Tools To Help Managers Support Teams

This toolkit was developed by the South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing and Occupational Health three-year road map leads which was coordinated by the People Experience team at the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SY ICB) created collaboratively with organisations across the South Yorkshire Integrated Care System. 

 
Who?

Do you manage one or more people? If so, we’ve got practical tools to help you keep building a happy, healthy team.

Managers make a massive difference to how team members feel about their work and their life. Studies show that managers have as much impact on people’s wellbeing as their partner – and much more than their doctor or therapist! As a manager, you are one of the biggest influences in people’s lives.

 

 

So we’ve drawn together tips and tools to help you support your team’s wellbeing.

You can use these whether you’re a new manager or have years of experience. They’re for anyone who manages people in community groups, health services or social care organisations - on the frontline or in administrative roles. Whether you manage one or two people or a whole department or organisation, there’s something here for you.

 

 Why?

 

It’s essential for managers to help build healthy teams because:

  • It makes your life easier: if team members are happy and healthy they’re more likely to be available to do the work you need, and provide the best care
  • It’s the law: you and your organisation need to comply with the law and health and safety regulations
  • it saves time and money: a healthy team is more productive, has less time off work and reduces costs

  • It’s morally right: it’s the right thing to do for your team members

  • It improves the community: about 10% of South Yorkshire’s population provide health or care services. Improving the wellbeing of that many people has a big effect on the health of the whole community

What?

There’s research that the working environment and team culture influences whether people stay in their roles more than their wages.

We know managers can’t influence everything. Organisational policies, work tasks and finances all play a part. But there’s a lot that individual managers can do to help your team lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives.

Some quick wins you can try are:  

 

  • Be a role model. People will follow what you do, so look after your own health, take time off and be open about the benefits of getting support.
  • Let people know that their wellbeing is important to you and that they can talk to you about their health and wellbeing. Mention this regularly during team meetings and one-to-one discussions.
  • Have a ‘wellbeing conversation’ with each of your team members. Give people space to talk about how they’re feeling and any areas where some support might help. Think about any reasonable adjustments that might help people work most effectively. Aim to do this at least once or twice a year.
  • Make sure you’re up to date with all the health and wellbeing support available in your organisation – and the free resources that everyone in South Yorkshire health and care roles can access. This way, you can be proactive about letting your team know what’s on offer.
  • Help team members plan their leave regularly so they have time off to recuperate.
  • Check that each team member’s working environment has been assessed so people have a comfortable and safe place to work, whether they work at a desk or elsewhere.
How?

How exactly can managers do these things during day to day work? South Yorkshire community groups, health services and social care organisations put together the resources on these webpages to give you  tools and tips. Some of these were created by local organisations. Others are wider tools that South Yorkshire organisations find helpful.

 

This health and wellbeing passport is a great example.​​​​​​ HWB Passport May 24

Wellbeing is about people’s physical, mental/emotional, social and financial wellness.

Click on any of the areas to see tools to help you support your team:

The tips and tools on this part of the website focus on helping managers support your teams.

One of the best things you can do is encourage your team to make the most of the free support available for everyone working in health and care roles in South Yorkshire

  • There are plenty of resources that you can signpost your team members to here, as well as keeping up to date with what your own organisation offers.
  • You can see a calendar of wellbeing events and webinars here.

 

Physical Wellbeing

Physical wellbeing is about our bodies, and includes how we eat, move and sleep.

Helping your team look after their physical wellbeing can increase people’s ability to focus and be more productive.

Poor physical health costs organisations like yours thousands of pounds each year – not to mention the extra strain and workload for you and colleagues. The most common reasons people take time off work are minor illnesses and muscle pain, as well as stress and anxiety. So it’s important that you have some tips up your sleeve to help prevent or reduce these in your team.

