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Academy for Small Businesses

Virtual events hosted by Bupa and external experts on workplace health topics.


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The Academy gives you leading health and wellbeing insights that will help support you in growing your business. Watch virtual events where our panel of experts discuss health and wellbeing issues – specifically for small businesses.

Events cover a range of key issues such as introducing a workplace mental health plan, reducing absence and building resilience as a small business owner to help your business thrive.


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Hello and welcome to the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

I'm your host Holly Tucker.

In the first part of today's session, I'll be discussing how small businesses can boost productivity by putting health and wellbeing at the heart of their business.

And in the second part of the session, I'll be speaking to two members of the people team at small business, what3words on the way leaders can improve engagement and wellbeing.

I'm delighted though to welcome our first guests, Laura Williams, Head of Partnership's Legal Team at WorkNest.

WorkNest provides employers with expert HR, employment law and health and safety services.

Laura's also a qualified solicitor and has 15 years of experience in the legal sector supporting SMEs.

And Dr.

John Burke, Medical Director at Bupa.

John is Medical Director in Bupa UK Insurance Healthcare Management.

A qualified GP, he has over 10 years of leadership experience in health insurance.

Welcome Laura.

Welcome John.

So tell me John, why is it so important for employers to support their team's health and wellbeing?

Why is health and wellbeing so important Well Holly, I think supporting employees' health and wellbeing is down to encouraging a positive working environment.

You know, reducing work-based stress.

Nowadays people spend a lot of their working times at work.

And so wellbeing is so important because it can have a direct impact on one's business.

And small businesses are always seeking rapid growth and with that comes the challenges of you know, expansion, recruitment, hitting targets.

And then, that can all be fine at sort of an exciting time.

But one could maybe forget the welfare of one's employees and colleagues.

So as you said earlier on, employees power the business and so they are vital to growth.

So having happy and appreciated employees would be great.

That they feel appreciated at work, they take fewer sick days, one can then have a lower rate of burnout and less turnover of staff because you know, it takes time and investment to have, you know, great colleagues working together.

At Bupa, we found that 60% of SMEs found that having a health and wellbeing benefits package boosted productivity.

And 22% of them rated it as been absolutely critical for their businesses.

Oh, that's amazing.

Legal responsibilities I mean I know first hand actually the faster you go, the more toll it takes out on those you are employing.

And, Laura, tell me about the legal responsibilities that small businesses have around communicating these benefits.

So employers have a duty of care towards their staff to look after, to protect their health and safety.

And that can include their wellbeing as well.

So not only if you've got to assess any potential risks but also what solutions you're putting in place to help manage that, whether it's occupational health, other wellbeing strategies you might have in place.

And it's important to remember that in the UK, legally you have to provide a member of staff with the particulars of employment on day one of their employment.

So written statement of those terms, including any benefits you're going to support.

So in addition to having the contract in place, part of your induction process can be a helpful time to set up the expectations for the role, introduce 'em to the culture of your business, but also to explain any wellbeing support you have on offer for them.

What we find is that really helps with that initial employee engagement, helps start the relationship on the right foot, and also that can help improve productivity over time as well.

So it's sort of starting from a good point at the outset of the employment relationship.

Everyone knows where they stand, don't they?

Risks Right from the off and as you said that creates that bond from day one.

John, I'm wondering what are the risks of not placing health and wellbeing at the core of your business?

I think Holly, that poor employee wellbeing can be a really huge business risk.

So having high pressure and high intensity environments can damage employees as they sort of strive to work hard for the business.

The other side of that can result in absenteeism if things go wrong, presenteeism as it's called, and decrease productivity.

So it can then be difficult to replace and costly to replace employees.

And what comes to mind as well is, you know, there's this topic of burnout, where people, especially after the pandemic, they feel they've been under a lot of stress, or for example, you know, female colleagues, if they haven't done the right amount of support around going through the menopause for example, then all of those risks can really directly impact on an employee and on their wellbeing.

So small businesses, in my view, need to consider and then perhaps implement a wellbeing plan and then that would help them to power the business angle from strength to strength over time.

And Laura, from your experience, what would you say are the biggest drivers of absence?

Biggest drivers of absence Well one of the most common reasons for absence we see with the businesses and SMEs in particular that we support is mental health illness.

That could be due to personal reasons or external factors, but most commonly we do see work-related stress being stated on sick notes that we see for staff absences.

That can manifest itself in physical symptoms such as back pain, migraines we see commonly.

There's an underlying condition that may impact their mental health as well.

And that can all have an impact on employee attendance at work.

In addition to that, there might be an a longer underlying health condition which may cause more frequent absences.

And if that's not discussed with the member of staff, concerned and supported, then we see an increase in absence of the back of that.

And another common reason for absence is absence for childcare reasons.

So dependents leave as we term it, and it's really important to remember to record that separately so it won't go on someone's sickness absence record, it is recorded separately 'cause there is a statutory right to dependents leave should someone need to take it.

And these are all sensitive areas, aren't they?

They are.

It's so important that we feel like we can communicate with each other and that's why that bond is imperative isn't it?

That people are open and honest with what's going on.

I'm wondering John, for small businesses, absence can be extremely disruptive, Reducing the impact of absence can't it?

And costly.

What steps can small businesses take to reduce the impact of absence?

It's really important Holly, to address high levels of absence and to find out why that might be happening.

So 80% of SMEs recently stated that musculoskeletal problems such as bones and joint issues, plus mental health conditions were the most important health and wellbeing concerns for their organisations.

Musculoskeletal problems can happen, for example, at the neck or the back and they can really actually cause people to be absent from work.

So they can be linked with anxiety and depression.

And therefore what employers should do is carry out the risk assessments, you know, at the workplace, make sure there are no hazards.

To do those workstation assessments, whether it's at a formal workplace or in the home setting.

And then encourage employees also to take regular breaks during the day.

Hybrid working has actually led to a slight rise in musculoskeletal problems 'cause some people still lack the proper equipment to work at home.

And there are some other things that people can do, Holly, is reduce workplace stress, discouraging staff from perhaps overworking or frequently staying late and encouraging line managers to keep in touch with their teams regularly, making sure that the workloads are manageable.

Around motivation, what comes to mind is increasing sort of, you know, the energy and the engagement levels of teams and people, individuals, reducing email time and promoting regular breaks, and allowing people to task focus on one thing at a time.

Being flexible is also good.

I think in the modern workplace, flexible working hours that can help to reduce absence and increase wellbeing feelings.

Key on top of all of those things, I think also, is just listening.

So if people feel that they're heard, as a staff feel they're being heard, then and that being involved in decision making, that can help with wellbeing and showing that the company cares.

Absolutely.

We've got a policy now that if we use our WhatsApps in the team after a certain time at night, it's actually frowned upon rather than encouraged.

And I think these are some of the things that we can do to help people switch off.

Laura, tell me, what advice would you give to employers on how best to manage someone How to manage repeated absence due to illness with repeated absence due to illness?

'Cause it can be quite a sensitive area, can't it?

Yeah, it can.

We know from a number of studies is that where an employees feel supported in work, they're more likely to return to work or have less frequent absences.

Obviously sometimes it's inevitable, but as you say, it's important to have that the communication piece really.

And from the outset, if you have a sickness policy in place, or at least, at the very least as part of your verbal introduction to the business, make a member of staff aware of what's required of them if they are having to report in sick.

You know, is a text okay?

Do they need to speak to a particular person?

Do they need to call by a particular time?

And an individual can self-certify themselves for up to seven days, following which you would want to see a medical certificate.

And if we all, in addition to your sickness policy, it's also a good idea to have an absence management policy.

And they run sort of, they can run concurrently, but the absence management element of it is you set trigger points for review.

So whether it's the number of days of absence or the frequency of that, it's just a prompt for an employee to sit down, have that conversation.

If you're not automatically having, you don't feel comfortable having a return to work conversation every time someone comes back, which is a good practise in itself, but that trigger point will just prompt that conversation and it's helpful for a number of reasons.

If there's no reasonable explanation for the number of absences, then enables that employees take that next step of perhaps putting a written warning in place to say, really your attendance does need to improve.

If not, we can take appropriate action.

So the employee's clear on that.

But it might be a case of actually there may be an underlying health condition that the employer wasn't previously aware of.

And the reason that's important is as soon as we become aware of that, there is a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments and it's something we'd want to do anyway to support and hopefully again help that employee engagement piece.

But again, if we can put measures in place to help support them over time, that in theory, that will then help reduce number of absences as well.

And we have a more engaged individual.

And again, that leads on to productivity as well.

That's a fantastic idea.

The importance of having a conversation with employees I didn't actually know that.

And it gives the employer the reason to sit down and actually the employee knows that we're going to sit down.

So it's again, you both sit down at a table knowing that this was going to happen rather than it being a shock or something that you don't want to talk about.

It's fantastic.

Well, we've recently seen how important having that conversation is.

A business came to us for advice.

And at that point they had someone who had had, over time, increasingly frequent, short periods of absence.

They hadn't quite been very clear about the reason for the absence.

It hadn't, the question hadn't been asked, to specific reasons, bit of a rumour, you know, in terms of conversations with colleagues that it might have been due to preexisting mental health issue.

I think the business were a bit nervous about how to have that discussion with them to ask the question.

What then happened is that turned into a longer term period of absence.

And again, through I think of quite frustration if I'm honest in terms of the fact that individual wasn't in contribution towards work, but also perhaps a bit of a lack of knowledge of knowing how to deal with it.

They were just sort of leaving them be really and getting the fit notes when they were at work, where can they sign them off.

Fit notes start coming, stopped coming, sorry.

And it was sort of a week later, sort of relatively short period of time later, heard nothing more.

And that what the business did said, "Right, well, we'll just employment's over then, they're clearly not coming back.

" What then happened is, and the reason they called us, is they had a telephone call from ACAS saying there's a potential claim there.

And the claims were for disability discrimination and also unfair dismissal.

The individual had been with them for just a couple of years, so long enough for them to be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

And through lack of process, because they hadn't been done anything with it.

And also because the employed, the tribunals are very quick to impose knowledge on an employer of a disability.

So a disability for employment law purposes doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a, you know, blue badge, be register disabled, but as if it's a longstanding health condition, so something we have suffered from or would likely suffer from for 12 months or more, and it has an impact on your day-to-day activities, that will classify as a disability, which then puts an obligation on employer to make reasonable adjustments and also provides protection for the employee against any detriment.

And in this case it was their dismissal.

