when, as employees, we are provided the psychological safety to being our whole selves to work we are more productive, more creative and happier.  We can also reveal our vulnerabilities and fears making us more rounded, understood and accessible to our colleagues.

 Sandi Wassmer is the Chief Executive of the Employer's Network for Equality and Inclusion or enei for short.

Enei supports employers of all shapes and sizes from the Bank of England and Balfour Beatty to Primark and Pfizer, as they embark on their DE&I journey. In this interview, Sandi Wassmer  also describes her own experience of surviving discrimination. She lost her sight in 2008 and suddenly the world saw her and treated her less favourably. However, she credits this devastating blow as giving her renewed energy and enthusiasm to campaign with even greater zeal for a fairer more inclusive and equal workplace.

 What is enei? [01:59]

Sandi Wassmer introduces enei explaining that it’s a membership organisation that supports members on their DE&I journey by offering services such as training and consultancy grounded in the Equality Act 2010 and beyond.

 Isn’t DE&I just a box ticking exercise? [02:55]

As Sandi says, organisations have to start somewhere and she’s comfortable with that. Organisations are at different stages in their evolution and if enei can support organisations move from just compliance with the Equality Act to using it creatively to boost their business that’s great.

 Is there a link between DE&I and employee wellbeing [07:07]

Sandi states the link is absolute. Being able to bring your ‘whole self’ to work because you are working in a psychologically safe space is critical to emotional wellbeing.

 What is psychological safety? [08:28]

An environment without fear or discrimination is how Sandi describes it. Being able to be who you are and being open with your colleagues.

 What can organisations do to foster a sense of psychological safety [09:25]

It’s a leadership thing! Leaders as the top of the business set the culture.  It’s not about having policies and procedures. If DE&I is important to the leadership then it will be part of that organisations’ culture.

 What is culture fit? [17:04]

We discuss ‘culture fit’ during the recruitment process and in particular the rejection of a candidate based upon ‘culture’. Sandi prefers to use the term ‘cultural contribution’ which is grounded in diversity of thought and approach.  She considers the term ‘fit’ as an almost historical term.

What drives Sandi's zeal for equality? [20:45]

In 2008, Sandi Wassmer lost her sight and suddenly the world was a very different place. With such a major change, came a period of grief and anger that slowly moved to acceptance.  This acceptance has led Sandi to discover as she describes the ‘person I always was inside’.  She describes this as her ‘integrated self’ – the same person inside and out.

Resources
https://www.enei.org.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandiwassmer/
https://buddyboost.co.uk

In the first season of That Wellbeing @ Work Show we’ve heard from some of the world’s leading experts in the employee wellbeing space.  So I thought it was time to hear from an organisation whose commitment to creating a happy, inclusive, caring and high-performing culture is lived and breathed from bottom to top!

 Janet Leighton is the superbly titled Director of Happiness at the Timpson Group one of the UK and Ireland’s leading retailers with over 2000 stores and 5000 colleagues.

 This is a fascinating insight into a business who really do put the wellbeing of their employees front and centre yet at the same time instil a high-performance culture that delivers bottom line success.

A very diverse workforce [2:36]
The Timpson Group are one of the largest employers of ex-offenders.  Janet explains that although employing people with a previously troubled background does sometimes come with challenges, the rewards of helping people to turn their lives around is extremely valuable.

Communication is the foundation of our culture [3:34]
Timpson prides itself on having a listing and open communication culture.  Employees are encouraged to share their feelings, emotions and issues.  As Janet explains, the firm may not always be able to solver employee's issues but they will always listen.

Autonomy is key to wellbeing and engagement [5:18]
Janet explains the latitude that employees are given such as setting store opening times and determining prices.  This she argues leads to greater employee engagement and allows the employee to flourish.

Technology to support wellbeing [6:44]
Janet reveals that technology in terms of a branch dashboard is used to 'take the temperature' of how employees are feeling.  Scores (particularly low ones) are fed back to regional management who contact the individual to try and resolve any issues.  As Janet explains the issues often relate to a problems in an individual's personal life that the firm is always happen to help with.

The importance of financial wellbeing [8:10]
Timpson have a substantial wellbeing fund deployed to help employees in financial distress and how important this has become because of the cost of living crisis. Janet explains that supporting employees financially is a win for the firm as happier employees feed directly to the bottom line.

