Why are managers the key to wellbeing?

Today we are facing a growing epidemic of stress, burnout, and plummeting levels of overall health and well-being. This is a crisis that has been brewing and was only exacerbated by the pandemic. This crisis is impacting every organisation, every team, and every employee.

So, who’s the best person to fix this problem? You might think it’s HR or the executive team or even the individual employee, but it’s actually—the managers!

According to Gallup, 70% of team engagement is influenced by the manager.

Training is one sure way to win over your workforce. New research suggests that employees are longing to be offered training and skills development opportunities.

A new report by RMIT Online has revealed that employees were more likely to stick with their employer if additional workplace training was made available to them.

Australasian Sustainable Wellness Academy Founder CEO and Lead Consultant Angela Derks said that due to the ever-changing work landscapes, training and skills development opportunities are no longer seen as a perk by employees, but more of an essential input for working in partnership with employers as the benefits for employers were just as advantageous.

“A skilled and adaptable workforce and employees who are able to continue to learn and develop new skills will stay with the business longer and the business benefits by retaining quality talent that will enable business agility and sustainability. It’s a win-win,” Ms Derks said.

“Wellbeing skills development is also crucial in our recovery from COVID-19 and the debilitating effect it has had on employees and employers.”

While the RMIT Online report noted that some employees had access to no training whatsoever, it also highlighted that many of those who were given an opportunity to undertake training left feeling disappointed because the training was not relevant or they did not learn anything new.

These results were further substantiated by the Where next for skills? report by PWC. According to the report, 72 per cent of employers hadn’t offered their staff any skills training in the past 12 months despite 49 per cent saying that skills shortages would inhibit their growth.

“Wellbeing training to strengthen internal capabilities in this vital area is a valuable investment and it’s important that employers get it right. When individuals collectively thrive in a workplace then organisations are more likely to thrive,” Ms Derks said.

The Australasian Sustainable Wellness Academy delivers flexible and practical wellbeing training options for businesses big or small, across Australia and internationally.

“Our business-driven and people-focused approach is a practical solution to support businesses to deliver, adapt, plan for future growth and respond to emerging needs.

We proudly offer the highly relevant Nationally Recognised 10299NAT Diploma of Wellness Leadership training program, in partnership with RTO no. 31981, as the practical solution for individuals looking to upskill and support employee wellbeing. Participants who successfully complete this course will be recognised as a qualified workplace wellbeing professional,” Ms Derks said.

“Now, more than ever, putting off developing an employee wellbeing strategy or failing to look at a comprehensive Wellness Needs Analysis can be a serious and expensive mistake to make. A well workplace isn’t about office design, wellbeing, sustainability, culture, strategy or leadership alone. It’s about a range of factors that redefine and drive us to reconsider and explore new and better ways of creating value for our workforce. That’s why all those topics are covered in the Diploma of Wellness Leadership course because these are the relevant skills and knowledge needed by today’s organisations to effectively support the health and wellbeing of their people now and into the future.”

No two businesses are the same and that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to training. The Australasian Sustainable Wellness Academy’s customised training is designed to give you best practice quality training that is most relevant for your people and your business.

LEARN MORE about developing relevant skills in workplace wellbeing for sustainability.