So I think through the employer being a bit nervous about how to deal with it, again, not having that communication, the employee felt quite detached and just went straight to to bringing a claim 'cause they weren't happy with how they were treated.

To be honest with you, a large part of that could have been prevented had they have, well, known how to deal with it, perhaps sought advice sooner as well.

So these are the unfortunate situations that an employer can land themselves in if things aren't managed properly.

Setting things up properly, keeping that communication going.

Why is early intervention crucial Yeah.

Rather than burying your head in the sand and absolutely.

So John, why is early intervention crucial to supporting health and wellbeing in the workplace?

Well, Holly, when employees go on absence leave due to illness or injury, that has a follow on effect on the business and on other colleagues.

So businesses should really, I think, equip leaders to cope with those challenges, keep in touch with their teams on a daily basis and consider providing mental health support and first aid training, for example, for mental health so that they know what to look out for and see the signs early.

In today's modern work environment as well, I think it's important to have an open culture.

That people should really feel comfortable about speaking out about problems and that my own view is that, you know, prevention is better than cure.

Lots of doctors would say that, of course.

So making the workplace adjustments, phase returns to work, occupational health services being on, available as well is very, very helpful.

And in my experience, you know, people who can stay at work, they are generally maintained better, they're more healthy, they're more active, and they're more stimulated just by virtue of being in an occupation.

Fascinating.

Laura, what are just some of the basic procedures Basic features and policies and policies that businesses should have in place when it comes to staff absence?

So basic starting point is to have your sickness absence policy.

So that will set out your process for reporting absence, what's required, entitlements to sick pay, whether it's just statute sick pay or whether you provide an enhanced version of occupational or company sick pay.

How as a business you will deal with reasonable adjustments.

So that's quite helpful for managers to be able to refer to as a resource for knowing what we do, how to manage it and for the employee to be aware as well.

And also with regard to any processes for obtaining medical reports, should one be required to be able to support the employee in the workplace.

We mentioned it earlier, but having the absence management policy can be helpful with your trigger points and how that's then managed to manage expectations there.

Helpful to have a time off for dependents policy, how that's dealt with and if any pay, it's not legally, legal obligation to pay for that time off.

But some businesses choose to do so as again, as an incentive to support staff.

A flexible working policy, certainly post COVID, we are certainly getting increased requests for support businesses to prepare those and also family related leave.

So maternity, paternity, parental leave as well.

Having that clear policy in place of what support's available and how that's managed.

And important to note, it's really important to keep these policies up to date so they're not just sat on a shelf gathering dusters.

In some cases they are.

The employment law and HR world's constantly moving and changing with new legislation.

And importantly remember that they're kept up to date so it's not just something put in place and have on the back shelf for- Yes.

For a decade.

The law is constantly moving so we always recommend an annual review.

No dust should gather on those documents at all.

(Laura laughs) John, what are some services small businesses can use Services small businesses can use or promote or promote that will help support their teams?

I'm glad to say Holly, there are a number of free services that business owners can avail of and can promote.

So Bupa has partnered with the JAAQ, which is Just Ask A Question, and that's a mental health social media platform.

It's a safe space where people can ask experts, world-leading doctors questions, to do with their lived experience and on mental health of topics.

And it's also, it's free, as I mentioned.

There's also Bupa's mental health hub covering topics such as anxiety, stress, addiction, and depression.

There's a huge amount of information on that and online as well with Bupa.

Bupa also offers a women's health hub, lots of information there ranging on topics from menopause to periods and endometriosis.

And not forgetting men, and we also have lots of information on topics such as prostate health, fertility, mental health, of course, all on the Bupa website.

I think it's good also that employers promote charities such as mind and organisations such as citizens advice and thinking of the legal or the near legal area, ACAS to help with employees understanding of, you know, where they are in the workplace and what to do next.

Moving on to paid-for services, an employees assistance programme is good to have.

It provides legal advice, as Laura was mentioning earlier on, but also it just offers support for people around personal problems, work-related pressures.

It can help to reduce absenteeism and employees are less likely, if there's an EAP programme in place to call in sick.

And if teams are available for Bupa services more broadly, then they can access direct access as we call it.

And that service, the Bupa insurance office has trained advisors.

So if somebody has symptoms of cancer, mental health, muscle, bone or joint problems, then they can phone in.

We also offer Silver Cloud, which is coaching and online courses to help build resilience and wellbeing.

And Growth Plus includes access to the 24/7 anytime healthline, family mental healthline and also menopause supports, Holly.

Incredible.

So many ways of supporting everybody.

New patterns of working Laura, tell me new patterns of working and we've just spoken about that, haven't we?

Since COVID, mean that businesses need to look beyond the office when it comes to wellbeing.

How can SMEs support the wellbeing of remote workers?

So I think methods of engagement are really key here and it starts with the induction process.

So whether it's someone who's new to your business, it might be someone's moving into a new role or a new working arrangement where they're moving to work from a hybrid or remote working basis.

Providing point of contact so if they're having any practical challenge or even emotional challenges as well with the distance.

We say, you know, physical distance can also mean they feel more distant from the business as well.

So making sure that engagement and line of communication is kept open and importantly don't forget about them.

So if we're arranging, you know, an onsite event or a fun event, staff event, think about ways you can actually incorporate or involve people who are working remotely as well.

And if people have come to you wanted to work remotely, it might be a case if you have, if you do have an event or an important meeting, have the conversation with them.

Would they be prepared to travel in for that or do we want to require to do so in fact and can we support with travel and accommodation for them to enable 'em to do so and have that physical and human point of contact?

Embedding health and wellbeing into company culture I think that's so important, isn't it?

That human level.

I know for myself it's been more frequently we've brought everyone together because people are more spread apart and I think I like what you said, more distance there is the more distance they feel.

How can businesses embed health and wellbeing into their company culture then?

So being clear about your values and goals and communicate with your employees about that.

What do they think the value should be?

Important not to pay them lip service.

So if we say we're going to do something and we're going to, you know, hear suggestions, then do it.

You know, I think staff see you do that.

Show your truth of the word.

Again, it helps with that engagement piece and really embedding your culture and getting your staff team on board with that and that regular line of communication, it doesn't have to be, you know, all singing, all dancing, it can be a simple monthly roundup email to everyone to let 'em know what's going on and any comments from anybody.

And also important with communication, it's a two-way thing.

So, listening to your employees.

So we've seen many businesses use successfully ask me anything sessions where staff can come and ask, you know, questions, however big or small or indeed put thoughts and ideas into the parts and we'll have that the shoe box or the suggestions box- Yes, yes.

If anyone wants to do it anonymously.

It's all simple stuff but it's all really effective and I think being fair with rewards and remuneration as well.

So obviously, from a legal point of view, that helps to avoid any claims of discrimination, but also it ties in with a deeper company values as well.

And what's a really good idea is to make someone in your business responsible for culture.

And as that changes, so from when you're the very first startup, as you grow and in terms of driving forward as well, having that person who's accountable can help promote that within the business that.

It's that continuity isn't it?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Thank you Laura.

Thank you John.

(bright music) Top takeaways We are nearly at the end of our first session, but before we move on, let's look at the top takeaways from our experts.

To start with, poor employee wellbeing can be a huge business risk and it can lead to an increase in absenteeism and presenteeism and decrease productivity.

Employees power your business and are vital to growth.

When your employees' wellbeing is thriving, your organisation benefits.

And finally, offering health and wellbeing benefits boosts productivity and reduces work-related stress and promotes a positive working environment for everyone.

So thank you to Laura and to John for the thought-provoking conversation.

Next up, we'll be moving onto the second part of this session.

Before we do that, I'd like to ask you a quick poll, What three words We are now moving to our second part of today's session where we'll be speaking to two members of the people team at small business what3words on how they promote health and wellbeing and keep their employees engaged.

I'm delighted to welcome our guests, Sophie Pohling, People Advisor, and Alys Martin, Head of People.

Welcome Alys, welcome Sophie, lovely to have you here.

Could you start by introducing yourself and the business?

Yeah, no problem.

So we are what3words and we provide a unique solution to a global problem.

So a lot of places, traditional addresses don't really exist and that's obviously a big problem for deliveries or emergency services.

What we have done is divide the world up into three metre by three metre squared.

So each one of those squares has got a three word address.

That's 57 trillion of them- My goodness.

Across the world.

And for example, our office address is filled.

count.

soap.

And Holly and Co, if you're interested, is also called party.

admits.

jungle.

So jungle print.

Oh, how exciting is that?

I love it, I love it.

Health wellbeing initiatives Starting with you Sophie, what are some of the different health and wellbeing initiatives that you've invested in?

So we actually have a real suite of benefits at what3words.

We try and encompass them as much as possible into the global workforce and try and make sure that we have an offering in every office where possible.

We really are proud of our top-of-the-range Bupa cover, which we offer for medical.

We make sure that it's the no excess and medical history disregarded so that people feel A, that they're very able to use it and also comfortable using it as well.

We also have the dental cover which has had a really good take up.

And for added support and reassurance, we also offer the ability for people to add their family on for those reasons as well.

And then just for the flexibility, sometimes it's difficult people to get appointments or they have childcare duties.

We've also got the digital GP service for anyone who has Bupa, which is great.

And then aside from that we've got things like our life assurance through AIG and then we also have something that we've been really proud of offering quite recently, which is our two wellness days.

So they're kind of take whenever you want basis.

You know, sometimes you sign wake up and don't feel yourself and one of our values is, "All in.

" And with that reason in mind, we'd like people to feel like they can take a wellness day with no questions asked and just get back to being where they need to be to get back to work and be a hundred percent again.

And I think building that stigma around people being able to take those without feeling like worried or not like they're trusted I think is really important as well.

And then obviously, no one can ignore the current cost of living crisis, so we're really proud to also have our Bippit app, which is our financial wellbeing provider, which offers the chance for employees to speak to a financial coach or set particular financial goals, lifestyle stats, et cetera.

And that's had a really good take up because they also can come into the office and deliver quarterly webinars as well.

So it means that you really do capture a good audience and people can kind of dip in and out as to what their interests might be with a particular webinar.

Obviously, nurseries are very expensive now as well.

So the way we look at that is we offer a workplace nursery scheme which helps people through a salary sacrifice benefit.

And we've had such a good take up recently, we've noticed more and more people turning to this because if you're a higher rate taxpayer, the savings are fantastic for those parents and it just means they've got that peace of mind that they have one less thing to worry about.

And then finally, I love food, so I always get very excited by our company lunch, which we offer as a popup.

So you know, if you think about food brings people together, we've got that real sense of community at what3words and we have sort of a popup come in and everyone has lunch at the same time and kind of all sits together and chats.

And we try and replicate this in our other offices too.

So for example, the Mongolia team have their social lunch as well and it just means you're kind of still connected as an office even though you're not technically all together in the same room.

And yeah, we're just really like to sort of make sure people are well fed because you know, fuel is is how you get your energy.

Yeah, absolutely.

What an empathetic company.

It's incredible to hear.

Sophie, have you seen any benefits Benefits to investing in wellbeing to investing in health and wellbeing?

You've given me that list of incredible things that your employees have, but have you seen the benefits firsthand?

Yes, I think the main thing is just taking away that stigma of mental health and making it not a, something that you have to hide behind, but something that's openly shared.

And one of our values is "Make new mistakes.

" And it just shows that people don't have to be perfect.

You can sometimes be raw and you know, just a human being and just feel like you can obviously, you know, share that with your team or your manager.

One of the things we have is the Take 3 listening team, which is our mental health and wellbeing initiative, internally.

And we actually have people who have been nominated but they've sort of nominated themselves to be part of that Take 3 listening team just to kind of offer a sort of a nice friendly ear as opposed to professional advice.

And then they can sign people, sign post people to Bupa if they need to or something like that.

So we're really proud of that because it means that people then feel comfortable and supported as opposed to kind of hiding behind not feeling well, but unable to say.

And then in addition, kind of managers are empowered to check in with their employees as well.

So just asking the simple question, you know, "How are you?

" and pausing and reflecting, but also kind of initially building that trust and that support in the first place as a manager I think is so important with their direct reports because then it creates that safe space for those open conversations and it means that then A, the manager knows that they can be open with the employee, but equally they can also, you know, be open with them as well.

And then we also find that our time off policies are kind of, they suit everyone because there's something that you can benefit from if you need regardless of what you are feeling.

So I think we're really proud to have such a breadth of those so that people feel that they are supported by HR and their managers.

And then lastly, something that we've really found a popular thing to do is our six weekly remote working.

So everyone, when they joins, gets six weeks of remote working where they can use it so they don't have to come into the office for that week, but it could be that they decide to maybe go to one of our other offices and work from there for the week or perhaps they might decide to tack it onto a holiday in Greece and work from there.

So it just means that they've got that flexibility if they do just want a bit of a break from, you know, the nine to five in the UK, they can have the option to do something else.

And that's on top of their holidays?

Indeed, yes.

Gosh.

They, I personally am going to be going away for a whole month in May and coming back in June, so- So forward thinking.

Alys, what advice would you give to other small businesses Advice for small businesses looking to invest in their health and wellbeing?

I think I'd say take it seriously to start with, obviously wellbeing is such a big deal.

Think about what it will do for your existing people.

You know, if you have a lot of working parents for example, have a think about things like nursery benefits or you know, your maternity and paternity pay.

And also think about what that does for talent attraction and retention as well.

I think my biggest piece of advice would be to have a look at your working culture first of all.

Anything on top is really a trinket.

So you know, your gym memberships and yoga classes are great, but not if people have no flexibility, if they'll never make those because you make them work over the odds.

It really is about the culture you create to start with that really feeds the wellbeing of the company.

And it's not just a tick box, is it?

Absolutely not.

No.

Yeah, that can happen.

And why do you think it's so important to invest in health and wellbeing?

I mean, your employees drive your business, ultimately at the end of the day.

And if they are suffering from work-related stress because you're working them too hard and they can't take a break, your business will ultimately suffer.

And it's not just about, you know, productivity and the bottom line, although obviously happy, healthy employees affect productivity and that's brilliant, but it really is about your duty of care as well as an employer to ensure that, you know, your people are healthy and safe and well.

And I think if they truly feel it and that it's genuine, then it- It comes back in spades.

Absolutely.

It's so great and it, you just get such a better sense of environment in those companies where everyone's pulling together.

Absolutely.

Sophie, how do you support your remote workers?

Because obviously this is now growing How do you support remote workers as a way of working, what do you do?

So I think COVID kind of opened our eyes for a lot of businesses, but the good thing is we're in tech.

So we already had Zoom, we had Slack, we have all these resources that people already are very good on for, you know, talking to each other internally.

And I think with the remote working, we already knew how those hybrid structures worked before all this.

The good thing is that 'cause we've got a global workforce, we all kind of come together through things so you never feel as if you are too far away from each other.

And we have regular town halls every Tuesday, which the company updates, which everyone does in too.

And I think that's a great way of staying connected.

Yeah, completely.

I love, I love that it's called, what is it called, a town?

Town hall.

Yeah.

And we all all have little chairs and you know, occasionally it's replaced by a company breakfast where we might have croissants and fruit and that's replicated throughout the other offices as well.

And yeah, just to get that sense of community.

I've always found if you call your meetings interesting names, that people attend them.

Oh, so people want to go to them.

Yeah, they do, they do.

Promoting health and wellbeing Alys, how do you promote health and wellbeing and keep your employees engaged?

How do they know what you are offering or maybe updating?

So I mean, I think for us it's such a regular part of conversation and dialogue in the office anyway.

We obviously can sign posts to our extensive list of benefits, but it's really about sort of keeping that alive for people.

So we mention them in our town halls, fortunately companies like Youlife that we use, gamify absolutely everything.

So they have a step leader board.

Sophie does brilliantly at it every week, but we really do make it part of the conversation.

I think equally as well, we encourage managers to be open about their own health.

You know, if they take a wellness day, we encourage them to take that very openly so we know it's just part of the culture and it's all absolutely fine.

Yeah, and they're acting in a way that people can observe and then yeah, the stigma has left, hasn't it?

A hundred percent.

Also, how have you embedded health Embedding wellbeing into company culture and wellbeing into your company culture?

I think for us, we try and make it a real active part of everyday conversation, part of the dialogue.

One of our values for example is "Help and be helped.

" And so we try and really create that atmosphere of trust for people so that they can understand that, you know, it is an environment where we do care about their wellbeing.

For example, if managers take one of their wellbeing days, you know, we make that very public and open it as much as they would like it to be, just so that people know that it's absolutely fine and everyone at all levels can access our benefits.

And lead by example.

Of course.

Yeah.

Have you seen correlation, Sophie, in workplace wellbeing and productivity?

Correlation between wellbeing and productivity You know, has this all laddered up to seeing people being actually more productive?

Yeah, I think if you can get a healthy, happy workforce, you know, in turn, that they're going to be more productive because they want to come into work, they want to succeed, they want to go about their daily tasks.

And I think that's built from things such as creating that supportive open culture in the first place and just being able to be your own humanised person.

You know, make new mistakes, but you know, it doesn't matter if you need to try again because it's not going to be reprimanded.

It's just like, look, why don't we just see another solution, see how it works out.

So I think with all of our policies in place, there are things to help people should they need to get back on track, but I think it starts from creating that space initially and making the environment comfortable and a happy place to want to come into each day.

Well, I'm sure people are happy.

And finally, what would your one piece of advice, Alys, be to a small business owner One piece of advice that's looking to improve their health and wellbeing in the workplace?

I think my advice would really be start from scratch.

Have a look at your working practises, the way you treat people, the flexibility you could offer them.

Go right back to how those structures and those policies are all set up.

There are so many gimmicks on the marketplace, there really are.

Whether it's a new app for something or yoga you can do with goats, it, the opportunities are endless, but what really matters is how you can work with people on a daily basis.

You can be flexible, it would be great, but you know, you really don't have to spend a lot of money to give people a much better sense of wellbeing at work.

And it's all about the foundations, isn't it?

A hundred percent.

These strong foundations such as Bupa, which is a brand name that you really recognise and you trust and it really gives people a sense of stability.

You know, maybe less is more to begin with.

Oh, a hundred percent.

And I think for a benefit like Bupa, which is so well recognised, it gives an incredible sense of reassurance and comfort, particularly at times that might be more difficult anyway.

And I think the engagement that you get as an employer from providing that kind of safety net for your employees is huge.

We'll leave the goats and yoga then.

There then.

Thank you Alys.

Thank you Sophie.

We're now at the end of our session.

Thank you to Sophie and to Alys for joining us today and sharing their own experiences of promoting health and wellbeing initiatives in a small business.

We hope you found it useful.

See you next time.

(upbeat music)

Boost productivity by putting health and wellbeing at the heart of your business with Holly Tucker MBE

Tips for a healthier workplace | Productivity | Culture Watch in 38 mins

Holly is joined by Bupa's John Burke who highlights the risks of poor employee wellbeing. Laura Williams, Employment Law Solicitor and Head of Partnerships Legal team at WorkNest, also joins. She explains the legal responsibilities business have around communicating their health and wellbeing benefits to their employees.

Hello and welcome to the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

I'm your host Holly Tucker.

In the first part of today's session, I'll be discussing how small businesses can boost productivity by putting health and wellbeing at the heart of their business.

And in the second part of the session, I'll be speaking to two members of the people team at small business, what3words on the way leaders can improve engagement and wellbeing.

I'm delighted though to welcome our first guests, Laura Williams, Head of Partnership's Legal Team at WorkNest.

WorkNest provides employers with expert HR, employment law and health and safety services.

Laura's also a qualified solicitor and has 15 years of experience in the legal sector supporting SMEs.

And Dr.

John Burke, Medical Director at Bupa.

John is Medical Director in Bupa UK Insurance Healthcare Management.

A qualified GP, he has over 10 years of leadership experience in health insurance.

Welcome Laura.

Welcome John.

So tell me John, why is it so important for employers to support their team's health and wellbeing?

Why is health and wellbeing so important Well Holly, I think supporting employees' health and wellbeing is down to encouraging a positive working environment.

You know, reducing work-based stress.

Nowadays people spend a lot of their working times at work.

And so wellbeing is so important because it can have a direct impact on one's business.

And small businesses are always seeking rapid growth and with that comes the challenges of you know, expansion, recruitment, hitting targets.

And then, that can all be fine at sort of an exciting time.

But one could maybe forget the welfare of one's employees and colleagues.

So as you said earlier on, employees power the business and so they are vital to growth.

So having happy and appreciated employees would be great.

That they feel appreciated at work, they take fewer sick days, one can then have a lower rate of burnout and less turnover of staff because you know, it takes time and investment to have, you know, great colleagues working together.

At Bupa, we found that 60% of SMEs found that having a health and wellbeing benefits package boosted productivity.

And 22% of them rated it as been absolutely critical for their businesses.

Oh, that's amazing.