Being kind isn't being soft
Few organisations display the level of kindness to their employees to the same degree as Timpson. Janet argues that kindness is being soft. Timpson expect great things from their employees and kindness is the best motivator.

What makes an attractive employer? [12:09]
Flexibility is key says Janet.  The pandemic has led many employees to re-evaluate their priorities and employers that offer flexibility and autonomy will attract better talent.

Timpson's wellbeing initiatives [13:36]
Janet outlines some of the firms other wellbeing initiatives such as time away for the death of a pet or an additional day off for a child's first day at school or nursery.

Wellbeing starts at the interview [19:14]
Janet explains that their focus on wellbeing and culture begins at the interview by carefully outlining the values of the business and stressing the importance of the behaviours they expect and what the employee can expect in return.

The Timpson University [21:43]
Janet reveals that the company have created a dedicated learning facility whereby colleagues from across the business are encouraged to undertake 13 months of learning in Timpson's philosophy of 'Upside Down Management'.

Resources
https://buddyboost.co.uk
https://www.timpson-group.co.uk

Welcome to that Wellbeing @ Work Show
The world of work has never been so volatile, uncertain and complex.  Seismic changes and trends that would normally take decades to emerge have followed one after the other; Brexit, pandemic, the great resignation, war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis.   The scale of the changes are bewildering to employers and employees.  To make sense of where we find ourselves and offering both encouragement and warning in equal measure is the world’s preeminent authority on organisational culture and employee wellbeing.

 Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE is the 50th Anniversary Professor of Psychology at Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.  He is a founding President of the British Academy of Management and Immediate Past President of the CIPD. Among his many achievements, Professor Cooper is currently the Chair of the National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work and is the author/editor of over 250 books in the field of occupational health psychology, workplace wellbeing  and occupational stress.  

 I don’t like my boss [02:13] Professor Cooper remarks that a significant driver of the so called ‘great resignation’ was in part employee’s dissatisfaction with their boss.  He think this has led some in HR about whether they have right managers or managers with the right skills in place. Sadly he feels too many organisations recruit solely on technical skills and not soft skills or EQ.

What do we do about Millennials and GenZ workers? [04:03 Professor Cooper believes this generation of workers have a very different value set to their parents. Mis-characterised as ‘Snow Flakes’ Professor Cooper argues that this ‘generation’ don’t feel entitled; they're just not prepared to tolerate what their parents tolerated..

 Hybrid working another way [7.14]What is HR’s obsession with numbers of days at home or spent in the office? Professor Cooper takes us back to the psychological contract and tells us to look at this in a different way. Ask the employee what works for them and together agree what’s going to work.  He says this isn’t a big conversation, so why have we made it one?

A new deal for blue-collar workers? [09:09] Many of those in the ‘professional classes’ have enjoyed the ability to work flexibly but what about those jobs that cannot be done from home? Professor Cooper recommends that a new deal such as a 4 day week or a variation of is created to allow these workers some time off.

 Employee wellbeing is not about bean bags [13:26] Bean bags, sushi and ping pong is not employee wellbeing. Employee wellbeing is a major strategic shift. Professor Cooper highlights the NHS where every trust now has an non-executive director responsible for health and wellbeing. At [14:25], Professor Cooper argues for an NED responsible for health and wellbeing appointed to the board of every UK company whatever their size.

 The difference between pressure and stress [18:45] Pressure motivates and stress makes you ill is the simple answer and is witnessed by behaviour change.

 Why don’t business schools teach soft skills? [23:28] Business schools concentrate far too much on teaching technical skills such as the key theories in HR, marketing and accountancy but in the main ignore more experiential leaning that gets individuals to understand their personality and the effect they have on others.

 Recruiting on the wrong skills [26:03] Attending a top business school isn’t a guarantee an individual is going to be any good at managing others. Organisations need to look beyond the technical skills and assess instead an individual’s interpersonal or soft skills.

Resources
https://buddyboost.co.uk
https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/research/health-wellbeing-forum/

In this episode of That Wellbeing @ Work Show, I take a closer look at an innovative employment model that’s growing in popularity around the world.  The 4 Day Week is a reduced-hour working model, which seeks to prioritise working smarter to produce better business productivity and positive employee outcomes such as employee retention, engagement and reduced absence levels - wellbeing in a nutshell!

 Joining me to discuss this growing work-trend is Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global – a not-for-profit community for those individuals and organisations keen to explore new ways of working.

