Employee Mental Health: A Ticking Time Bomb?

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anxiety, benefits, city mental health alliance, depression, Employee mental health, Executive Coaching, HR consultancy, human resources, policy, stress, training, work/life balance

Employee mental health isn’t a term you commonly hear in the corridors of your average office. It can be complicated, a bit of a taboo and above all not many will admit to suffering from it. But it’s a good time of year to be talking about employee health – both mental and physical. A new year will bring new resolutions about how many will want to improve or change their lives for more of a work/life balance to being fitter, eating and drinking less. Some will make the change, but some won’t and will trot out the annual good intentions that always fail to materialize.

Employers usually have a raft of employee benefits that are provided to help keep you on the straight and narrow, or so one would believe. But one area that employers are less able, or even willing to speak about, is mental health and the impact that ‘business’ sometimes has on an employee’s state of mind. Our deeply entrenched ‘stiff upper lip’, often worn with pride in the U.K, means stress or other health issues relating to our mental state is something we shouldn’t really talk about unless we are really really suffering.

However, according to the relatively newly established ‘City Mental Health Alliance’ there are some serious statistics that need to be heard. The City Mental Health Alliance was set up to address the increasing problem of mental health issues in city workers. A number of banks (including those that have suffered employee suicides as a result of workplace stress) have signed up as members in order to make it more acceptable to talk about and accept there is a growing problem, at least in their industry. This demonstrates that employee mental health isn’t just anecdotal. People are dying as a direct result of pressure in the workplace.

Here are some numbers:-

• £26bn estimated in ill health costs for employees in the UK
• 44% of employers are seeing an increase in reported mental health issues
• 50% of long term absences in non-manual workers are accounted for by stress
• 70% of people with a mental health problem fully recover

So the cost isn’t just the price paid by the employee. There is a very real impact on the bottom line. Yet it is that same bottom line which is arguably responsible for driving the “always on” culture.

In a world where technology allows 24/7 work-based connectivity it’s little wonder that mental health is a growing problem that urgently needs addressing. Life is fast and more stressful than ever, except many do not have the strategies to cope with it. We live in a world where we are constantly checking work emails late at night, and then again first thing in the morning. Arguably these pressures amount to little more than corporate water boarding. What is it that propels us to ‘not miss something’ or feel the need to respond ‘in the moment’ regardless of the time of day? It’s a hamster wheel that some struggle to step off, feeling their job may be at risk if they do. Constant vigilance, and constant monitoring, is neither healthy for the brain or the body, forcing, as it does a permanently ‘wired’ state, always ready for action.

This is where employers have a responsibility in creating a culture of expectation of their employees in not only what they ‘expect’ but also what they ‘don’t expect’.

Stress is one of the most common negative contributors to employee mental health. It’s a word that is used more than ever before and yet, paradoxically it’s a word that scares most managers who tend to brush it under the carpet. What we do know about stress, and the negative impact it can have on mental health, is the more you ignore it the worse it can get. It’s a form of creeping paralysis that can and will bring you down at some point.

Stress isn’t just about ‘not coping’ it releases over 1400 chemical reactions and over thirty hormones and as your body’s neurotransmitters shift in response to stressful stimuli, it has a myriad of negative reactions:

• Body – Headaches, Taut muscles, Breathlessness, skin irritations, frequent infections
• Mind – Muddled thinking, impaired judgment, indecisions, negativity
• Behaviour – Loss of appetite, insomnia, restlessness, more accident prone, blaming, (note: a number of these are often subdued by the individual with the use of alcohol, eating, smoking, drug use (legal and non legal)
• Emotions – Loss of confidence, irritability, depression, alienation, anxiety, emotional outbursts (upset, anger)

You may think some of these are just ‘normal’. They aren’t. Or at least shouldn’t be for a sustained length of time. It’s little wonder employees become less productive when they are in this state, let alone the impact it can have on other team members or families. Left unsupported it can descend into something more serious. This is further compounded because everyone has a different stress scale. What may stress some, may not stress others, which means every employees experience is ‘individual’.

I can understand why managers want to avoid stress conversations, how do you deal with it? How do you not open a hornets nest which you can’t close up again? A crying or emotional employee can be difficult to manage and requires a shift from ‘business to personal’ mode.

The first step most employees will take is saying that their workload needs reducing or they need more resource, and here is usually where it ends unless solved.