Legal responsibilities I mean I know first hand actually the faster you go, the more toll it takes out on those you are employing.

And, Laura, tell me about the legal responsibilities that small businesses have around communicating these benefits.

So employers have a duty of care towards their staff to look after, to protect their health and safety.

And that can include their wellbeing as well.

So not only if you've got to assess any potential risks but also what solutions you're putting in place to help manage that, whether it's occupational health, other wellbeing strategies you might have in place.

And it's important to remember that in the UK, legally you have to provide a member of staff with the particulars of employment on day one of their employment.

So written statement of those terms, including any benefits you're going to support.

So in addition to having the contract in place, part of your induction process can be a helpful time to set up the expectations for the role, introduce 'em to the culture of your business, but also to explain any wellbeing support you have on offer for them.

What we find is that really helps with that initial employee engagement, helps start the relationship on the right foot, and also that can help improve productivity over time as well.

So it's sort of starting from a good point at the outset of the employment relationship.

Everyone knows where they stand, don't they?

Risks Right from the off and as you said that creates that bond from day one.

John, I'm wondering what are the risks of not placing health and wellbeing at the core of your business?

I think Holly, that poor employee wellbeing can be a really huge business risk.

So having high pressure and high intensity environments can damage employees as they sort of strive to work hard for the business.

The other side of that can result in absenteeism if things go wrong, presenteeism as it's called, and decrease productivity.

So it can then be difficult to replace and costly to replace employees.

And what comes to mind as well is, you know, there's this topic of burnout, where people, especially after the pandemic, they feel they've been under a lot of stress, or for example, you know, female colleagues, if they haven't done the right amount of support around going through the menopause for example, then all of those risks can really directly impact on an employee and on their wellbeing.

So small businesses, in my view, need to consider and then perhaps implement a wellbeing plan and then that would help them to power the business angle from strength to strength over time.

And Laura, from your experience, what would you say are the biggest drivers of absence?

Biggest drivers of absence Well one of the most common reasons for absence we see with the businesses and SMEs in particular that we support is mental health illness.

That could be due to personal reasons or external factors, but most commonly we do see work-related stress being stated on sick notes that we see for staff absences.

That can manifest itself in physical symptoms such as back pain, migraines we see commonly.

There's an underlying condition that may impact their mental health as well.

And that can all have an impact on employee attendance at work.

In addition to that, there might be an a longer underlying health condition which may cause more frequent absences.

And if that's not discussed with the member of staff, concerned and supported, then we see an increase in absence of the back of that.

And another common reason for absence is absence for childcare reasons.

So dependents leave as we term it, and it's really important to remember to record that separately so it won't go on someone's sickness absence record, it is recorded separately 'cause there is a statutory right to dependents leave should someone need to take it.

And these are all sensitive areas, aren't they?

They are.

It's so important that we feel like we can communicate with each other and that's why that bond is imperative isn't it?

That people are open and honest with what's going on.

I'm wondering John, for small businesses, absence can be extremely disruptive, Reducing the impact of absence can't it?

And costly.

What steps can small businesses take to reduce the impact of absence?

It's really important Holly, to address high levels of absence and to find out why that might be happening.

So 80% of SMEs recently stated that musculoskeletal problems such as bones and joint issues, plus mental health conditions were the most important health and wellbeing concerns for their organisations.

Musculoskeletal problems can happen, for example, at the neck or the back and they can really actually cause people to be absent from work.

So they can be linked with anxiety and depression.

And therefore what employers should do is carry out the risk assessments, you know, at the workplace, make sure there are no hazards.

To do those workstation assessments, whether it's at a formal workplace or in the home setting.

And then encourage employees also to take regular breaks during the day.

Hybrid working has actually led to a slight rise in musculoskeletal problems 'cause some people still lack the proper equipment to work at home.

And there are some other things that people can do, Holly, is reduce workplace stress, discouraging staff from perhaps overworking or frequently staying late and encouraging line managers to keep in touch with their teams regularly, making sure that the workloads are manageable.

Around motivation, what comes to mind is increasing sort of, you know, the energy and the engagement levels of teams and people, individuals, reducing email time and promoting regular breaks, and allowing people to task focus on one thing at a time.

Being flexible is also good.

I think in the modern workplace, flexible working hours that can help to reduce absence and increase wellbeing feelings.

Key on top of all of those things, I think also, is just listening.

So if people feel that they're heard, as a staff feel they're being heard, then and that being involved in decision making, that can help with wellbeing and showing that the company cares.

Absolutely.

We've got a policy now that if we use our WhatsApps in the team after a certain time at night, it's actually frowned upon rather than encouraged.

And I think these are some of the things that we can do to help people switch off.

Laura, tell me, what advice would you give to employers on how best to manage someone How to manage repeated absence due to illness with repeated absence due to illness?

'Cause it can be quite a sensitive area, can't it?

Yeah, it can.

We know from a number of studies is that where an employees feel supported in work, they're more likely to return to work or have less frequent absences.

Obviously sometimes it's inevitable, but as you say, it's important to have that the communication piece really.

And from the outset, if you have a sickness policy in place, or at least, at the very least as part of your verbal introduction to the business, make a member of staff aware of what's required of them if they are having to report in sick.

You know, is a text okay?

Do they need to speak to a particular person?

Do they need to call by a particular time?

And an individual can self-certify themselves for up to seven days, following which you would want to see a medical certificate.

And if we all, in addition to your sickness policy, it's also a good idea to have an absence management policy.

And they run sort of, they can run concurrently, but the absence management element of it is you set trigger points for review.

So whether it's the number of days of absence or the frequency of that, it's just a prompt for an employee to sit down, have that conversation.

If you're not automatically having, you don't feel comfortable having a return to work conversation every time someone comes back, which is a good practise in itself, but that trigger point will just prompt that conversation and it's helpful for a number of reasons.

If there's no reasonable explanation for the number of absences, then enables that employees take that next step of perhaps putting a written warning in place to say, really your attendance does need to improve.

If not, we can take appropriate action.

So the employee's clear on that.

But it might be a case of actually there may be an underlying health condition that the employer wasn't previously aware of.

And the reason that's important is as soon as we become aware of that, there is a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments and it's something we'd want to do anyway to support and hopefully again help that employee engagement piece.

But again, if we can put measures in place to help support them over time, that in theory, that will then help reduce number of absences as well.

And we have a more engaged individual.

And again, that leads on to productivity as well.

That's a fantastic idea.

The importance of having a conversation with employees I didn't actually know that.

And it gives the employer the reason to sit down and actually the employee knows that we're going to sit down.

So it's again, you both sit down at a table knowing that this was going to happen rather than it being a shock or something that you don't want to talk about.

It's fantastic.

Well, we've recently seen how important having that conversation is.

A business came to us for advice.

And at that point they had someone who had had, over time, increasingly frequent, short periods of absence.

They hadn't quite been very clear about the reason for the absence.

It hadn't, the question hadn't been asked, to specific reasons, bit of a rumour, you know, in terms of conversations with colleagues that it might have been due to preexisting mental health issue.

I think the business were a bit nervous about how to have that discussion with them to ask the question.

What then happened is that turned into a longer term period of absence.

And again, through I think of quite frustration if I'm honest in terms of the fact that individual wasn't in contribution towards work, but also perhaps a bit of a lack of knowledge of knowing how to deal with it.

They were just sort of leaving them be really and getting the fit notes when they were at work, where can they sign them off.

Fit notes start coming, stopped coming, sorry.

And it was sort of a week later, sort of relatively short period of time later, heard nothing more.

And that what the business did said, "Right, well, we'll just employment's over then, they're clearly not coming back.

" What then happened is, and the reason they called us, is they had a telephone call from ACAS saying there's a potential claim there.

And the claims were for disability discrimination and also unfair dismissal.

The individual had been with them for just a couple of years, so long enough for them to be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

And through lack of process, because they hadn't been done anything with it.

And also because the employed, the tribunals are very quick to impose knowledge on an employer of a disability.

So a disability for employment law purposes doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a, you know, blue badge, be register disabled, but as if it's a longstanding health condition, so something we have suffered from or would likely suffer from for 12 months or more, and it has an impact on your day-to-day activities, that will classify as a disability, which then puts an obligation on employer to make reasonable adjustments and also provides protection for the employee against any detriment.

And in this case it was their dismissal.

So I think through the employer being a bit nervous about how to deal with it, again, not having that communication, the employee felt quite detached and just went straight to to bringing a claim 'cause they weren't happy with how they were treated.

To be honest with you, a large part of that could have been prevented had they have, well, known how to deal with it, perhaps sought advice sooner as well.

So these are the unfortunate situations that an employer can land themselves in if things aren't managed properly.

Setting things up properly, keeping that communication going.

Why is early intervention crucial Yeah.

Rather than burying your head in the sand and absolutely.

So John, why is early intervention crucial to supporting health and wellbeing in the workplace?

Well, Holly, when employees go on absence leave due to illness or injury, that has a follow on effect on the business and on other colleagues.

So businesses should really, I think, equip leaders to cope with those challenges, keep in touch with their teams on a daily basis and consider providing mental health support and first aid training, for example, for mental health so that they know what to look out for and see the signs early.

In today's modern work environment as well, I think it's important to have an open culture.

That people should really feel comfortable about speaking out about problems and that my own view is that, you know, prevention is better than cure.

Lots of doctors would say that, of course.

So making the workplace adjustments, phase returns to work, occupational health services being on, available as well is very, very helpful.

And in my experience, you know, people who can stay at work, they are generally maintained better, they're more healthy, they're more active, and they're more stimulated just by virtue of being in an occupation.

Fascinating.

Laura, what are just some of the basic procedures Basic features and policies and policies that businesses should have in place when it comes to staff absence?

So basic starting point is to have your sickness absence policy.

So that will set out your process for reporting absence, what's required, entitlements to sick pay, whether it's just statute sick pay or whether you provide an enhanced version of occupational or company sick pay.

How as a business you will deal with reasonable adjustments.

So that's quite helpful for managers to be able to refer to as a resource for knowing what we do, how to manage it and for the employee to be aware as well.

And also with regard to any processes for obtaining medical reports, should one be required to be able to support the employee in the workplace.

We mentioned it earlier, but having the absence management policy can be helpful with your trigger points and how that's then managed to manage expectations there.

Helpful to have a time off for dependents policy, how that's dealt with and if any pay, it's not legally, legal obligation to pay for that time off.

But some businesses choose to do so as again, as an incentive to support staff.