 Charlotte herself is a business advocate, investor and philanthropist. She’s on the board of the  Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University and the advisory boards of the US and Irish campaigns for the 4 Day Week.

How does the 4 Day Week Work? [01:15]

Charlotte explains the principle behind the 4 Day Week. Workers are paid 100% of their wages for only working 80% of the time whilst providing 100% productivity. The idea is to reduce the amount of work time by focusing on productivity. After all if productivity is maintained why should pay be reduced?

 How do businesses boost productivity? [02:11]

Boosting productivity is notoriously difficult. Charlotte explains that within a business environment, the answers are found in the micro-environment; for example how many widgets are produced, how many meetings are called but most importantly work with your employees as they will help you identify time-saving efficiencies.

 Are some employees resistant to change? [07:11]

Charlotte explains that there are always employees who confuse productivity with being ‘busy’ but as she says “busy is not productive” and working 80 hours a week is not a badge of honour. She goes on to explain that millennials and the generations that follow view work in a different way and don’t want to work the hours their parents did.

 Can the 4 Day Week work across all sectors? [20:00]

Yes is the simple answer.  Charlotte gives an example of a bus company in New Zealand where one of the routes operated attracts very few passengers but is convenient for the company to use.  Her argument is that if you talk to your workers and your customers efficiencies can be found that won’t affect the level of service. At [23:01], Charlotte further explains that it’s dangerous to assume that no sector couldn’t benefit from revieing the way work is structured or organised.

 Meetings are the enemy of productivity [24:21]

‘No Agenda No Attender’ is the mantra Charlotte quotes when it comes to meetings.  She explains the changes she made at her own firm to reduce time spent on these fruitless interactions. She further illustrates how people eating lunch at their desk and the use of open plan offices has a detrimental effect on individual productivity.

Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottelockhartnz/
https://www.4dayweek.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk

Welcome to that Wellbeing @ Work Show.

 This week I wanted to look at how organizations instil soft skills behaviour change that actually sticks. Traditional methods of learning such as classroom based learning we know has really limited long-term impact on the way that people behave. Dr. Alex Young is a former trauma and orthopaedic surgeon and the founder of Virti. Virti is a cutting edge technology learning business that uses tech like augmented reality to greatly improve employee engagement and EQ by focusing on human skills, such as empathy. Skills such as empathy we know are so important in creating a well-being culture. Dr. Alex begins the interview by explaining his journey.

 What was the problem you were trying to fix? [02:56]

Dr Alex reveals that during his time as an NHS surgeon he observed many colleagues who were technically very gifted but lacked what he describes as soft skills including leadership, decision making and communication abilities.  It was this lack of embedded soft skills training that often led to conflict or complaints affecting both the wellbeing of the individual and those around them.

 The explosion in wellbeing apps [05:13]

Dr Alex argues that organisations that select off-the-shelf wellbeing apps for employees are probably wasting their money. He encourages leaders and HR managers to get to know their colleagues better and help design wellbeing interventions best tailored to that individual.

 Does the corporate wellbeing market need regulation? [07:42]

Some national healthcare systems such as the NHS in the UK do have their own recommended ‘app store’ whereby some wellbeing apps have been reviewed by medial professionals.  However, the situation is patchy and therefore the corporate wellbeing market does probably need regulation.

 The line manager / worker relationship [09.09]

The thread that runs through much of how we feel about work is the relationship we have with our line manager. Dr Alex agrees and suggests that the pandemic has really had a negative effect on this relationship given many of the interactions have been remote.

 The advantages of using augmented reality in learning [13.03]

Dr Alex explains why technology such as augmented reality is so effective in delivering soft skills training when compared to more traditional methods of learning and some of the conversations he has with clients of his firm Virti.

 Why do we have such an issue with soft skills in the UK? [14.48]

According to Dr Alex, the UK is not alone with having a workforce lacking soft sills such as empathy, communication and leadership.  He suggests that part of this lack of skill can be attributed to the education system that is generally focused on exam results and the social class in which you are born.

 Are soft skills power skills or something else? [18:20]

Dr Alex gives an amusing response to this question and laughs at some of the PR fluff attached to the descriptions.

 Should leaders reveal vulnerability?

Yes is the simple answer. Dr Alex argues that the paternalistic and militaristic view of leadership whereby leaders and managers didn’t share their vulnerabilities is drawing to a close and there is a strength in sharing problems with your team.

Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-f-young/
https://www.virti.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk