Managers play a crucial role in employee well-being

Published: October 4, 2024 | by Victoria Kelleher, Lead Survey Specialist at Brightmine

Employees often have trouble performing effectively at work when they face obstacles that impede upon their well-being. Challenges ranging from financial troubles to mental health crises may hinder every aspect of a person’s life, leading to depression and disengagement at work.

Employee well-being can sometimes be challenged by events beyond an employer’s control, such as a death in the family or a medical crisis. Although employers cannot be expected to prevent everything that might negatively impact an employee’s well-being, resources meant to support the workforce can go a long way toward helping employees recover from these challenges.

However, some factors at work can directly contribute to a decline in an employee’s well-being. For example, insufficient compensation packages may lead to financial stress, or unbalanced workloads may leave an employee feeling overwhelmed and unsupported. These issues are particularly insidious, as they may lead to widespread dissatisfaction and have broader consequences on business outcomes.

The role of managers

Managers are often the first line of defense when it comes to recognizing that an employee may be facing challenges to well-being. They are also well-positioned to advocate for employees and make any needed adjustments to workflow in order to avoid increasing stress when an employee is already going through a difficult time.

A recent study from Brightmine found evidence that employee well-being may be highly related to the methods employers use to educate managers on how to handle an employee whose well-being may be in decline. The survey investigated how managers are trained to recognize signs of employees experiencing challenges to emotional well-being and mental health. Although only 20% of companies provide this training, the companies that do are far more likely to report improvement across various business outcomes (see Chart 1).

Chart 1: Manager mental health awareness and business outcomes

The effect of this training was particularly strong for employee engagement and Net Promoter Score (NPS) outcomes, which may indicate that managers who receive this training are more aware of how to recognize and respond if a direct report needs support to recover their well-being.

A similar relationship was found among companies that train managers to more broadly improve their emotional intelligence. Although this subject only receives targeted training in less than a quarter of companies, employers that follow this practice are more likely to report positive trends in employee engagement, key talent turnover and NPS (see Chart 2).

Chart 2: Manager emotional intelligence training and business outcomes

Takeaway

Providing managers with specific training on the topic of employee well-being may have a two-pronged effect. First, it primes managers in the organization to notice signs in direct reports that may indicate a need for support and reassurance. Additionally, this training highlights that the organization is concerned with the well-being of employees and that managers are expected to notice and prioritize the well-being of employees in addition to performance outcomes.

Managers who understand that monitoring the well-being of employees is both a priority and a responsibility may be more effective at recognizing the signs when employees are struggling. In turn, they are more likely to respond so that employees receive the proper guidance and support. This makes it far less likely for a decline in well-being to fly under the radar, and far more likely that problems within the company will be brought to attention before they lead to a wider decline in outcomes like engagement and retention. Employers should evaluate whether managers at their organization receive the training they need to provide this support.