From the course: How to Support Your Employees' Well-Being

How to positively impact your employees' experience at work

From the course: How to Support Your Employees' Well-Being

How to positively impact your employees' experience at work

- If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the lines between work and life have blurred. This is about acknowledging the fact that employees are human, and managers must make specific steps to support the human side of business. As a manager, you play a central role in creating a work environment that promotes general well-being in your team. When I think of the traits of a good manager, effective coaching and quality communication are key traits. And I'm not alone. Google conducted a five-year study of hundreds of internal Google teams, and those two traits were among the top attributes. Several of these behaviors are underpinned by a similar neural process, for example, the involvement of the attentional network or the prosocial effects of oxytocin, which is why we suggest you focus on coaching and communication. A good coach asks quality questions. They see people. They're skilled at directing their attention to the things that will be of greatest benefit. At times, their questions might prompt reflections around self-care. At other times, it might challenge effort and drive. Part of being a good coach is trusting and empowering your team. Coaching is my number one skill for managers to develop and to use daily. When done well, it does almost everything that you need to create a continuously developing healthy neural environment that can deliver top results. Communication is the next important tool that often has some gaps in for managers. Managers who are going to support well-being need to foster a really high level of trust, and that's built through quality communication. Get crystal clear on the results that you're looking to achieve. Be transparent in identifying tasks and setting goals. Delegate work effectively. Build empathy among teammates through creating opportunities for people to build relationships with each other. These don't all have to be big opportunities. Encouraging individuals to reach out to others in small ways can offer the same benefits. People often know how they like to connect with others, whether they prefer a big event or to suggest to their desk neighbor they need to go for a walk at lunch. We just need organizations and cultures that value connecting. The next piece of the puzzle when you look at neuroscience is engagement. Many managers ask questions about how they can motivate their people. An engaged brain is likely, not guaranteed, but more likely to be a healthy brain. When a person is engaged, then you can partner with them more easily to address any challenges in well-being or performance. Remember the story of President Kennedy's visit to the NASA Space Center in 1962? He noticed a janitor carrying a broom, and he walked over to the man and said, "Hi, I'm Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?" And the janitor responded, "I'm helping put a man on the moon, Mr. President." For employees to have that level of connection with the contribution that they're making is a wonderful thing. We know from science that when people are connected to their contribution, their brains are more likely to release this boost of dopamine, which in turn can help them to perform better, a positive cycle of feedback, positivity, and productivity. Focus on creating an environment where your people can engage and are supported and mentally stimulated. Did you know, the way that you express yourself at work can be contagious to your team, for better or for worse? People think of contagious emotions, such as happiness, but there are many other forms of emotional and behavioral contagion that impact the well-being and performance of your team. Take confidence, for example. Evidence shows that confidence is contagious and that the number one driver for building a high level of confidence within a team is the manager. Or kindness and gratitude, two important elements for creating a culture of well-being and psychological safety, are also shown to be contagious, sparking this upward spiral of prosociality within your team and the wider organization. Create routines, habits, rituals, anything that helps you get in the best state you can possibly be in. This extends to your well-being too. Research shows that the well-being of the parents directly affects the well-being of their children. And although your team aren't quite like family, whether that's good news or not to you, the same principles apply. A recent poll by Gallup shows that there's a 15% greater likelihood that your team will be thriving in their well-being if you as their manager are also thriving. Keep the focus on the pillars that create the most helpful neural environment for your people is really important. If you can see lots of challenges in your team right now, just pick one tool to start working with.

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