How to lead with empathy in the face of rising anxiety

From Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the cost-of-living crisis, there's a wellbeing pandemic coming to New Zealand

BY Jodi Walters 14 Oct 2022

The workforce has been through a lot lately. As we emerge from the pandemic, new worries have emerged – geo-political tension and the rising cost of living now weighs heavily on the minds of your employees. As such, supporting your workforce’s wellbeing should be top of mind – and one Kiwi exec says it starts with our country’s leaders.

Richard Kennedy (pictured above), country lead NZ at Randstad, believes an empathetic leadership approach will create safe work environments where people can thrive.

“From personal experience, I’ve seen how considering the ‘whole of person’ needs and empowering leaders from the C-suite down, to deliver regular and clear communication, is so important,” he says. “It helps strengthen relationships, creating a stronger team environment, key to achieving greater business success.”

Recently Randstad took part in Mental Health Awareness Week, inspired by the Mental Health Foundation’s “Five Ways to Wellbeing” program; Connect (me whakawhanaunga), keep learning (me ako tonu), take notice, (me aro tonu), be active (me kori tonu), give (tukua).

Throughout the week, Randstad employees were invited to participate in a range of activities like fitness challenges, coffee catchups, volunteering opportunities, and mental health webinars.

“We promote an empathetic environment, and the great thing is we’ve created a better culture all-round that people resonate to, and the synergy that’s created around that can be fantastic,” Kennedy told HRD.

However, Kennedy warns that it’s critical leaders and managers are given the right training, so they have the skills needed to have wellbeing conversations with their people.

“This will ensure they can demonstrate authentic and empathic leadership,” he says.

What sorts of support do employees want?

There’s a range of data supporting a strong employee desire for greater work-life balance amongst Kiwi workers. Randstad’s 2022 Employer Brand research asked what expectations New Zealand employees place on their employers in regards to work-life balance. The research found that flexible work arrangements, training and development, and wellness and mental health resources were the highest priorities amongst employees.

“Have you been leading with empathy? Offering the flexibility, the work-life balance, the career development, the learning opportunities,” Kennedy says. “Things that will create better environments, more stickiness and give individuals real career opportunities within organisations but also show that our people are valuable to us.”

Kennedy’s top four tips for supporting mental health and wellbeing in organisations are:

Developing and delivering mental health and well-being strategies is a journey and not a destination. Strategies need to flex and mould to the changing needs of employees over their careers.
Under-performance could be a sign of distress and not disinterest. People can’t deliver their best work when they are stressed or under-supported, so watch out for early signs of changes in behaviour and work output.
Hold regular check-ins, stick to allocated times and start conversations with ‘how are you feeling’ rather than launching into ‘when can I expect that paper’. This approach will create safe environments for people to be open about how they are feeling and share if they’re struggling with their work or personal life, providing an opportunity for appropriate support.
Lastly, act on insights. Most companies conduct employee surveys, but nothing is more demotivating than knowing your concerns aren’t going to be acted on. Creating an environment of trust means addressing pain-points for employees and involving them in finding solutions.