A flexible working policy, certainly post COVID, we are certainly getting increased requests for support businesses to prepare those and also family related leave.

So maternity, paternity, parental leave as well.

Having that clear policy in place of what support's available and how that's managed.

And important to note, it's really important to keep these policies up to date so they're not just sat on a shelf gathering dusters.

In some cases they are.

The employment law and HR world's constantly moving and changing with new legislation.

And importantly remember that they're kept up to date so it's not just something put in place and have on the back shelf for- Yes.

For a decade.

The law is constantly moving so we always recommend an annual review.

No dust should gather on those documents at all.

(Laura laughs) John, what are some services small businesses can use Services small businesses can use or promote or promote that will help support their teams?

I'm glad to say Holly, there are a number of free services that business owners can avail of and can promote.

So Bupa has partnered with the JAAQ, which is Just Ask A Question, and that's a mental health social media platform.

It's a safe space where people can ask experts, world-leading doctors questions, to do with their lived experience and on mental health of topics.

And it's also, it's free, as I mentioned.

There's also Bupa's mental health hub covering topics such as anxiety, stress, addiction, and depression.

There's a huge amount of information on that and online as well with Bupa.

Bupa also offers a women's health hub, lots of information there ranging on topics from menopause to periods and endometriosis.

And not forgetting men, and we also have lots of information on topics such as prostate health, fertility, mental health, of course, all on the Bupa website.

I think it's good also that employers promote charities such as mind and organisations such as citizens advice and thinking of the legal or the near legal area, ACAS to help with employees understanding of, you know, where they are in the workplace and what to do next.

Moving on to paid-for services, an employees assistance programme is good to have.

It provides legal advice, as Laura was mentioning earlier on, but also it just offers support for people around personal problems, work-related pressures.

It can help to reduce absenteeism and employees are less likely, if there's an EAP programme in place to call in sick.

And if teams are available for Bupa services more broadly, then they can access direct access as we call it.

And that service, the Bupa insurance office has trained advisors.

So if somebody has symptoms of cancer, mental health, muscle, bone or joint problems, then they can phone in.

We also offer Silver Cloud, which is coaching and online courses to help build resilience and wellbeing.

And Growth Plus includes access to the 24/7 anytime healthline, family mental healthline and also menopause supports, Holly.

Incredible.

So many ways of supporting everybody.

New patterns of working Laura, tell me new patterns of working and we've just spoken about that, haven't we?

Since COVID, mean that businesses need to look beyond the office when it comes to wellbeing.

How can SMEs support the wellbeing of remote workers?

So I think methods of engagement are really key here and it starts with the induction process.

So whether it's someone who's new to your business, it might be someone's moving into a new role or a new working arrangement where they're moving to work from a hybrid or remote working basis.

Providing point of contact so if they're having any practical challenge or even emotional challenges as well with the distance.

We say, you know, physical distance can also mean they feel more distant from the business as well.

So making sure that engagement and line of communication is kept open and importantly don't forget about them.

So if we're arranging, you know, an onsite event or a fun event, staff event, think about ways you can actually incorporate or involve people who are working remotely as well.

And if people have come to you wanted to work remotely, it might be a case if you have, if you do have an event or an important meeting, have the conversation with them.

Would they be prepared to travel in for that or do we want to require to do so in fact and can we support with travel and accommodation for them to enable 'em to do so and have that physical and human point of contact?

Embedding health and wellbeing into company culture I think that's so important, isn't it?

That human level.

I know for myself it's been more frequently we've brought everyone together because people are more spread apart and I think I like what you said, more distance there is the more distance they feel.

How can businesses embed health and wellbeing into their company culture then?

So being clear about your values and goals and communicate with your employees about that.

What do they think the value should be?

Important not to pay them lip service.

So if we say we're going to do something and we're going to, you know, hear suggestions, then do it.

You know, I think staff see you do that.

Show your truth of the word.

Again, it helps with that engagement piece and really embedding your culture and getting your staff team on board with that and that regular line of communication, it doesn't have to be, you know, all singing, all dancing, it can be a simple monthly roundup email to everyone to let 'em know what's going on and any comments from anybody.

And also important with communication, it's a two-way thing.

So, listening to your employees.

So we've seen many businesses use successfully ask me anything sessions where staff can come and ask, you know, questions, however big or small or indeed put thoughts and ideas into the parts and we'll have that the shoe box or the suggestions box- Yes, yes.

If anyone wants to do it anonymously.

It's all simple stuff but it's all really effective and I think being fair with rewards and remuneration as well.

So obviously, from a legal point of view, that helps to avoid any claims of discrimination, but also it ties in with a deeper company values as well.

And what's a really good idea is to make someone in your business responsible for culture.

And as that changes, so from when you're the very first startup, as you grow and in terms of driving forward as well, having that person who's accountable can help promote that within the business that.

It's that continuity isn't it?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Thank you Laura.

Thank you John.

(bright music) Top takeaways We are nearly at the end of our first session, but before we move on, let's look at the top takeaways from our experts.

To start with, poor employee wellbeing can be a huge business risk and it can lead to an increase in absenteeism and presenteeism and decrease productivity.

Employees power your business and are vital to growth.

When your employees' wellbeing is thriving, your organisation benefits.

And finally, offering health and wellbeing benefits boosts productivity and reduces work-related stress and promotes a positive working environment for everyone.

So thank you to Laura and to John for the thought-provoking conversation.

Next up, we'll be moving onto the second part of this session.

Before we do that, I'd like to ask you a quick poll, What three words We are now moving to our second part of today's session where we'll be speaking to two members of the people team at small business what3words on how they promote health and wellbeing and keep their employees engaged.

I'm delighted to welcome our guests, Sophie Pohling, People Advisor, and Alys Martin, Head of People.

Welcome Alys, welcome Sophie, lovely to have you here.

Could you start by introducing yourself and the business?

Yeah, no problem.

So we are what3words and we provide a unique solution to a global problem.

So a lot of places, traditional addresses don't really exist and that's obviously a big problem for deliveries or emergency services.

What we have done is divide the world up into three metre by three metre squared.

So each one of those squares has got a three word address.

That's 57 trillion of them- My goodness.

Across the world.

And for example, our office address is filled.

count.

soap.

And Holly and Co, if you're interested, is also called party.

admits.

jungle.

So jungle print.

Oh, how exciting is that?

I love it, I love it.

Health wellbeing initiatives Starting with you Sophie, what are some of the different health and wellbeing initiatives that you've invested in?

So we actually have a real suite of benefits at what3words.

We try and encompass them as much as possible into the global workforce and try and make sure that we have an offering in every office where possible.

We really are proud of our top-of-the-range Bupa cover, which we offer for medical.

We make sure that it's the no excess and medical history disregarded so that people feel A, that they're very able to use it and also comfortable using it as well.

We also have the dental cover which has had a really good take up.

And for added support and reassurance, we also offer the ability for people to add their family on for those reasons as well.

And then just for the flexibility, sometimes it's difficult people to get appointments or they have childcare duties.

We've also got the digital GP service for anyone who has Bupa, which is great.

And then aside from that we've got things like our life assurance through AIG and then we also have something that we've been really proud of offering quite recently, which is our two wellness days.

So they're kind of take whenever you want basis.

You know, sometimes you sign wake up and don't feel yourself and one of our values is, "All in.

" And with that reason in mind, we'd like people to feel like they can take a wellness day with no questions asked and just get back to being where they need to be to get back to work and be a hundred percent again.

And I think building that stigma around people being able to take those without feeling like worried or not like they're trusted I think is really important as well.

And then obviously, no one can ignore the current cost of living crisis, so we're really proud to also have our Bippit app, which is our financial wellbeing provider, which offers the chance for employees to speak to a financial coach or set particular financial goals, lifestyle stats, et cetera.

And that's had a really good take up because they also can come into the office and deliver quarterly webinars as well.

So it means that you really do capture a good audience and people can kind of dip in and out as to what their interests might be with a particular webinar.

Obviously, nurseries are very expensive now as well.

So the way we look at that is we offer a workplace nursery scheme which helps people through a salary sacrifice benefit.

And we've had such a good take up recently, we've noticed more and more people turning to this because if you're a higher rate taxpayer, the savings are fantastic for those parents and it just means they've got that peace of mind that they have one less thing to worry about.

And then finally, I love food, so I always get very excited by our company lunch, which we offer as a popup.

So you know, if you think about food brings people together, we've got that real sense of community at what3words and we have sort of a popup come in and everyone has lunch at the same time and kind of all sits together and chats.

And we try and replicate this in our other offices too.

So for example, the Mongolia team have their social lunch as well and it just means you're kind of still connected as an office even though you're not technically all together in the same room.

And yeah, we're just really like to sort of make sure people are well fed because you know, fuel is is how you get your energy.

Yeah, absolutely.

What an empathetic company.

It's incredible to hear.

Sophie, have you seen any benefits Benefits to investing in wellbeing to investing in health and wellbeing?

You've given me that list of incredible things that your employees have, but have you seen the benefits firsthand?

Yes, I think the main thing is just taking away that stigma of mental health and making it not a, something that you have to hide behind, but something that's openly shared.

And one of our values is "Make new mistakes.

" And it just shows that people don't have to be perfect.

You can sometimes be raw and you know, just a human being and just feel like you can obviously, you know, share that with your team or your manager.

One of the things we have is the Take 3 listening team, which is our mental health and wellbeing initiative, internally.

And we actually have people who have been nominated but they've sort of nominated themselves to be part of that Take 3 listening team just to kind of offer a sort of a nice friendly ear as opposed to professional advice.

And then they can sign people, sign post people to Bupa if they need to or something like that.

So we're really proud of that because it means that people then feel comfortable and supported as opposed to kind of hiding behind not feeling well, but unable to say.

And then in addition, kind of managers are empowered to check in with their employees as well.

So just asking the simple question, you know, "How are you?

" and pausing and reflecting, but also kind of initially building that trust and that support in the first place as a manager I think is so important with their direct reports because then it creates that safe space for those open conversations and it means that then A, the manager knows that they can be open with the employee, but equally they can also, you know, be open with them as well.

And then we also find that our time off policies are kind of, they suit everyone because there's something that you can benefit from if you need regardless of what you are feeling.

So I think we're really proud to have such a breadth of those so that people feel that they are supported by HR and their managers.

And then lastly, something that we've really found a popular thing to do is our six weekly remote working.

So everyone, when they joins, gets six weeks of remote working where they can use it so they don't have to come into the office for that week, but it could be that they decide to maybe go to one of our other offices and work from there for the week or perhaps they might decide to tack it onto a holiday in Greece and work from there.