  • As a manager, you can role model a healthy lifestyle. If people see you stopping to eat a healthy lunch, stretching or going for a walk, that shows it’s a good thing to do.
  • You can encourage your team to exercise, eat well, sleep and use health services for check-ups and preventive care. You could talk about these things at team meetings and in one-to-one discussions, including during annual review/appraisal meetings.
  • Every month or quarter you could encourage a team activity to build positive habits, such as a walking challenge, an online exercise class, sharing a healthy snack or watching a video about cooking.

Some resources that South Yorkshire managers have found helpful are:

 

Make the most of the free support available for everyone working in health and care roles in South Yorkshire. There are lots of free resources and support that you can signpost your team to directly, in addition to what your own organisation offers. You might also find these resources helpful for yourself as a manager, as you role model healthily behaviours.

 

You might also be interested in tools to help you support your team with other elements of wellbeing:

  • Mental / emotional wellbeing
  • Social wellbeing / team culture
  • Financial wellbeing

 

Mental/Emotional Wellbeing

Mental wellbeing is about our emotional and psychological health. If people feel mentally and emotionally well, they’re more able to cope with the challenges of their roles.

 

  • Remember, it’s important for managers to focus on your own mental health. Find ways to cope with stress and get a work-life balance. There’s not a single solution, so try different things to see what works best for you.
  • Ask team members how they’re doing regularly so people know you’re open to talking about things.
  • Proactively talk about ways to manage stress and share resources with your team. Don’t forget about people who work remotely, who may not be as visible.

Some resources that South Yorkshire managers have found helpful are:

There are lots of free resources and support that you can signpost your team to directly, in addition to what your own organisation offers:

 

You might also be interested in tools to help you support your team with other elements of wellbeing:

  • Physical wellbeing
  • Social wellbeing / team culture
  • Financial wellbeing
Social Wellbeing

Social wellbeing is about a person’s sense of belonging and how connected they feel to others. In this section we focus on tools to help managers create a positive and inclusive workplace culture.

 

  • Managers have lots on their plates. You might be organising work schedules, making sure the team has the right skills, planning improvements, dealing with client feedback, balancing finances and much more. It’s easy for social wellbeing to slip off the ‘to do’ list. One of the best things you can do is let your team know that you need their help to create a culture that is fair, supportive and inclusive.
  • Take time to find out the things that can affect people’s health and wellbeing and how much the work environment or culture can make a difference. Make sure that team members know you are open to discussing health and wellbeing issues and that you will listen without judging.
  • Be proactive about steering team members to social activities, staff networks and other opportunities to build connections, including working on joint projects. If you’re organising a team activity, make sure it doesn’t exclude people who can’t attend in the evening or don’t eat or drink certain things.

Some resources that South Yorkshire managers say help build a supportive workplace culture are:

 

Resources that managers say helped them with appraisals and communication are:

 

There are lots of free resources and support that you can signpost your team to directly, in addition to what your own organisation offers:

You might also be interested in tools to help you support your team with other elements of wellbeing:

  • Physical wellbeing
  • Mental / emotional wellbeing
  • Financial wellbeing

 

Financial Wellbeing

Financial wellbeing is about feeling secure and in control of your finances, now and in the future. Financial stress can have a big impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Managers can help by being aware of the initiatives to support financial wellbeing at your workplace so you can mention these regularly to your team members. Some organisations provide pensions advice, have money management webinars or allow people to take out short term loans against their wages,

  • Ask your team members sensitively about whether they have any financial worries and invite people to share tips in team meetings about coping with the rising cost of living. Everyone loves a bargain, so make it fun to share information about good deals with each other.
  • Let people know about special offers for your sector, such as Blue Light Cards

 

Some resources that South Yorkshire managers have found helpful are:

There are lots of free resources and support that you can signpost your team to directly, in addition to what your own organisation offers:

 

You might also be interested in tools to help you support your team with other elements of wellbeing:

  • Physical wellbeing
  • Mental / emotional wellbeing
  • Social wellbeing / team culture