When we think of what contributes to good workplace health, communication probably isn’t at the top of your employee wellbeing strategy. But good communication really does have an important role to play helping to create a healthier workforce.
This article is written for anyone with an interest in workplace health, which really should be everyone. You could be in any number of roles that have an impact on employee wellbeing from HR professionals, in-house occupational health practitioners to line managers and leaders.
The case for good workplace health communication
In many organisations, communication usually gets mentioned when it’s done badly. While good communication is taken as ‘how things should be’ bad communication usually comes with comments like “the communication was terrible” “no one ever tells us anything” “I feel left out” “I didn’t know there was someone I could talk to” and perhaps the most damaging…. “if he understood the risks, he might not have had that accident”.
All of this can be frustrating, especially when much time and effort has been invested in creating many good policies and initiatives to support the health, safety and mental wellbeing of employees. But, if none of this has the communication strategy it needs, there is little wonder the message isn’t getting through. That’s why good communication is so important.
In this article we look at communication from two perspectives – both of which have the potential to improve employee health and wellbeing.
- How clarity of communication benefits workplace health
- Communication of specific workplace health initiatives
How clarity of communication benefits workplace health
Effective communication is good for individuals, teams and the whole organisation. It can boost morale, prevent stress, improve mental health, increase feelings of connection and community – all of which leads to better employee engagement, improved team collaboration and higher levels of productivity and innovation. That’s quite a long list of benefits. Let’s look at some of these in more depth…
Reduced stress and anxiety: Poor communication is one of the biggest causes of job-related stress and anxiety. A feeling that ‘something might be going on’ or uncertainty about roles and responsibilities at a time of change can have an adverse effect on mental health, especially when people feel helpless or without a voice. Open and clear communication and encouraging employees to express concerns can reduce this. Even if the news isn’t what your people may want to hear, transparency wherever possible at least brings clarity.
Improved mental health: Good communication in its different forms can help better mental health. One way you can help is by coaching your line managers to be better able to talk to their teams about sensitive issues and on a wider level, create a culture where it’s seen as ‘OK not to feel OK’. Good communication is one of the most valuable skills a line manager can have. We wrote this blog to help organisations open up the conversation around mental health. Mental health at work: How to get the conversation started.
Improved engagement and connection: Good communication can help your people feel a part of your organisation with a sense of community and connection, and that leads to better employee engagement. This comes from feeling valued and supported, with communication channels that also include those remote workers who can often feel detached. Last month we wrote a whole blog on building connection and community in the workplace to support Mental Health Awareness Week.
Reduced levels of presenteeism and burnout: Your leaders have a role to play by modelling positive behaviours that discourage late night working and that take wellbeing seriously. How they address health issues in their communications can help to normalise conversations around the dangers of burnout and, as your line managers improve their communication skills, they’ll be in closer contact with remote workers who run the risk of unseen burnout.
Communication of specific workplace health initiatives
Your people won’t know how your health and wellbeing strategy can help them if it’s not communicated. In 2022 the CIPD found that only a third of UK employees are aware of the mental health support available to them. In some instances, they may feel uncomfortable asking for support but with a clearer understanding of what that help looks like, take up could be far better. And this of course will contribute to a healthier and more productive organisation. Here are a few examples:
Employee Assistance Programmes: Employees may not know about your programme’s existence, its scope of services, or the benefits it offers. This can lead to missed opportunities to access crucial support for personal or work-related issues. While your communication plan should include channels like workplace posters and email, don’t forget that the most influential people to promote this are your line managers.
Financial Wellbeing Awareness: One of the positive outcomes of the cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic has been how organisations have bought into the concept of financial wellbeing, realising that problems may understandably overflow into the workplace. In order to communicate this support, you’ll need to build a positive and supportive environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their financial concerns. You can start in subtle ways by including money management tips in internal communications, sharing relevant articles, and highlighting available support.
Clear Workplace Health and Safety comms: How well your people are aware of this could mean the difference between remaining safe – or a serious injury. Your communication will need to help your employees (and contractors) understand your safety policies, procedures and most of all, the risks involved. What’s more, they need to feel empowered to raise any safety concerns they may have. Perhaps the phrase ‘if in doubt, call it out’ might act as a memorable call to action. The Health and Safety Executive have written a guide covering why good communications are important. We advise downloading Safety Critical Communications.
In conclusion
Good workplace communications ensure that the right information reaches the right people. In many instances, open communication helps to remove uncertainty, reduce stress and anxiety and builds greater connections and a support network with the line manager acting as an internal comms champion. As we’ve covered, far too many employees are unaware of the health and wellbeing available to them. If better communications bring these benefits to more people, you’ll be on the way to a healthier organisation.
Get our guide
We have produced a new Cordell Health resource on Communication. This is available to subscribers to our wellbeing service. If you are not signed up to this service and would like to find out more, please contact us on wellbeing@cordellhealth.co.uk
Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash.