The question then is ‘how much’ responsibility do employers need to take in not only prevention but also managing and supporting mental health issues when they arise. And, more importantly, given the nature of mental health issues how do you or even can you provide a system of support that helps those that will not tell you they have a problem? Finally how do you encourage a culture of it being okay to ask for help without fear of retribution?

Most large employers will have an ‘employee counselling’ phone line, referral service or something similar that employees can call in an hour of need. The question is how many would use it? Really? Confidentiality should be without question for employees who seek help but what of those that may admit to their manager or HR department that they are experiencing problems? How many would worry about never again being promoted or perhaps finding themselves co-incidentally in the next round of redundancies? You then begin to wonder whether a ‘helpline’ is more of a lip service option rather than a genuine attempt to drive a ‘healthy work culture’ that is demonstrated from the top down

There is no doubt that some sectors are more empathetic than others and have more robust strategies in place for dealing with employee health issues, and, of course mental health issues can cover a broad range of illnesses and issues.

A few things employers may want to consider in addition to any policy that may or may not exist (and if it doesn’t I suggest you start here).

1. Are you enabling stress in your culture or do you have values and or clear working agreements in relation to what you do and don’t expect of your employees (night and weekend working)?
2. If you have the above do you and your managers demonstrated this value and working agreement?
3. Are your managers trained and confident with not only spotting signs of mental health issues (stress or other) and are they aware of the steps they should take the employee through to help resolve it?
4. Do you have other benefits which employees can take advantage of that can help ‘balance’ their lives (not just gym membership but anything that resonates and is of value to the individual to help them keep their brain and body healthy)? This can be different for different people.
5. Review your existing policies and benefits to ensure that they are relevant for not only the technology culture we have today but also resonates (in value and language) with next generation employees and your workforce.
6. Do your employees have access to trainings or workshops on topics such as Time Management, Managing Stress and are they aware of all the benefits and options they have as an employee?

For individuals remember you have a duty of responsibility to keep yourselves well and be brave enough to say ‘no’!

1. Decide and be clear about your own rules of engagement with your job. At what time will you switch off your phone, laptop, tablet? When are you available and when are you not available? Take the holiday you keep putting off.
2. You have a choice of how much of your life you are willing to ‘give’ to your employer, you are not owned, you work for a salary!
3. Asking for help is not a failure, being able to take pro-active control of your life (work and home) is a positive not a negative. Getting what you want and need from the employee/employer contract is just as viable for you as it is for them
4. Be aware of programmes, trainings and initiatives your employer offers, we often forget after the employee starter pack what is available.
5. If you can’t ask for help inside your organization, ask for help outside.
6. Let go of perfectionism and the ego, what people think, how you must look, life can be hard enough
7. Remember you always have choices, and there are always options and possibilities open to you that allow you to get the life and career that you want.

 

Asda: Equality, Trust or Goldrush?

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acas, Asda, birmingham council, claims, equal opportunity, equal pay, HR, industrial tribunal, microsoft, satya nadella, trust

You may have seen Asda in the press recently as it currently defends over 1,000 industrial tribunal claims from mainly female employees who believe that shop work and men who do warehouse work is of equal value and therefore should command the same remuneration. Not so says the highly offended Asda who prides in their equal opportunity policy. To be fair they have a point, no doubt they think it is one thing to claim unequal pay when both sexes do the same job, perhaps another when there are clear differences between picking and packing in a warehouse environment to picking and packing on the shop floor.

Most people think of equal pay legislation in simplistic terms: men and women being paid the same for the same job. However, according to ACAS employers must give men and women equal treatment in the terms and conditions of their employment contract if they are employed to do:-

‘like work’ – work that is the same or broadly similar;

work rated as equivalent under a job evaluation study;

work found to be of equal value in terms of effort, skill or decision making.

The latter seems to be the most ‘subjective’ which the ‘no win, no fee’ legal firms are currently hoping to cash in on. Apparently the legal firm representing the ‘Asda employees’ have had a further 19,000 employee ‘enquires’.

This problem will no doubt be currently impacting all the other big supermarkets as well as industry as a whole. But, whilst I am a big supporter of equal pay in general it does beg the question: what is the real social driver of this massive employee action?

We know that employees, in general, are more aware than ever of their employment rights, especially ‘generation nineties’ coming through the workforce. Additional media coverage also educates and highlights corporate plights and employee fights more publicly than ever before. Harnessing the power of a ‘virtual community’ also drives passionate support to previously unknown levels.

