Rob Finney, CEO, Tristone Healthcare
In today’s world, promoting wellbeing in the workplace is more important than ever. Wellbeing encompasses all aspects of physical, mental, and emotional health, and the ways in which organisations choose to contribute to supporting and improving their team’s wellbeing can lead to a better work environment for all.
That might look like training and development to equip teams with the skills they need to empower them in their roles, as well as building a supportive and compassionate workplace environment to deliver the best outcomes for staff and service users. It also means providing access to tools that support employees to live active and healthy lifestyles – from healthy food options at work, to mental health support and stress management training.
Within the Tristone Community, our people are our greatest assets. We recognise that to be able to meet the expectations which we set for ourselves we need to attract, nurture and retain the best people. When employees feel valued and cared for, they’re more likely to be engaged in their work, resulting in better overall performance. Prioritising wellbeing can also help reduce absenteeism and improve retention rates, creating a more stable care environment.
For wellbeing to become a fundamental part of workplace culture, any approach needs to be driven and demonstrated by leadership. We know that social care needs to be influenced by inclusive, emotionally intelligent leaders to manage high risk and exceptionally difficult situations daily, and leaders need to be equipped to make complex decisions that relate to the wellbeing of both service users and staff.
The importance of representation
Representation is a critical part of supporting the development of all employees within a care setting – where individuals identify with role models, they’re more likely to see themselves as belonging in the field. Growth and collaboration are two of our key values and we believe that a culture of collaboration and creativity helps us to nurture growth, enrichment and enjoyment for all individuals in the workplace.
To support the growth of some of our female leaders we’ve embarked on a mentoring programme with leadership coach, Arlene Kyle. Arlene has a wealth of experience leading all facets of complex health and social care service operations and is currently working with Danielle Piller, managing director of Sportfit Support Services Limited.
Danielle has found the time with Arlene invaluable, explaining: “Having trodden a similar path to mine, I instantly felt at ease discussing any anxieties about my leadership role with Arlene. We talk about the complexities of leading a team, explore scenario planning and goal setting and, most importantly, discuss anything that may be impacting my own mental fitness in a safe and impartial place. I believe it’s made me able to better support my team.”
She continues: “Leadership roles can feel lonely at times, and whilst I’m a huge believer in collaborative working with our team, it’s comforting to have a safe space to talk things through before bringing them to the table internally. Working in social care can be a challenging environment and having dedicated time to decompress is essential to my health at work. I’m a huge advocate of it and I believe it’s what allows me, as a leader, to look up and take the time to see and value the incredible work we do at Sportfit.”
Promoting wellbeing in the workplace
Creating a positive work environment is paramount to promoting wellbeing. This means ensuring a safe work environment, providing adequate resources and training, offering flexibility, encouraging teamwork and collaboration, and recognising employees’ achievements.
One of the ways we’ve approached this within the Tristone community, is by investing in a mental health first aider training programme to ensure each business has its own dedicated person in place to support staff and look for any indicators where a team member might need additional support.
The truth of the matter is, promoting wellbeing should be a top priority for organisations – delivered top down by leaders. Having the right strategies in place will allow teams to achieve their full potential and live a fulfilling life both at work and at home.
