Our host Chris is joined by Chris Horton as they speak with this week’s guest Tracy Brower, Vice President of Workplace Insights at Steelcase. Tracy is a published author and a regular contributor to Forbes magazine. In this podcast she has come onto discuss an article she has written about the impact that line managers can have on their employees mental health, with many people indicating that their manager’s influence on their mental health is on par with their partner’s.
In the podcast Tracy focuses on the importance of good management for employee mental health and wellbeing. She cites research showing that poor management can lead to employee burnout, stress, and mental health issues, which can ultimately affect productivity and the bottom line of a company. The takeaway asks for managers to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of their teams by taking concrete steps to create a supportive and healthy work environment.
There are numerous benefits to having a happier workforce, these include:
- Employees with better work relationships amongst fellow employees are more likely to stay in a role.
- Employees who buy in to the culture and ethos of a business are more likely to be more engaged and therefore more productive..
- Employees who feel empowered by their business are more likely to be more productive and try to ‘go that extra mile’.
Listen now to learn how you can contribute towards creating the conditions for improved mental health by giving employees a reason to care, providing a challenge and allowing employees to have a choice.
We have just released a campaign “Redefining workforce productivity” in which we are challenging to look at what they mean when they talk about productivity. Throughout this campaign we will be releasing podcasts like this as well as articles, videos, and running events all focused on how businesses redefine the concept of workforce ‘productivity’.
Read Tracy’s latest book “The Secrets to Happiness at Work” here.
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