Every industry has its cultural hotspot problem areas, and they are changing all the time. There is no one-time, fix-all approach to improving workplace mental health – rather a continuous improvement mindset is required.
This type of mindset is a vital aspect of a learning culture, one where people are encouraged to call out problems and engaged in finding and implementing solutions.
In his 2014 presentation, Safety Culture and Leadership, Professor Patrick Hudson said:
“Whereas we can usually recognise leaders and followers – bosses lead, workers follow – in safety, everyone can have a clear idea of what it means to be safe and act upon it in public.
So, anyone can lead. Everyone can follow in safety. Managers lead workers but workers can also lead their managers and their colleagues by their example as well.”
In much the same way, when we are looking to explore challenges inherent to the organisation or industry, we should involve our workers in discussions to both identify the problems, and formulate the solutions – it is not up to leaders only to do this important work.
If you find your organisation has already done all of the great work done to Know Your Culture, Create a Positive Culture, and Enhance Team and yet is still constantly implementing the same changes over and over, training people on new approaches to the same problems, it is probably time to review and enhance your Learning Culture to examine and address the bigger challenges you may face with a more effective approach.
The leaders’ place in the discussion
Professor Patrick Hudson also says:
“I’ve said that everyone can be a safety leader because anyone can show their colleagues where to go next.
Nevertheless, there is still a special role laid out for those higher up in the organisation, especially those right at the top…
If those at the top do not develop their own vision and seek out and actively support those who share this below them, then no matter how much transformation the workforce might attempt, they will always be shot down if those at the top are not leading in the first place…
Senior safety leaders have to search out and publicly support those below them, right to the bottom, who are trying to be safety leaders as well.”
So, if we apply Hudson’s Safety Ladder principles to workplace mental health, we can see that it takes people at all levels to be contributing to the Learning Culture of the organisation, exploring the systemic problematic areas, making recommendations and taking steps to fix them.
The ability to have courageous conversations at an organisation and industry level to resolve issues requires a foundation of alignment, purpose and trust.
When measurement and reporting is in place, it allows not only for data analysis but also the ability to identify and address what’s not working. Cultural hotspots can be caused by a range of reasons apart from the leadership so the ability to put blame aside and, as with a mature safety culture, welcome the bad news in order to prevent mental injury in the future is important.
Like Hudson’s model of Safety Maturity which strives for a generative culture, the ability to interrogate why issues are occurring allows the development of activities or focus on what needs to occur to prevent this occurring again in the future.
In Leading through Change, we explore the concept that it’s not the amount of change that impacts people's mental health, but but how the changes are implemented.
Effective planning (including risks and controls), communication, inviting consultation and participation and providing feedback channels and adequate support through the process are all critical for effective change management.
Thoughtful and deliberate leaders are capable of sizing up situations and challenges ahead, but they also recognise the value in seeking other people’s input.
Even in the most psychologically safe environments however, there may still be a reluctance to always speak up, further pointing to the need to be curious and inclusive.
Wellness audits are conducted, results shared across the organisation and improvement initiatives acted on.
Employee engagement surveys are undertaken, results shared across the organisation, and actions taken to address problem areas identified.
Employees are able and encouraged to speak up and share concerns with their leader, within team meetings.
The organisation openly and transparently shares the results of all data-gathering exercises and invites employees to engage in discussions and improvement initiatives.
Call To Action
What does this look like for you?
Review your organisation’s approach to wellness audits, employee engagement surveys, and opportunities for employees to speak up and share concerns about activities and behaviours they observe that are problematic.
Is your organisation openly and transparently sharing the results of these data-gathering exercises with everyone?
Does your leadership team actively engage their people in discussions about solutions and changes to be implemented?
Look to find opportunities to open up discussion and engage everyone in the process of shaping a culture that strives to improve mental health in the organisation.
Taking it Further
If your organisational culture already allows for the engagement and participation of people at all levels in the exploration and resolution of challenges inherent to the organisation / industry, but you feel there is scope for further improvement, review the section on Communication and Participation.
Here you can explore what more you could be doing to embed the culture, encourage collaboration and ownership of wellness initiatives at ground level, engage the appropriate resources at the right time and facilitate feedback and coaching conversations more effectively.