We are not machines. To function optimally, we humans require a level of balance, both in our work and personal lives. Yet, according to the Ipsos World Mental Health Survey, this year alone, 70% of South Africans report stress levels that “make it difficult to cope with life’s demands and more than half feel so stressed that they are unable to attend work.” Alarming, to say the least.
Is your team really healthy?
When last did you perform a health check on your agile, high-performance team? If you can honestly say that your team works efficiently and supportively, cohesively and collaboratively, communicates clearly and consistently, while staying accountable and perfectly aligned with the project goal - you’re definitely on the right track. On the other hand, if your gut instinct tells you that your team is wavering somewhere between no man's land and life support, it’s time for a health check.
What’s the value of looking after a team’s health? Looking after a team’s health can make good teams great by powerfully shifting feelings of wellness into high gear, significantly increasing productivity, motivating efficiency, elevating the general mood, boosting retention and achieving success. Moreover, a healthy working environment fosters a robust culture of innovation, fun, creativity, collaboration and trust. That’s good for business.
It’s raining feedback
“A feedback-rich environment is the most reliable engine of growth, development and learning for teams.“ - The Ready
Many of us in business don’t realise that feedback is happening all around us, every single day and practically all the time. Whether at the coffee machine or remotely, on Slack, in the corridor or on the way to the car, people and teams everywhere are exchanging sentiments about morale, satisfaction and performance. Imagine if we could capture this information, transforming it into rich, data-driven conversations that help improve and shape outcomes. Happily, at Kaleidoscope we can, and we do.
Internal Wellness, Team Health, Team Feedback Metrics, Team Energy Metrics. We implement these checks to evaluate teams over time, via trackable metrics which we interpret in a variety of ways:
As the starting point for developing honest, open and courageous conversations;
As the foundation for developing healthy growth strategies;
Finding better ways of working together as individuals and as a team; and
Resolving friction or anxiety to ultimately improve overall feelings of wellness.
High-performance teams and high flexibility culture
“When one considers what constitutes optimal wellness for the team individually and collectively, we have to pause and reflect on how we support the team in the areas that require it. We always consider how wellness is perceived so differently from person to person.” Says Carla. “For example, one person may enjoy their work but have a sick child at home. For the next person, their working environment may not align with their favoured work style. Being aware of these human differences makes people so much more tolerant and patient with one another. Gauging each team member’s ‘battery’ level helps to identify fluctuations, patterns of lows and highs and potentially avoidable dips.” She explains.
“It is crucial to establish a culture of ‘people matter, the team matters’. Investing time and energy into them is essential because it is so important. One must acknowledge that because of the human element, there is no set formula for this process. However, by actively listening and talking in a trusting, supportive, safe space, we can equip people with empowering solutions. We favour solutions that prioritise work-life balance and promote health and well-being.”
What can we track?
Short-term:
Work-Life Balance Indicators: Evaluate how well team members manage their work and personal lives; poor balance can impact overall wellness and energy.
Pulse Surveys: Conduct quick, regular surveys to gauge mood, workload and stress levels for immediate feedback on team sentiment.
Productivity Metrics: Monitor task completion, work quality, and deadlines. A decline in productivity may indicate low energy or stress.
Feedback and Communication: Watch for increased complaints or negative feedback, which can signal wellness issues.
Physical and Emotional Signs: Observe signs of fatigue, stress, or burnout, such as changes in appearance or frequent illness.
Longer periods (12 monthly and more):
Identify Trends: Track fluctuations in team sentiment over time to identify patterns or triggers affecting morale. For instance, if sentiment drops consistently in specific months, investigate potential causes.
Benchmark Changes: Compare team feelings with key events or changes in the organisation. Correlate drops or increases in sentiment with specific actions, projects, or external factors to understand their impact.
Actionable Insights: Use the data to implement targeted initiatives aimed at improving morale during consistently lower periods. For example, if sentiment dips in the middle of the year, plan interventions or team-building activities around that time.
Quarterly Review/Insights: Instead of yearly summaries, review this data quarterly to adapt and address issues promptly. Focus on specific metrics or concerns highlighted during these reviews to adjust strategies and improve team engagement.
Feedback Mechanisms: Combine quantitative data with qualitative feedback to understand the reasons behind sentiment changes.
Feedback maturity
Every team has its own unique journey to good health and every experience of it is different. Trust is built over time. Feedback maturity refers to the quality of the feedback received. Quality feedback should be unbiased, open and honest and should be preceded by asking the right questions to obtain accurate information.
Business Health Assessment
Are you interested in assessing the health of your business? Click on the link below to get started: https://kaleidoscopesa.consulting/free_business_assessment
Kaleidoscope guides high-performance, teams towards an agile, New Way of Working (NWoW), enabling you to adapt, collaborate, innovate, scale and grow. Partner with us today to create healthy workplaces that are more human, collaborative and agile.
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