Improving staff wellbeing doesn’t have to cost money, says psychologist, Janet Evans
Current industry conditions are very challenging - which makes it all the more important that leaders focus on the things that make a difference to the wellbeing of their employees and freelancers. Fortunately they don’t require a lot of cash; indeed they may save the costs of burnout and turnover. They’re a matter of organisational culture, ‘the way we do things round here’, an invisible but powerful force which comes from the top.
The recent Looking Glass survey of people working in film, TV and cinema, carried out by The Film and TV Charity, found an improvement in industry attitudes towards mental health. But it also reported an increase in the proportion of people feeling undervalued at work. Undervalued is an ambiguous term: it may mean that the respondents feel underpaid, or insufficiently recognised in other ways for their contribution, or both. Employers may not be able to do much about the first, but they can about the second, and that may actually be the more important factor.
Research into what motivates us shows that it is the intrinsic features of the job that are most important. Our pay and conditions need to be satisfactory, but the effects of a pay-rise or a promotion are short-lived – we soon get used to them. What really gets us out of bed every morning is finding our work personally meaningful, having a reasonable degree of autonomy to carry it out in our own way, and to be understood, valued and recognised for our unique contribution. All of these are triggers for the reward chemical, dopamine, in our brains. The best leaders know how to create a high-dopamine environment.
We find our work meaningful when it accords with our personal values and uses our particular skills to the full. I talk about this a lot with my clients and what they want, above all, is work they feel is authentic to them and where they can make a contribution. Studies show that people who find their work meaningful are happier and indeed healthier: it’s both comforting and inspiring if we can think of our lives as a journey towards a useful goal during which we made the best use of our talents.
Meaningful work also provides our peak experiences. The seminal study on this was done by the psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi. He found that the times when people felt happiest correlated with states of ‘flow’, or what sportspeople call being ‘in the zone’.
Flow occurs when you are stretched to the limit in an effort to accomplish something worthwhile that challenges you. You lose track of time and your sense of self falls away. You experience a sense of mastery and self-determination. Skilled and empathetic leaders tune in to what their employees think and how they feel: they create ‘alignment’ between the direction and culture of the organisation and what matters to the individuals in it.
A study of high-performing teams found that they spent a lot of time shaping a purpose they could fully own. The best leaders do this at organisational level too and involve their workforce in a continuous dialogue about direction and ethos. They make meaning by demonstrating how every individual is contributing to the whole. And, given sufficient autonomy, people have a remarkable ability to innovate within such a framework, to the benefit of the business overall.
The same study found that the high-performing team members understood not only each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and where each could best contribute, but also what was important to their colleagues and what they aspired to. They were committed to each other’s success as well as to that of the team; one respondent described this as ‘a kind of love’. This created the ‘psychological safety’ for them to raise concerns, discuss things frankly and disagree where necessary.
This brings us to the third key motivator - recognition. This was brought home to me afresh recently when I bought a new electronic toothbrush. I discovered that I really cared about getting a smiley face showing that I’d brushed my teeth for two minutes; and I looked forward eagerly to the face with stars in its eyes meaning I’d done it a number of times. I’m glad to say that I’m mostly over this now, but it’s a serious point.
We evolved in small family groups and have a desperate craving to be accepted and validated. When someone thanks us for our work or tells us how much they appreciate it, we experience a dopamine rush. Everybody knows this; yet so few leaders seem to practise it. The ones who get the best from their people know the importance of regularly making clear that each individual is valued and recognised for their particular contribution.
This is very timely – just when the world, the economy and in turn the workplace is set to get more challenging, it’s all the more important to feel valued. And, as you say, this vital recognition doesn’t need to cost anything but brings long term savings.
One is left wondering why it is that leaders do not praise, acknowledge, validate, etc. as much as they might, when the results would be so positive. As you say, it costs nothing but a few moments of time. Perhaps it feels awkward to offer recognition, perhaps the words do not come easily (you are mainly working with people in the UK, no? God forbid one should do or say anything awkward or embarrassing! I can attest there is a difference across the Atlantic–certainly in the academic sphere.) Perhaps leaders are thinking, ‘Well she must know she did a good job?’ Or could it be that there is a hidden sense of worry that those so acknowledged might rest on their laurels? At any rate, this is really helpful, even just for daily life. A sweet word, a genuine compliment, a thanks or an acknowledgement, brighten everyone’s day, and the formulas ‘I really admire the way you….’ or ‘Thanks so much for doing such a good job,’ just take a bit of practice.