In a world where, in the main, employees used to ‘trust’ their companies to do the right thing that premise seems to have shifted. Whilst most people would admit there is still much work needed to close the ‘gender pay gap’, there also appears to be a greater appetite to hold companies more accountable in the way they operate.

Recently Satya Nadella’s suggested ‘women should have faith in the system’ when he slipped up at a women’s conference on the topic of women asking for payrises. For what it’s worth I don’t think Mr Nadella actually meant to infer in his quote that women shouldn’t ask for raises, it was more that employees shouldn’t need to if they trust in ‘the system’. But that is the problem people don’t seem to be ‘as trusting’ any more.

So if we are looking at ‘awareness’ and ‘trust’ as a driver I don’t doubt the last would be ‘cash’. For pretty much no investment employees can take on their employer or indeed have their colleagues take on their employer and then join the bandwagon should they win. With up to potentially 6 years’ of backpay up for grabs it’s not going to be an insignificant windfall for some employees, and in some instances no doubt rightfully received.

The outcome for Asda will be interesting, they have come in hard and have driven a big stake in the ground and quite rightly too, if they lose just one case it could mean massive payouts. Birmingham Council is still reeling from having to pay out £1bn to employees reaching back over a number of years.

Whether it’s a fight for true equality, a case of trust or employees wanting extra cash what we do know is that someone has to pay for it all and the money has to come from somewhere. Impacting profit quite often impacts jobs, so in the long run no one may win.

Paula Meir is a HR and business strategist and founder of Varo Consultancy – http://www.varoconsultancy.com

Talent retention: How can Malaysian Airlines avoid another crisis?

Tags

acquisitions, ceo, emotional connection, engagement, malaysian airlines, resignations, talent brand

In aftermath of the Malaysian airline tragedy it’s sad (but not surprising) to hear that the airline has suffered more than 200 resignations. You can imagine the family conversations had by those current employees who fly day in day out without ever thinking their lives are at risk, but now with the perception that working for Malaysian is dangerous you can understand the angst that many of the employees and their families are facing. And it is this angst that has led to an unprecedented employee exodus. This, coupled with a significant rise in other employees asking for early retirement, means Malaysian is facing an unprecedented talent retention and attraction crisis.

So how do you turn around a talent brand engagement story, that previously attracted and retained great talent, in the wake of this type of incident?

There are many reasons why people leave a company, health and safety isn’t usually at the top of the list, more often there is a mixture of reasons from leadership to money or breakdown in manager relationship. The biggest challenge facing Malaysian is breaking down the perception that working for them is potentially life threatening. Statistically it’s unlikely the airline will ever face a tragedy of this magnitude but quoting air accident statistics probably won’t help. One way to navigate the retention crisis could be to re-establish the emotional connection for employees when they first joined and to revisit those feelings that resonated with individuals when they first walked through door.

Resurrecting that emotional memory bank can sometimes throw another perspective on a situation, whether it’s pride, customer service, the opportunity to travel, reputation, the uniform. Indeed the airline that has gone through the wringer but coming out the other side is a new story ‘ how Malaysian Airlines rebuilt itself’ and how the employees contributed to that, makes a good hero story.

It’s a simple technique that can make the difference between talent staying or leaving.

Crisis and chaos is also where a good CEO can swing into action, having a forthright leader who can connect with the employees and understand how people are feeling can make a huge difference. A CEO that can admit and empathise with how employees are feeling whilst being able to assure confidence and a positive future with external clients and stakeholders it sometimes a big ask all in one go, especially if the CEO is only wheeled out when times are going well. But, a CEO who can come out strong and committed in the face of uncertainty can win ‘or lose’ hearts and minds.

I fear Malaysian don’t have long to reinvent (if indeed they can), we are already seeing cut price flights and ‘bargain deals’ in order to stifle the revenue losses. Another option maybe to call it quits on the branding and merge with another airline in order to reinvent themselves. Malaysia has a growing economy and business is buoyant giving employees more choice to vote with their feet, which also makes it easier for people to leave and find other jobs.

Whatever Malaysian do, they need to do it quickly, and whilst they still can.

