Demystifying Employee Health Management: Line Managers and Wellbeing at Work

The Ultimate Tool for Business Success

What exactly is health management, and what does it mean? In the case of line managers, health management means taking active measures to facilitate and boost team members’ physical and mental health.

Adopting robust and effective health management standards that care for the overall wellbeing of each individual within an organisation can have far-reaching benefits, improving business operations by optimising employee performance across 4 key areas. These include:

1. Productivity: When line managers help employees boost their mental and physical health and wellbeing, their energy levels, concentration, and focus can all be improved as a direct result of feeling happier and healthier. When employees feel their best, they’ll be able to take on more challenges and deliver their best work.
   In a study carried out by the University of Warwick, researchers found concrete evidence to confirm the link between happiness and healthy lifestyle choices and higher productivity levels. During this experiment, employees who were offered healthy snacks during the working day reported higher levels of positivity and produced significantly better work than those who went without.
2. Engagement: When employees feel that their health and wellbeing is truly prioritised and cared for by their line manager, they’ll have a higher sense of morale and greater motivation to stay focused, complete their work to the best of their ability, and hit their targets. If employees know their line manager has a genuine concern for their health and wellbeing, they’ll feel valued, increasing feelings of fulfilment and satisfaction with their work.
3. Efficiency: A robust health and wellbeing provision can help avoid common workplace issues like stress, anxiety, or physical problems (e.g., back pain from poor DSE set-up) that can affect individuals’ ability to complete their tasks on time and achieve their professional goals. Employees who feel physically and mentally fit will be much better equipped to deliver high-quality work and avoid any mistakes or delays.
4. Positivity: A healthy work culture is a positive work culture, and vice versa. Line managers can play a crucial role in facilitating a robust and continuous culture of wellbeing in the office by implementing health-boosting measures that everyone can benefit from. These could include health education, such as livestreamed/in-person talks and events that promote overall wellbeing. At Thrive4Life we provide Wellbeing Champion training courses to train teams of employees to be champions of workplace physical and mental health and wellbeing. They can spread the word about your wellbeing campaigns and support your healthy workplace culture. It’s these types of measures that help employees feel supported by their manager and the rest of their colleagues. Overall, strong, friendly, and supportive team dynamic is key to creating a positive working environment.

A productive, engaged, and efficient employee who feels they can function at their best in a positive work environment is a recipe for business success. Keep reading to find out how focusing on health and wellbeing can further benefit both employers and employees!

Wellbeing and Work: The Impact on Businesses

Long hours, inflexible targets, unrealistic workloads, and a hostile workplace can all greatly impact a business’ success. Line managers who create a health and wellbeing strategy that effectively looks after employees can avoid all the risks associated with these markers of an unhealthy working environment.

Let’s take a closer look.

There are 3 significant business risks associated with poor health and wellbeing in the workplace. These are:

1. Increased Absenteeism: Absenteeism refers to the habitual practice of employees failing to report for work for extended periods. This persistent absence is often a red flag that signals an employee struggling with their mental and/or physical health. It’s a problem that can seriously impact business operations. According to Public Health England, illness-related absenteeism has an average economic cost of £100 billion every year. To avoid absenteeism and the issues it presents, line managers should help employees navigate and manage their health conditions by making adjustments that help them continue to work in ways which take their health issues into consideration. These alterations might include remote-working options, ensuring team members have ergonomic workstations which help prevent musculoskeletal discomfort/disorders, and providing resources like Thrive4Life’s Health and Wellbeing Discovery Hub – our brand-new e-learning Hub that helps employees look after their health and wellbeing . Putting these measures in place can drastically improve employee wellbeing, helping to avoid absenteeism.
2. Increased Presenteeism: On the other hand, instead of taking time off, a struggling employee might go the other way, coming into work no matter how unwell they feel because of the pressure they feel to complete all their work and prove that they’re 100% dedicated to their role. However, in reality, this behaviour can exacerbate mental and physical health issues, causing individuals to feel less and less motivated and more and more burnt out as time passes. This can mean their work decreases in quality. Therefore, it’s extremely important for line managers to support and encourage employees to take time off if they’re unwell. The bottom line is: working whilst physically or emotionally below par is counterproductive to both employee health and business output.
3. High Employee Turnover: When employees feel that their physical and/or mental health is being compromised or that their existing health conditions are worsening in the office, they’ll be much more likely to want to hand in their notice and look for a new job. One of the main reasons for low retention is showing a lack of concern for employee wellbeing. High staff turnover can also place pressure on line managers, meaning they’ll have to put aside significant amounts of time and resources to replace lost talent. This will impede their ability to focus on achieving their own business targets and output. Therefore, health and wellbeing must be prioritised – it’s one of the best ways to attract and retain top talent.

Wellbeing and Work: The Impact on Employees

Poor employee health management can endanger the health of your organisation, but it can also seriously impact the individual wellbeing and growth of affected employees.

Poor health management can put employees at risk of 3 main problems. These include:

Given its individual and business-wide impact, employee health and wellbeing should be a serious concern for line managers. We’ve covered the risks, but what about the solutions?

Health Promotion and Education: The Best Resources and Frameworks for Line Managers

A healthy work culture creates productive, engaged, efficient, and positive employees, while an unhealthy work culture hinders business success and exacerbates mental and physical health problems for employees. We’ve mentioned how line managers should adopt more effective health management standards, but exactly what steps can they take to implement these?

Thrive4Life’s Top 4 Ultimate Tools and Resources Line Managers Need to Boost Their Employees’ Health and Wellbeing:

1. Employee Health and Wellbeing Discovery Hub: Did you know that we can offer you access to our extensive Health and Wellbeing Discovery Hub, an epicentre of health and wellbeing content, jam-packed with an ever-expanding variety of e-learning health resources? With our Hub’s extensive library of refreshing, interesting content, employees (and line managers!) can improve their awareness of mental and/or physical health issues whilst also learning how to better support their overall wellbeing with articles about nutrition, sleep, exercise, and so much more. The Hub is an accessible, time-saving, all-in-one resource which can be consulted by employees at any time.
2. Risk Assessments: Risk assessments can help line managers gauge how well their physical work spaces and management practices facilitate employee wellbeing, detecting any areas that could be improved.
   At Thrive4Life, we offer one-to-one DSE Workstation Assessments . These are conducted by highly-qualified osteopaths and physiotherapists who can help ensure employees stay free of musculoskeletal discomfort caused by long hours working at a desk. We offer this service online , as well as in-person.
3. Mental Health First Aid Course and Skills Development: Thrive4Life’s Mental Health First Aider course gives lines managers the opportunity to gain an MHFA England accreditation and become first-line mental health support for team members struggling with mental illness. We also offer a follow-up course in Mental Health Skills Development – this can help qualified Mental Health First Aiders further develop their skills and consult professionals for advice and employee mental health management tips.
4. Wellbeing Consultancy: If you require further support and would like organisation-specific guidance to help you create a health and wellbeing strategy that better supports your team’s physical and mental health, we can help. With our highly-experienced professional wellbeing consultants, we’ll work with you to design a bespoke health plan that suits the needs of your team.

In Summary

Employee wellbeing and business success go hand-in-hand, and line managers are critical to this relationship. With a few simple steps and a strong commitment to a healthy work culture, line managers can make a lasting impact on employees’ health and the growth of their organisation. With Thrive4Life’s tools and resources, you can take the first step towards more effective health management today – you’ll never look back.