So it just means that they've got that flexibility if they do just want a bit of a break from, you know, the nine to five in the UK, they can have the option to do something else.

And that's on top of their holidays?

Indeed, yes.

Gosh.

They, I personally am going to be going away for a whole month in May and coming back in June, so- So forward thinking.

Alys, what advice would you give to other small businesses Advice for small businesses looking to invest in their health and wellbeing?

I think I'd say take it seriously to start with, obviously wellbeing is such a big deal.

Think about what it will do for your existing people.

You know, if you have a lot of working parents for example, have a think about things like nursery benefits or you know, your maternity and paternity pay.

And also think about what that does for talent attraction and retention as well.

I think my biggest piece of advice would be to have a look at your working culture first of all.

Anything on top is really a trinket.

So you know, your gym memberships and yoga classes are great, but not if people have no flexibility, if they'll never make those because you make them work over the odds.

It really is about the culture you create to start with that really feeds the wellbeing of the company.

And it's not just a tick box, is it?

Absolutely not.

No.

Yeah, that can happen.

And why do you think it's so important to invest in health and wellbeing?

I mean, your employees drive your business, ultimately at the end of the day.

And if they are suffering from work-related stress because you're working them too hard and they can't take a break, your business will ultimately suffer.

And it's not just about, you know, productivity and the bottom line, although obviously happy, healthy employees affect productivity and that's brilliant, but it really is about your duty of care as well as an employer to ensure that, you know, your people are healthy and safe and well.

And I think if they truly feel it and that it's genuine, then it- It comes back in spades.

Absolutely.

It's so great and it, you just get such a better sense of environment in those companies where everyone's pulling together.

Absolutely.

Sophie, how do you support your remote workers?

Because obviously this is now growing How do you support remote workers as a way of working, what do you do?

So I think COVID kind of opened our eyes for a lot of businesses, but the good thing is we're in tech.

So we already had Zoom, we had Slack, we have all these resources that people already are very good on for, you know, talking to each other internally.

And I think with the remote working, we already knew how those hybrid structures worked before all this.

The good thing is that 'cause we've got a global workforce, we all kind of come together through things so you never feel as if you are too far away from each other.

And we have regular town halls every Tuesday, which the company updates, which everyone does in too.

And I think that's a great way of staying connected.

Yeah, completely.

I love, I love that it's called, what is it called, a town?

Town hall.

Yeah.

And we all all have little chairs and you know, occasionally it's replaced by a company breakfast where we might have croissants and fruit and that's replicated throughout the other offices as well.

And yeah, just to get that sense of community.

I've always found if you call your meetings interesting names, that people attend them.

Oh, so people want to go to them.

Yeah, they do, they do.

Promoting health and wellbeing Alys, how do you promote health and wellbeing and keep your employees engaged?

How do they know what you are offering or maybe updating?

So I mean, I think for us it's such a regular part of conversation and dialogue in the office anyway.

We obviously can sign posts to our extensive list of benefits, but it's really about sort of keeping that alive for people.

So we mention them in our town halls, fortunately companies like Youlife that we use, gamify absolutely everything.

So they have a step leader board.

Sophie does brilliantly at it every week, but we really do make it part of the conversation.

I think equally as well, we encourage managers to be open about their own health.

You know, if they take a wellness day, we encourage them to take that very openly so we know it's just part of the culture and it's all absolutely fine.

Yeah, and they're acting in a way that people can observe and then yeah, the stigma has left, hasn't it?

A hundred percent.

Also, how have you embedded health Embedding wellbeing into company culture and wellbeing into your company culture?

I think for us, we try and make it a real active part of everyday conversation, part of the dialogue.

One of our values for example is "Help and be helped.

" And so we try and really create that atmosphere of trust for people so that they can understand that, you know, it is an environment where we do care about their wellbeing.

For example, if managers take one of their wellbeing days, you know, we make that very public and open it as much as they would like it to be, just so that people know that it's absolutely fine and everyone at all levels can access our benefits.

And lead by example.

Of course.

Yeah.

Have you seen correlation, Sophie, in workplace wellbeing and productivity?

Correlation between wellbeing and productivity You know, has this all laddered up to seeing people being actually more productive?

Yeah, I think if you can get a healthy, happy workforce, you know, in turn, that they're going to be more productive because they want to come into work, they want to succeed, they want to go about their daily tasks.

And I think that's built from things such as creating that supportive open culture in the first place and just being able to be your own humanised person.

You know, make new mistakes, but you know, it doesn't matter if you need to try again because it's not going to be reprimanded.

It's just like, look, why don't we just see another solution, see how it works out.

So I think with all of our policies in place, there are things to help people should they need to get back on track, but I think it starts from creating that space initially and making the environment comfortable and a happy place to want to come into each day.

Well, I'm sure people are happy.

And finally, what would your one piece of advice, Alys, be to a small business owner One piece of advice that's looking to improve their health and wellbeing in the workplace?

I think my advice would really be start from scratch.

Have a look at your working practises, the way you treat people, the flexibility you could offer them.

Go right back to how those structures and those policies are all set up.

There are so many gimmicks on the marketplace, there really are.

Whether it's a new app for something or yoga you can do with goats, it, the opportunities are endless, but what really matters is how you can work with people on a daily basis.

You can be flexible, it would be great, but you know, you really don't have to spend a lot of money to give people a much better sense of wellbeing at work.

And it's all about the foundations, isn't it?

A hundred percent.

These strong foundations such as Bupa, which is a brand name that you really recognise and you trust and it really gives people a sense of stability.

You know, maybe less is more to begin with.

Oh, a hundred percent.

And I think for a benefit like Bupa, which is so well recognised, it gives an incredible sense of reassurance and comfort, particularly at times that might be more difficult anyway.

And I think the engagement that you get as an employer from providing that kind of safety net for your employees is huge.

We'll leave the goats and yoga then.

There then.

Thank you Alys.

Thank you Sophie.

We're now at the end of our session.

Thank you to Sophie and to Alys for joining us today and sharing their own experiences of promoting health and wellbeing initiatives in a small business.

We hope you found it useful.

See you next time.

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View transcript

Hi, I'm Holly Tucker, and welcome to the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

This series aims to provide you with the practical support and advice to help you manage your team's health.

In this episode, we'll be discussing why in the current economic climate it's more important than ever to look after your team's wellbeing.

I'm delighted to be joined by Laura Williams, head of partnership's legal team at Worknest.

Worknest provide employers with expert HR, employment law, and health and safety advice.

Laura has qualified both as a solicitor and a barrister, and has 15 years of experience in the legal sector supporting SMEs.

And Dr.Rebecca Rohrer.

Rebecca is a medical director in Bupa's UK Healthcare Management, and is also a working doctor with a background in management consultancy.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Right, let's start.

So from your data at Worknest, what are the key things small business owners are worried about at the moment, Laura?

So, as we know, small business owners, it's not uncommon for them to wear multiple hats.

So they're the MD, they're doing the sales, the marketing, everything else.

And in a tough economic climate, they're really feeling the pressure at the moment.

And we're definitely seeing that with the businesses we're advising.

So day-to-day they're having to manage the finances, think about staff retention, recruitment, and often getting the best performance out of what might be a smaller staff team as a result of the Covid pandemic.

And again, those financial pressures they're facing.

And in addition to that, just dealing with the general day-to-day employee issues that may arise.

And it's also, it's quite a turbulent time, isn't it?

And employers have had to really mould with what's been going on in society.

And so I can imagine, one day we are working from home, one day we're not working from home and all these sorts of things, it's really changed the fabrics of business.

So I can understand, and I certainly have heard that businesses are potentially more stressed than I've ever seen them at the moment.

Yeah and flexibility is key there.

And hopefully it's something that, obviously, in my role, I can advise and support and guide businesses to help with that.

'Cause, like you say, sometimes it might seem, well, I'm facing these challenges at certain times, staff teams are feeling it as well.

And inevitably the business owners then feeling that, whilst having to juggle the additional pressures in growing their business and surviving the times we're in.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

Dr.Rebecca with so many things to worry about, what are the risks to the wellbeing of small business owners?

We know that there's research showing that about 50% of SME owners are losing sleep because of stress and mental health issues.

And I think a lot of that is because they're trying to balance the demands of running a business, which is challenging at the best of times, but particularly difficult now.

And as we heard from from Laura, small businesses, they're often coordinating lots of different functions of the business and whilst they want to be successful and they want to grow their business, they also have to contend with inflation and rising energy costs and burnout and sickness and tax and all of these issues.

And so it's unsurprising that that can become overwhelming at times.

I think as the UK economy continues to throw curve balls, I think this is a really good opportunity for SME owners to think about their own health and wellbeing and also that of their employees, because we know that an increase in poor wellbeing poses a real threat to the resilience of not just the employees, but also the business itself.

The effects of that can be low productivity, it can be employee absences, it can be low performance levels and issues with recruitment and retention.

So the wellbeing of the employees, but also the business owner is really critical to this.

And when that business owner isn't looking after themselves, it's really difficult for them to look after other people.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

And I almost liken it to the way that we look at it health about our selves.

You have to have a healthy organisation, that's a healthy boss with body and mind, and thus then hopefully your team looks to the boss or you champion it.

And actually that really does show, you can tell happy organisations, you can tell healthy organisations very quickly.

So Laura, as you mentioned, business owners have to spin multiple plates and you forgot the marigold wearing in your list there and are often expected to be experts in various topics, including managing the health and wellbeing of the people.

Laura, you talk to SMEs every single day.

So from your perspective, what's the risk associated with trying to do it all yourself?

Well, what we're commonly seeing is business owners coming to us completely stressed and actually burnt out and mistakes can happen.

And when we're trying to run at that capacity and sometimes, well, we often get calls from people in really desperate states saying, "Really stressed out, we need help with this.

"And it's something that might have been quite a small issue.

They just haven't had time or just haven't had the awareness or understanding of how to deal with it.

It's grown to a much bigger issue, which then potentially is going to take more time, energy, and effort from them to then sort out.

So it's really important to tap into these helpful resources, which are available, where they can.

I call it the ostrich effect.

It's like when you are so busy and you just know you've gonna do it, but you don't feel maybe confident to do it, bury your head in the sand and hope it will go away.

And the whole point is it never does, it actually just becomes bigger and bigger and as you said, it can become overwhelming.

Dr.Rebecca, we know that financial stress, I mean we talk about all these stresses, but financial stress, especially at the moment, is a big concern for many small business owners and also their staff at the moment.