Paula Meir is a HR and business strategist, and director at http://www.varoconsultancy.com

The big takeover: 7 questions you need to ask during acquisition

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acquisition, Astra Zeneca, buying, culture, HR consultancy, interviews, mergers, Pfizer, professional services, questions, selling

 

This morning we heard the news that the Pfizer/Astra Zeneca take-over is over (for now). And whilst many organisation will never face a takeover of that scale there are common principles of good practice surrounding acquisition. Buying or selling a business can be incredibly exciting – in many ways it’s just like interviewing or being interviewed for a new job. Many factors are taken into consideration, with cultural fit and compensation being high on the list. But the emotion surrounding buying or selling a business is often pushed to one side and comes down to one thing: the numbers. A big mistake. Purchasers should look not only for profitability and future value but also uncover the style of the sellers and, crucially, the culture.

There are some groups that purely look at the numbers and the ‘fit’ of product and services. Are they profitable? Do they provide an extension of their existing offering which clients will buy? Do they have some great talent that you can leverage? All very important questions, but is that enough to sustain a successful integration and future revenues?

Acquisitions, very much like a good interview, require a holistic approach. And you ignore this at your peril. In many sectors the product IS the people and they are, unfortunately, more unpredictable than your average widget. People are driven and inspired by many things including a dynamic inspirational leader and the culture that he\she drives through the business.

So what would a good set of acquisition questions look like outside of the ‘numbers’? They might seem obvious but having been at the heart of many acquisitions in a number of  sectors I can safely say that without this rigour any acquisition will be on a rocky road:-

• What is the culture and does it compliment yours?
• How big is the gap? If it isn’t similar, how far off is it and what would have to change/evolve in order to close the gap?
• Would there be an environment where both or and individual cultures could prosper?
• What would you want to know/do in order to maintain that culture?
• Who are the key talents within the organization?
• Is the talent widespread or does it hinge on a sacred few?
• Are the sacred few supportive of an acquisition and what is in it for them, if anything?

 

Looking towards owners/Founders it is well worth understanding values, motivations, style, and establishing whether or not money/retirement is the driving factor or whether they are looking to be acquired to help scale and invest in their business. Both are viable but knowing ahead of acquisition is incredibly helpful.

Acquisitions can take months. Use the time to get to know the senior people, how they behave, how they negotiate – how they turn up will continue to feed an overall impression of what life will be like on the other side. If there are red flags, pay attention to them. if you don’t you could be in for one difficult earn out, boardroom arguments or, in the worst-case, owner departures.

Putting the right team together as early as possible on both sides will help mitigate this, a solid Finance Director who can rigor the numbers (and not just what’s on the balance sheet), an inquisitive HR Director who can interpret style and personality of the owners/sellers, and lastly a dynamic CEO or Managing Director that can carry the vision. Nothing is lost if the interview doesn’t go so well, it means it’s not a match made in heaven. And, let’s face it… it’s far better to know that up front before you part with your cash or sell your soul.

Paula Meir is a Director at http://www.varoconsultancy.com

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The PR Talent Challenge

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Arun Sudhaman, client, client relationships, communication, engaging, PR, PR agency, Re-Structuring, relationship, retaining, strategy, structural change, Talent

How often have we heard the phrase “evolve or die”?

It’s a truism for ANY sector that unless a business is prepared to respond to changing market conditions and make structural change, then driving revenue growth will become challenging.

PR is certainly not immune to the need for evolution, and this article ‘Is the PR agency model dead’ by Arun Sudhaman definitely resonated with many seasoned industry PROs. But unlike other industries PR faces a significant challenge in making the arguably seismic shift needed to remain competitive… and that is the nature of the typical profiles of the individuals that work in this sector.

It’s a scary thing to hear that your job is ‘losing relevance’ and yet uncomfortable as that is it appears great change is on the horizon for many. Whether you are on the bus of change or not what is true is that it’s not necessarily ‘you’ that is becoming less relevant, but potentially the way you or your business is using your skills and experience within the structure of the agency that you are working for.

It’s a tough time for CEO’s as they not only have to decide what their future looks like but also ‘how’ they get to that future with their current workforce and structures. Talent is a key commodity that needs careful handling, PR more than any other sector understands people are the heart of the business and key client relationships, they can make or break an agency. This is well known by successful PR executives who can sometimes ‘trade’ on their skill, experience, personality and close client relationships that may hold a significant revenue value. In an industry where value in client relationships (and who you know) rank high in the tick box of being successful, the profiles and personalities within this sector don’t always cope well with change – particularly when their role is up for debate.

When change is lapping at your feet people tend to fall into various categories: those that adopt it quickly to establish their ‘place’ in the new world, those that resist, defend and protect hoping it will ‘all go away’ and finally those that ‘sit on the fence’ waiting for more information before deciding which seems the best camp to be in. With so many agencies feeling the need to ‘evolve or die’, making the compelling reason ‘why’ has never been more critical, more so for the employees.

