Wellbeing Starts at the Top - New Year's Goals for Building a Healthy Team Culture

Wellbeing in the workplace results in greater efficiency, better interactions, performance and motivation and of course impacts results. But many organisations still focus only on minimising the problems. Systemic intervention remains important, but The World Health Organization defines health as “…a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”, so leaders need also look at supporting their teams to thrive.

Here are 6 key ways organisations can address both:

Minimising stress:

1. Role Model the self-care behaviour you expect to see

Research from the University of Zurich and LSE (2023) noted that when it comes to wellbeing it is not the confidentiality of the service, nor the availability or variety of what you can access, but one simple leadership action that best influenced uptake and greater care of mental and emotional health – the leader being open with their own wellbeing actions and what worked for them! In the same way as one might turn to reviews to enhance our purchases, this research suggests that we do the same when it comes to our healthcare interventions.

• As such, the best place for leaders to start is to consider their own behaviours, as well as being open to signposting, or including on the EAP interventions that worked for them.

2. Make sure your own needs are met

The position of the leader is both significant and demanding as you are not only looked to for direction, but consciously or not the energy that you bring will impact your team. If you are struggling, you will not be able to contain the anxieties of your team, or you might react in a way that can negatively alter relationships or trust. Further how can you insist on your teams building in self-care if you are not demonstrating that you believe in it?

• Build in (and then book out) time for yourself whether that is to focus on your physical health, on personal development or something that nurtures your soul. Maintain healthy boundaries by empowering others to find solutions rather than trying to be the solution yourself (questions such as “What is the best thing for me to do for you right now?” are useful here); and reach out to mentors, external professionals (such as coaches) or colleagues at your level should you need it.

3. Take a “psychosocial approach” to intervention

The Psychosocial approach (Scholes, 2024) sees psychological safety in the same way as health and safety – and urges organisations to look at the causes of stress first rather than just expecting the individual to adapt or build their personal resilience.

• Reflect on responses to employee feedback or through listening events, and even spend some time on the floor experiencing what is being said, and involve your teams in finding workable solutions.

Tools to Thrive

4. Create purpose in the workplace rather than focusing on “passion”

While popular culture often encourages one to “follow your passion”, research on passion in the workplace emphasises the importance of making the work feel meaningful through showing purpose and trust in the organisation.

• Rather than finding out an individual’s passion and trying to tailor the workplace to accommodate; you may wish to ask your teams if their own personal journey is still in alignment with that of the organisation and ask what might improve their sense of meaning or engagement at work. This is not just about adding value to the immediate environment, but offering the opportunity for secondment; or external training; or learning that can be brought back to the workplace rather than initiated from within.

5. Focus on your team’s strengths over their skills

Professionals are quick to learn which brings a dopamine hit of achievement. However, this can also mean they focus solely on what gives them recognition rather than what makes their heart sing.

Clifton (2007) emphasises a focus on strengths over skills – both can be learned, developed and improved, but strengths make us feel great when we engage in them, skills less so. For example, if someone shows skill in organising this may be recognised resulting in continuous promotion into events organiser, except if that is not a strength, despite being good at it, the role would eventually exhaust them. If you are unaware of the difference, it is very easy to rise in a role which is not an authentic fit until one gets to the point where you are at the top of your game (chasing the fleeting dopamine hit of praise) but don’t want to be there. Recognising the difference between the two and focusing on strengths can make a huge difference not just to career path and performance, but overall wellbeing along the way.

• Ask your team to consider all the things they are good at and get them to divide them into two columns – things they actually really enjoy and find energising, and things they can do but find exhausting. Then work with them in finding ways to better utilise their strengths.

6. Give your team the tools to achieve their personal and individual goals

A growth-driven variation on the “Wellbeing wheel” which can be used during an appraisal/one-to-one invites each team member to identify the key aspects of the workplace that they need to feel inspired and involved. These may differ for each person not just in what is important, but the priority they place on it.

• Use this as a starting point for discussion by asking them to:

i) Identify on a scale of 0-10 their current level of attainment on each element eg: if “pay” is one of their needs, but they haven’t had a pay rise in 3 years, they may rate that as 1 or 2

ii) Work with them to find ways of improving each element, and use the wheel to keep track of how your strategies are working at the next meeting.

Being well is not the removal of being ill alone, but a state in which it is possible to truly thrive. Let 2025 be a time to encourage both.

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Audrey Tang is a chartered psychologist, TEDx speaker, mental health broadcaster and author of the award-winning book The Leader’s Guide to Wellbeing.