What would your advice be to someone struggling with this?

I think the first step is really understanding that you're experiencing financial stress.

And it may not necessarily present itself as realising that you're stressed.

You may be having difficulty sleeping, you may be eating too much or too little, problems concentrating.

So if you are experiencing any of those symptoms, then it's probably a good time to reflect.

I think if you do feel that you are suffering from a certain element of financial stress, then it's about going back to basics to start with.

Really focusing on your sleep, focusing on a good diet, trying to get out for 30 minutes a day, ideally somewhere green like a local park just for a walk and some sunlight, focusing on exercise.

And most importantly, leaning into your network, whether that's your family, your friends, your colleagues, to let them know that you're struggling.

I think if that doesn't work and if you feel like you need some more support, then we've got lots of resources that are able to help you.

You know, we've got Anytime HealthLine, we've got our Family Mental HealthLine, we've got Silver Cloud, which is our online portal where you can access courses and resources, including therapies like CBT if you want to deal with something very specific.

And of course we also have direct access, where you are able to be put in contact with a mental health practitioner if that's the best thing for you.

Yeah, and I, for nearly 20 years dealing with small businesses, one of the things I know that really is so stressful is this financial worries, especially when you're your own boss, it's your personal financial status as much as your professional, and then your teams as well where you actually feel the responsibility of everybody's financial wellbeing as well.

And as you said, I'm interested in that because a lot of our fears about finance can be very deep-rooted.

It can be how we were brought up or our experiences were, are we scared of money, are we gonna bury our heads in the sand?

And all those sorts of things.

So it's just amazing that actually that approach of this actually not only causes mental stress, but actually mentally we can help ourselves to actually cope with the pressure.

Laura, can small businesses outsource more, in your opinion?

And I know this for a fact, that most business owners are, perfectionists and we are a bit of, you know, like to have the control, let's put it that way, when it comes to looking after your people, do you think that they don't ask for help enough?

Outsourcing could be a really powerful tool.

It shouldn't be seen as being too expensive a resource because actually there are tailored and flexible options available for a different size of businesses.

And it's a common misconception we'll have to wait till I have a staff team of 25 before I might seek some sort of HR employment support.

But actually as soon as you employ one person, you are an employer and there are legal obligations to go alongside with that responsibilities.

And for me, I truly believe that the staff team is really the backbone of your business and it can be your greatest asset as well.

So in looking after them, can actually help you grow as a business, can aid productivity.

We know that We've seen that 60% of SMEs will say that where they've looked to offer, for example, health and wellbeing benefits to their staff team, that actually it can increase of productivity and also staff morale as well.

It's important to remember that and that again, can aid in the progress and success of your business overall.

Yeah, a happy team.

The power of that, it's a battery almost locked into your company and that's what we need to invest in.

And I've seen it firsthand, the power of that.

Dr.Rebecca, how can people alleviate supporting their team's health and wellbeing so that they can focus on running their business?

I think it's about creating a culture of health and wellbeing within your organisation.

And that may include having to lead from the front.

I think there are so many benefits to having a positive culture of health and wellbeing.

It helps you recruit, it helps you retain and it helps you perform.

So I don't think that there's any reason not to invest time and energy into it.

What does that actually entail?

Well, I think that means, you know, keeping conversations open, providing people with the information and the support so that they feel confident that they can come forward with healthcare concerns.

And that kind of creates an environment where they're a also able to tackle them.

It also means that having a very robust policy around your mental health policy, for example.

And it might mean putting in support services like gym membership or having a running team once a week or yoga instructor come to the office.

Free fruit for snacks.

These basic things can also be really important.

And again, I really want to go back to this issue that if you don't look after yourself, you can't look after other people.

So it's really important that by creating the policy, you help to support yourself as well.

And actually creating the policy alleviates some of that stress about health and wellbeing within your organisation off you so that you can focus on the success of your business.

You've got to sort of lead from the front.

I know that from personal experience that, I've taken that on in the last two, three years and I've absolutely seen my team become healthier or more open about their wellbeing.

And actually then that's almost been a nice circle that comes around to then I feel the pressure to maintain that.

And so actually it's a healthy habit that we've brought into the team and actually made us closer as well, because it's another side of business, isn't it?

It's not necessarily your everyday part of business, but it's a nice side.

Laura, what would your advice be to a small business owner struggling to keep on top of everything?

Best advice for me is to get the appropriate support and advice, whether that's from your professional business network or professionally outsourced or service, in my line of work, I'm advising day-to-day on strategic planning.

So thinking it forward but also reactionary.

So it might just be as simple as managing those day-to-day.

Someone might have been off sick for a lengthy period of time, what do I do about this and how do I manage that?

So it's important to deal with things promptly as well.

Like we mentioned before, putting your head in the sun, like you say, it can create into a bigger issue, which then takes your time, attention, efforts, away from other key elements of running your business and growing it.

So it's really important to seek help where you can and there's a whole wealth of resource out there to tap into it.

Would you say as well that it's about identifying that you are struggling as well?

I think that you tend to, when you're leading from the front, you want to look like you've got everything under control and things, but you almost have to identify that you do need help and that actually being vulnerable, being open, is going to make your business stronger, rather than, as we are saying, ignoring those facts and actually not asking for help.

I'm sure you've had experience of people not asking for help and what that's done for them.

There has been occasions, people have called saying, "Laura, this is becoming so stressful today", it's at the point in which they've come to us to seek that help.

They're on the verge of saying like, "I don't think I can manage this business anymore.

I want to close it.

"Easier to give up.

It's terrible they've gonna that state with it, when actually it's something that in majority of cases had they sought that support earlier, we could have helped guide 'em through and work their way through it.

And it's a learning curve as well.

We advise and support and guide through that and we learn about their business as much as they're learning about what to do because it's a balance.

Obviously, in my role, there's legal obligations obviously that have to be met, but isn't this that pragmatic approach to it?

And there's always a workaround and way through it.

And it's normally quite a lonely existence we have.

So actually to be able to share with someone who can give you actual advice and solutions, that's unheard of.

Dr.Rebecca, if a business owner is struggling with their mental health.

So they've gonna that point that they've realised.

What can they do to find support?

There's lots of support available.

So, I would urge people, just if they're concerned, please lean in.

I think there are free resources that it's important people are aware of.

So we have our Mental Health Hub, it's available online, it's got so much content and resources and sources of support available that people can research in their own time.

We've also partnered with a really interesting social media mental health organisation called Jack.

And their entire aim is to increase availability to expert-led information.

So they have partnered with world-leading experts, doctors and people who have lived experience of mental health issues, like Alistair Campbell for example, who are able to provide information about mental health, answer questions.

And it's all completely free.

Amazing.

I think for those Bupa customers, there's also some additional resources available.

So we have direct access, which is the ability to call to speak to a trained practitioner.

And if you meet certain criteria, obviously if it's co covered by policy, then actually you can be booked in directly to see a mental health practitioner.

We also have Silver Cloud, which I briefly mentioned earlier, which is an online portal which has courses and support and access to therapies like CBT.

And then finally we have Growth Plus, which is a really interesting and exciting new proposition, which is a specific wellbeing service just for small business owners.

And it's a single number that you can call to speak to a trained professional who particularly understands the challenges of being a small business owner.

And that provides you also with access to our 24/7 Anytime HealthLine, our Mental Health Family Line and also to menopause support, which is, of course, an increasing issue in the workplace.

God, that is actually amazing, Rebecca, it's so great that there is one phone number to access that range of specialists.

That's just, yes, incredible.

If business owners also wanted HR support, what can they do, Laura?

So as an additional elements of the Growth Plus offering business owners have access to free HR support, so telephone, email advice.

And there's also a workplace wellbeing resource kit.

So there's a range of templates, helpful guides to help SMEs through the whole employee life cycle really and supplemented by that live and bespoke advice and support as well.

It's amazing because that is definitely, when I talk to small businesses where they worry about employing someone, is it that responsibility and the letters and what should I do next?

So that's just fantastic.

What's the most common topics businesses want to talk to you about?

Well, off the back really of the Covid pandemic and the challenges we're facing, obviously, with the current economic climate as well.

What we're seeing is businesses trying to be really creative about employee retention and engagement.

So obviously salaries are gonna play an important part to that, but what we're seeing is a real emphasis on flexible working arrangements and we really are seeing companies be just that, very flexible.

It helps with staff engagement and productivity, but what's really important from my side of things is getting the right advice to formalise it where you need to.

So for example, there may be ad hoc casual arrangements in place, but ultimately there is a change to terms and conditions and hopefully they've got that contract of employment in place from the start.

So any amends to that, again, we can guide and support and it's important to formalise that.

And other than that, we are still seeing a lot of businesses struggling to manage staff absence.

We're seeing a whole range of long Covid cases that are continuing and we're feeling our way in terms of managing that, but we can guide the SMEs in managing that absence or indeed succession planning if that needs to take place as well.

It's been such a shift, hasn't there, in the way that we are working and the way employers and employees are engaging with each other.

In my personal experience, I went from all working in the office to becoming a working from home organisation, overnight.

Obviously so many people did that and we've maintained that actually.

We've had to be flexible, but actually again as you said, putting those changes into our terms and conditions and updating people, as long as you have a lot of communication and keep it open and fluid and listen, I think we're heading in such an interesting direction as a workforce.

Dr.Rebecca, if small business owners don't put more focus on looking after their wellbeing, what are the longer term risks?

I think it's important to think about the risks not just to yourself, but to your friends, to your family and to your colleagues as well.

And I tend to think about stress in particular.

Now, you know, stress is a reaction to external pressure and it can be very motivating.

It's incredibly common and it can help us to balance all of the things that we need to balance in our day-to-day lives.

But if stress goes on for too long or you have too much of it, then we do start to see negative consequences.

And certainly long-term stress can lead to profound physical, mental, behavioural burnout.

And I tend to think about the effects of stress as mental, physical, and behavioural.

And mentally it can present not even as a feeling of stress, but difficulty concentrating, problems with your short term memory, headaches.

And actually if that goes on for too long, then we know that increases the risk of serious side effects like an anxiety and depression.

Behaviorally, people might become more irritable, snappy and then long term actually might develop really unhealthy coping mechanisms, including addiction to alcohol.

And then physically, actually it can present as chest pain, body aches, headaches, dizziness, GI symptoms, even sexual problems.

And longer term we know that long term stress leads to a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic back pain.