Communication of why it’s good for the business, why it’s good for your talent and why it’s good for the industry is a critical part of socialising employees of the need for change.

The structural changes required to move agencies to the new world are pretty seismic in project terms. When you are changing business models that require roles to be re-written and title changes it has a potential employment liability unless it’s done properly. More importantly retaining your good talent through the change process is made even harder given you can be regularly judged in this industry by your title and remit. Let alone keeping your clients happy and stable at the same time. Credibility, reputation, career history, aesthetics and money rank high in the motivating dynamics of this talent sector, making change even more impactful and concerning for some.

It will take a brave leader to make the necessary changes in a way that allows maximum strategic flexibility whilst not being hijacked by making decisions that ‘keep people happy’. I have been privy to discussions where strategy vs talent discussions can provide a real dilemma for leaders where an individual holds revenue power.

Engagement, involvement, and education can help an organisation move and evolve in a way that doesn’t feel threatening. Ironically it can be the process that can be more damaging to a business rather than the destination itself. For an industry that ‘sells’ communication it doesn’t always do it well internally and being clear about your process and strategy before you are ready to start telling people will increase the likelihood of success. Telling your own story should be easy, creating the reason why and the part talent plays within that can be achieved with thought AND careful planning.

The hardest challenge will be for leaders to step away from the personal and professional impact (which is always scarier than reality) and embrace it wholeheartedly regardless of outcome. The question you may want to ask is ‘If I opened up a PR agency today would it look the same’? If not, what is really stopping you? Creating a positive excitement about ‘what is next’ and being clear on how that can benefit everyone should bring even the biggest ‘doubting Thomas’ along.

You’re fired – or is it expired ?

Tags

bad news, communication, fired, human resources, lay offs, redundancies

As 2014 unfolds no doubt companies will be looking for new words to describe the art form that is headcount reduction. Never has the world of communication been so varied when it comes to using words to downsize/reduce/contract/deflate/decoct/foreshorten (delete as applicable) a workforce: but one thing is certain, confused language can lead to confused perception.

If you watch TV you could be forgiven for thinking it’s as easy as saying ‘you’re fired’, as the recipient of the pointy finger trots away with their belongings in a cardboard box. While we might complain about being sacked/dismissed/”let go” the employment laws in this country are pretty good, and straightforward. If you follow the correct process it should be respectful for the employee (even though they may not feel it at the time), meaning opening the corporate cheque book or an arduous trip to the tribunal won’t be necessary.

When the time comes to deliver bad news there is an endless search to use vocabulary that makes it sound better than it really is. And a confused message can cause all sorts of trouble. I’ve heard everything from ‘your role is being…. reduced, laid off, transitioned, cut, removed, phased out, replaced, and from the mighty heads at HSBC last year ‘demised’.

But in my experience poorly framed and confusing messages can often be a motivator for litigation….

Most of the time people want to hear it straight and as sensitively as possible, with no spin or fancy words purely designed to make the person doing it feel better. What an employee HEARS when faced with this situation is actually very little. Surprise, shock, and anger often lead to an emotional shut down so the conversation needs to be straight and to the point.  It is what it is….. no need to flower it up.!

HR pros are well experienced in being the bearer of bad news, you don’t have to ask us twice to get our broomstick out of the cupboard and we fully expect to be Facebook ‘unfriended’ after the deed. That is what we do and most of us do it very well despite having to navigate around various MD’s and CEO’s who seem manage to say the wrong thing at the wrong time whilst ‘trying to help’.

Employees will always want more information than you can give, they will look for meaning behind the words and make it up if it’s not forthcoming: and trust will be non-existent. There is pretty much nothing you can do about that at the time but be consistent, respectful and timely. It’s a stressful time for all involved.

When reducing headcount do think about the communications plan BEFORE you hit the big red button, and remember these tips:-

• Keep it short and simple, hard news is never absorbed in the way you think it will, employees won’t care about the ‘good bits’ of news if they are impacted
• Be available to answer questions, it will take some people longer to understand ‘what it means’ but keep it brief
• Do think about your audience, your message must be respectful to those that are impacted whilst being positive to those who are staying
• Give your internal and external reputation a little thought, planning can help even the worst news be digested in a more measured way
• Assume confidentiality doesn’t exist, even enemies stick together in these situations and share information
• Don’t try and police social media, you will make it worse