Building Wellbeing Into Work
A Systemic Approach That Actually Works
Yesterday's uncomfortable truth about wellbeing programmes raises an obvious question: if training interventions don't work, what does? The answer lies in embedding wellbeing considerations into the fabric of how work gets done, rather than treating it as something we add on through workshops and initiatives.
Like diversity and inclusion, wellbeing works best when it becomes invisible infrastructure rather than visible programming. We need to stop asking "what wellbeing training should we run?" and start asking "how does our work design affect human flourishing?"
Start with Work Design
The most powerful lever we have is influencing how work itself is structured. When leadership asks for resilience training because people are burning out, we can redirect the conversation toward workload analysis. Are realistic deadlines being set? Do people have adequate resources to meet expectations? Are priorities clear and stable?
These aren't traditional L&D questions, but they're exactly the conversations we're positioned to initiate. Our expertise in human performance gives us credibility to challenge work practices that undermine the very outcomes training is supposed to improve.
Note: Whilst these are not considered standard today, the performance improvement movement of the 70s and 80s very much included these. Time to relearn what we once knew!
Simple changes make substantial differences. Protecting focus time in calendars, establishing communication protocols that respect boundaries, and designing workflows that account for human cognitive limits all improve wellbeing without requiring a single workshop.
Build Manager Capability Around Human Needs
Rather than teaching employees stress management, we can focus on helping managers recognise and respond to early signs of overwhelm in their teams. This means shifting from "how to be resilient" to "how to create conditions where resilience isn't constantly required."
Practical manager development might include recognising workload warning signs, conducting meaningful check-ins that go beyond project status, and understanding how their communication style affects team stress levels. We can teach managers to spot when someone is struggling before it becomes a performance issue or absence.
The goal isn't to turn managers into counsellors, but to help them become more skilled at the human side of their role. Most managers want to support their people; they often lack the skills and confidence to do it effectively.
Influence Systems and Processes
We're often involved in designing performance management, onboarding, and development processes. Each of these touchpoints offers opportunities to embed wellbeing considerations without creating separate initiatives.
Performance conversations can include workload sustainability alongside achievement discussions. Onboarding can set realistic expectations about pace and support available. Development planning can consider not just skill gaps but also work-life integration and career sustainability.
The key is making these conversations feel natural rather than forced. When wellbeing becomes part of how we normally talk about work, it stops being a special project and becomes business as usual.
Measure What Matters
Instead of surveying people about their wellbeing, we can track the environmental factors that research shows actually affect it. Monitor overtime patterns, meeting loads, deadline feasibility, and manager-team interaction frequency.
These metrics tell us more about systematic wellbeing risks than asking people to rate their stress levels. They also point toward specific interventions rather than generic solutions.
When we see consistent patterns of unrealistic deadlines or overwhelming meeting schedules, we can address the causes rather than trying to train people to cope with the symptoms.
Use Our Unique Position
We sit at the intersection of individual performance and organisational systems. This gives us a unique perspective on how work design affects human capability. We can see patterns across teams, identify systemic issues, and speak the language of both human development and business results.
The most effective approach combines our understanding of human performance with our access to organisational decision-makers. We can influence the conditions under which people work while supporting individuals within those conditions.
The evidence shows that wellbeing programmes don't work, but wellbeing-informed work design does. The question is whether we're prepared to expand our role from delivering training to influencing the systems that determine whether training is even necessary.
Rather than teaching people to swim harder, we might focus on making the water less treacherous to begin with.