Business leaders need to show empathy (and weakness), says Facebook
Business leaders need to show empathy (and weakness), says Facebook
In his opinion column for City AM magazine, Karandeep Anand, the Head of Workplace at Facebook, has called for HR to ‘scrap’ their ‘meaningless’ initiatives around mental health.
With more people returning to workplaces and more ‘normal’ routines, it’s a critical time for employers to provide genuine support, helping employees with their anxieties around job security, hybrid working, ongoing isolation and future changes.
More organisations have promoted their commitment to mental wellbeing – it’s just part of the new normal – but what about the practical consequences in terms of juggling levels of responsibility and workloads?
“It’s a tale as old as time,” argued Anand. “Leadership teams say mental health comes first, but then push employees to the point of burnout. Company-wide emails promote ‘Wellness Wednesdays’, but they continue to miss tell-tale signs of mental illness because they don’t listen to their people.”
Opening doors
Anand goes on to call for more transparency and constant conversations. Leaders need to share their own experiences of struggles, encouraging a culture where it’s possible to admit vulnerabilities.
There’s a need, he says, for creating space for people to talk and to discover more about the actual experiences of staff: regular one-to-one sessions between employees and managers and leaders. If there isn’t real action on wellbeing, beyond lip service, then more employees are likely to look to move on.
New research provides hard evidence of increased demand from employees for HR support in general. Factorialhr.co.uk found that around three-quarters needed to contact HR in the past year: 42% were queries relating to mental health or illness, 31% around returning to work after an illness. 24% had gone to HR to talk about being unhappy in their role.
Listening or just talking?
“Not just employee wellbeing, but proving the authenticity of wellbeing support has become one of the biggest challenges for HR in 2021,” argues EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.
“Mass emails and access to web content is one thing, but the intensity of pressures over the past 18 months means that employees need to find substance beneath the promotions.
“The great strength of EAPs is the range and depth of support involved: immediate access to professional expertise and tailored advice, the chance to talk in confidence, with pathways open to the option of counselling sessions.”