Recent research has found that HR has the power to improve employee wellbeing - provided it gets line manager support.
The research - Developmental HRM, employee well-being and performance: The moderating role of developing leadership - was conducted by by IÉSEG School of Management and researched the effect of HR practices on wellbeing and performance.
The study examines the link between developmental human resource practices and employee task performance and includes both happiness and health related effects - such as exhaustion.
Seven organisations - 403 employees and 53 line managers - were questioned and the conclusion was that manager commitment carried a heavy influence.
The lead researcher, Professor Elise Marescaux of IÉSEG, said:
“Overall, we found that developmental HR practices increase employee wellbeing. When an organisation offers more training and self-development options, employees feel more committed and are less exhausted. But we also find that supervisors play a key role in ensuring the success of HR processes.”
The data obtained by the researchers show that distinct emerging HR practices influence the well‐being and employee performance differently and suggests that the leadership behaviour of line managers has an influence on the way in which HR practices affect employees.
However, Dr Charmi Patel, Professor of International and Strategic HRM and Organisational Behaviour at Henley Business School, said:
“Middle managers are very important, despite not necessarily being involved with HR. Every line manager should have training in people management practice, which people often confuse with back office HR.”
She added:
“Rather than saying line managers need to be up skilled in HR work, organisations should be promoting general people management training.”
Skills policy advisor at the CIPD, Elizabeth Crowley, commented:
“Line managers are critical in ensuring policy is effectively implemented, but it’s also important that employees themselves are aware of the learning and development offers available to them, and are confident in having conversations with their line managers regarding their development needs and progression opportunities. HR devises learning and development strategy, and line managers should be equipped to implement these opportunities, but enabling employees to have those conversations is equally important.”
Adding:
“We don’t invest in line managers in the UK to the extent that other countries do, and many receive no training at all, so it’s important to address that. Much of the time this can be achieved through short, bespoke blended learning opportunities around mentoring, coaching and performance, and having difficult conversations, enabling people to have those conversations and dealing with difficult employees.”
In the meantime, BSI - the business standards company - has launched a new code of practice for organisations to help tackle a crisis in the mental health and wellbeing of Britain’s workforce.
The code of practice - PAS 3002 - provides recommendations for establishing, promoting, maintaining and reviewing the health and wellbeing of workers within organisations. It reflects on how health and wellbeing should be incorporated into the working environment and how leadership can ensure health and wellbeing related services are available to employees.
The document recommends capitalisation on diversity and inclusion as an organisational strength and proactive support for the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of workers. In addition, a work culture that offers strong, ethical relationships, a collaborative and communicative management style, and an organisational culture in which learning and development are encouraged should be engaged; jobs designed so that they offer meaningful work and good people management policies and practices should be supported.
Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI, said:
“Health and wellbeing should be everyone’s concern within an organization. Increasingly, organizations are being asked to meet their responsibilities in relation to health and wellbeing in order to provide healthy workplaces and to protect people from harm. Enhancing employee wellbeing and engagement is at heart of this code of practice, and PAS 3002 provides guidance for organizations to provide early intervention to help prevent people being absent for health reasons and to use the workplace to promote individual health and wellbeing.”
