roundtable
“I think the stress issue begins and ends with management, who need to take the initiative. That’s because people can be reluctant to put up their hands and say they are stressed as they may worry it is a sign of weakness. Our average number of sick leave days is below the national average and we think that’s a direct result of educating our managers and trying to get ahead of the problem.”
Gawthorne: “We’re driven by sales targets, so stress can be a problem. We provide health and stress training for managers and offer an independent helpline for staff to resolve issues as early as possible.”
Anthony: “We give the issue of wellbeing a lot of thought. Employee mentors keep an eye on things like stress. I know one company that uses in-house consultants to focus on prevention by engaging with staff and suggesting actions they can take. After all, we each have a personal responsibility to keep ourselves fit and healthy.”
Let’s get physical
There’s a growing consensus that a focus on both physical and mental health is essential to corporate culture.
Lashmar: “Fitness is certainly an important element with our employees. But it’s difficult as work demands mean we work long days, making it tough to find time to keep fit. We encourage staff, we offer free healthy lunches, and have a decent amount of space to walk around at the Ageas Bowl and make gym space available as well as organising plenty of events.”
Wood: “I’ve tried a few walking meetings around the perimeter of our business park. They’re good for short catch-up meetings as they stop you deviating from the main points. But it’s hard taking notes.”
Tucker: “We’re based in lovely countryside. Some people go jogging at lunchtime; others stay glued to their desks. You can’t dictate to people.”
Brooking: “Bike schemes are good. We buy the bikes and staff rent them from us.”
Beaven: “We have free fruit delivered and the company sponsors fundraising activities, the biggest of which are the “Great Run” series.”
Anthony: “We have ‘fruity Wednesdays’, offer staff retail vouchers, and a host of other benefits. But the traditional salary/ pension package still seems to be really important to many people.”
Gawthorne: “We try to incentivise people to do more exercise, for example, by supporting charity fundraising activities like running half marathons, bike challenges etc. But equally, we raise money from baking and cake sales. From a company culture perspective, offering a range of
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2018
fundraising events means everyone feels part of doing something good even if physical challenges are not their thing.”
Is presenteeism part of your culture?
Attention turned to the modern-day challenge of people feeling they can’t take time off work. It’s something the panel thought could be addressed by adjusting your culture, with ideas like re-looking at annual leave provision and changing approaches to flexible working. The discussion closed with an exchange of views on what to do when you receive a late-night email from your boss.
Loveless: “One thing people probably value most is their holiday time. Providing more annual leave can have a big positive impact on reducing stress at work.”
Brooking agreed. “We are trying to introduce longer annual leave, but it takes time to change company thinking.”
Beaven: “I am aware that there was a presenteeism survey, which revealed that it was too high in some parts of the business. Emails can be a source of stress and it is important to understand the impact of sending emails late at night; even if we tell people not to read the emails, the mere fact that they have got an email, may distract them from what should be their home time. Technology has ways of ensuring we avoid work distractions when at home. Time away from work and emails is important for mental wellbeing”
Anthony: “There needs to be an understanding that some people work best and are more productive later in the day, so you have to allow for this.”
Gawthorne said: “The challenge is to accept and manage how people work flexibly. One of our directors leaves work every day at 5.30pm. He goes home to put the kids to bed so he can enjoy some quality family time, then he carries on working. You do have to be clear that you don’t expect others to be available in the evening, when they want to be free of work.”
Wood: “The traditional 9-5 working day is dying. I’d say we are in-between in the process of changing to being a more flexible workplace. Our CEO often emails at 3am – but doesn’t expect anyone to respond immediately. People need to make their technology work for them, not the other way around.”
sponsors Simon Wood
Justin Brooking
David Murray
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