So these are real effects and I think that that points to the fact that it's really early to identify the It's really important to identify these as early as possible and hopefully with all of the resources that we've discussed, there should be enough in there to arm yourself to try and deal with it by yourself if you want to, but also to feel the support that if you do want to lean in and you need a bit of extra support, then there's a lot out there.

It's absolutely brilliant.

And also the point is, why did we create our small businesses in the first place?

It was to do what we love, it was to play out our dreams of whatever we wanted to build, to build a team.

And actually if you are in that place that you are becoming sick because the stress, we've just got to take that responsibility to call it out.

There's so much support here and get ourselves back on track.

Stop it early and so that we can get back to enjoying it.

And Laura, finally, are there any watchouts for SME owners that they need to know for the year ahead?

Are there any new legislations or any shifts in trends that they should be aware of?

So following Brexit at the end of 2023, we're going to see the revocation of a lot of EU derived legislation unless it's preserved by government.

So we're really watching with a keen eye on that as to what changes.

'Cause inevitably that will be changes to workplace legislation off the back of that.

But in the interim, we touched on flexible working earlier, there's actually been a change in the law to make that.

.

.

Well, proposed change in the law, sorry, to make that easier for people to apply for flexible working, making it a day-one right from when you start employment, shortening the process and the timeframe which an employer has to deal with those requests.

And also reducing the amount of hurdles the employees have to go through.

So you can see the sort of themes of where things are going.

There's also a lot of, in a very positive way, a lot of proposed legislation changes for women in the workplace who are having to take time off perhaps for neonatal care.

There's proposals in place to have some paid time after that and also further protections for pregnant members of staff as well.

So see a bit of a theme there and the legislation that's coming through this year.

So we really must keep up to date with those changes.

Well thank you very much for all of your advice.

So we're nearly at the end of our session, but before we go, let's look at the top takeaways from our experts here.

Poor wellbeing poses a threat to both the resilience of the employees and the business itself and obviously the actual opportunity that it could go after.

The wellbeing of the business owner, the founder, that battery at the helm, is critical to the growth and success of the business.

Something I think we tend to forget.

And by getting help, business owners can increase the chances of their business succeeding as it eases the burden of trying to do all of it themselves.

What they've gonna do though is just recognise it and ask for help.

So thank you Laura and thank you Rebecca for such a thought-provoking conversation.

Next up we'll be moving on to the second part of our session, which I'm really excited about.

But before we do that, we'd like to ask you a quick poll.

Are you worried about the impact of the cost of living crisis on your small businesses?

We are now moving on to the second part of today's session.

We'll be asking two small business owners about their experience of running a business and how they look after their own wellbeing to be resilient for their team and their business.

Welcome Shari.

Welcome Andy.

Please could you start by introducing yourselves and telling us briefly about your business and roles.

My name's Andy Wilkinson and I'm founder and managing partner of OWB Creative.

We are a full service marketing agency based in Birmingham.

My role is predominantly around creative strategy and business development and looking after really the overall client direction for the agency.

Hi, I'm Shari Bryan and I'm also co-founder and client services director at OWB.

My role is much more about liaising with the clients and the team, the creative team and production, making sure that projects get delivered on time and also working on more of the admin side of the business.

So that could be anything from HR through to finance and just basically keeping the business going.

Amazing.

How long have you worked together?

23 Years this year.

My goodness.

founded in 2000.

A lifetime.

This is amazing.

So first question Andy, what keeps you awake at night?

Well firstly I think experience has shown me that external factors, I've given up on worrying about those.

When you first start a business, everything seems like a mountain and you worry about so much.

So now I'm focused or I probably am kept awake by two main things, one of which is business development.

Keeping that pipeline of business, the confidence of a call from a client, A good call or a bad call can keep you awake.

And the second thing I think is the overall navigation of our staff thinking about our business.

And one of the interesting things is having got through, as a small business, through Covid and realising that we can adapt, we can be a virtual business, we can be a hybrid business, I think it shows you that once you get through that you really can get through anything.

It's unbelievable, even for entrepreneurs, I think this time has shown us truly what we can do.

It was a very scary period of time and even us entrepreneurs was probably shocked by how versatile and chameleon-like that we could be.

Shari, do you think you put your own wellbeing first?

You know, it's a big question here.

And for those who are busy running a company, we tend to go on the bottom of the list, don't we?

Yeah, so I think I've got a lot better at it over the years.

I think anyone who has their own business will know, especially when you start out, it's all consuming.

You feel that you have to go that extra mile, you can't afford to let anybody down.

And when you're small and you don't have the resources of other people to support you, you're doing everything yourself.

So you are responsible for every role in a business.

As you get a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and hopefully your business grows and you bring on more people and you can bring in other resources to support you, of course you can take back a little bit more of your own time, but there's always still times when you are on your email, you're answering calls in the evening and at weekends.

And I think any business owner understands that and that's never gonna go away.

But that's also the fun of having your own business.

Yeah, and wouldn't you say in recent times, we're gonna talk about our teams, but that actually we do realise it sort of starts with ourselves and potentially with society talking more about wellbeing.

It's actually helped us think, "Oh, that's us too.

"It's not everyone else, it applies to me.

I think I've learned a lot more, I think both of us have as well, is that you can actually sometimes back off a little bit.

You don't have to immediately jump in and deliver when sometimes things just aren't reasonable to do that.

You can take the time to sit back and say, "Actually we need to think about delivering this in a different way because it's not possible.

"But you can do that together as a team and that works very well.

Yeah, absolutely.

Andy, tell me about what a good day looks like versus a bad day for you.

Well, a good day for me is most definitely being out in the agency or out with clients.

I have adopted, adapted to the Zoom world, but I don't particularly like it.

So a great day for me is being up early, walking Rudy, our puppy, being back, getting suited and booted, getting out in front of a client.

Especially if I can get my pens out and do some doodling and some ideas.

And I like getting back into the agency, seeing it really busy.

I love the team being in and ending up with a couple of beers.

That makes a really good day.

That feels like a really strong, powerful day.

Whereas a bad day.

I think two things on a bad day, I think a bad day is always something that's out of your control.

Something that you can't control, you can't impact on that makes a bad day.

I feel a bad day is also if you don't get out for some exercise, to do something to feel the wind in your hair, to get outside.

And also critically as well is getting my ticks in.

I have to have my list and I have to see those red ticks all done, even if I make a few up to know that I've had a really good day.

Otherwise it is a bad day.

Have you ever, I'm not saying I have, written down something you've completed on your list so that you can tick it off?

100%.

Oh yes, definitely.

I mean it's great isn't it?

It's even better.

Even like wake up, have a coffee, tick, tick.

Done.

I've done two things already.

Brilliant.

When you think about that bad day, do you feel that when things are out of your control that you, as you've grown and sort of become wiser, I think we all become wiser as our businesses grow, you are able to take a different viewpoint on these things because I suppose Covid and everything that we went through was completely out of our control.

But do you think that built the muscle up for a lot of small businesses to sort of have a new look on outside elements that can come and rock your world, so to speak?

100%, Holly, I think you suddenly realised that there is so much out of your control that you can only impact on immediate things.

You can only make sure that if it's a client issue or a staff issue, that you are with people, you are supporting them, you are doing as much as you humanly can, but you have to work out that there's nothing you can do, so let its take its course.

Everything will be a bright day tomorrow we will wake up and we can go again.

So, you know, you really do.

And that is age and experience as well of being a business owner.

I would think that doing this, if Covid had hit 22 years ago when we first were in business, we'd probably be in very, very different (indistinct) I think it drew a line in the sand as well for all businesses to say, certainly for us to say, if you can get through that, you can pretty much get through anything.

It's very tough times.

So to have a plan for your business to get through is great.

Amazing.

Yes.

So tell me, how do you recognise the signs that you are struggling?

I mean I actually do enjoy being under pressure.

I think I work better under pressure and when I've got a deadline to work to, that's great.

But I think I would recognise, really when it's too much, I just can't focus.

I suddenly am unable to prioritise.

Everything's become a little bit overwhelming and I think the two of us as well as a business partnership have become very good at recognising that with each other.

You tend to crack on and deliver the bits of your business that you need to.

And then you'll suddenly be aware, almost subconsciously, that the other partner is perhaps struggling a little bit with something.

And it's at times like that we'll just sort of just stop and down tools, talk it through, analyse what the situation is, what do we need to do as a team to get through it.

And invariably we can manage to do that between us.

I think it's interesting you are a duo.

For a lot of people listening to this at the moment, they all be running their own business by themselves.

And I think having that person, it could be friends or maybe family.

It could be someone that you actually employ just to be able to share, "These are the signs of when I'm very stressed" or "Could you ask me how I am?

I don't want to trouble you, but I would love you to ask me in case I need to offload.

"We tend to take on a lot, don't we?

I think that's vitally important, Holly, we've spoken about that many times in how thankful we are that there are two of us to share that problem.

So exactly as you say, friends, family, anybody else who can come in and support you if you are on your own, just so you've got someone to discuss, situations with is really helpful.

Absolutely.

So Andy being your own boss, it has its share of challenges as we know.

What do you find the most stressful?

The most stressful thing about being your own boss are things that are outside of your control.

Things that you can't foresee and they create an immediate pileup on your day and they could be really simple things and they could be an IT issue or a courier issue.

And once those things begin to impact upon you, it creates a real.It creates a real issue, creates a real burden and you have to lead from the front, you have to deliver it.

And one of the other things I think that being hybrid working nowadays almost makes these things slightly worse.

'Cause when you used to all be in an office, you could share that sort of, you know, there's a problem you could get round a table and sort it out.

So actually having people away from offices, I think, makes things sometimes they magnify what is really probably not a very big problem.

So I think that's one real challenge.

But I'm also passionate as well that about you should look for a business coach or a mentor, someone.

Reach out to your network to find someone that you can help.

Probably may might be older than you in a different industry, but they can help really make some of those challenges feel a lot easier, can help you guide, navigate, your way around things that you might find very difficult.

But actually somebody else, someone a little bit wiser has been there, they've seen it and they can show you a really good route map around it.

Yeah, completely.

And I think that the, again, it's this sharing isn't it?

It's actually I think a lot of us believe that we were meant to maybe swallow a business book at a young age and that us business owners, we know everything.

And actually I think the whole point is, things do change and they change all the time and our job is to assess it and to try and work around it.

And we have teams that we need to lead and that can be, though, very difficult because sometimes we actually don't know what we're doing, we're making it up as we go along but have to seem like we absolutely have it completely under control.

So that's the trickery pokery that we're doing here.

So how do you support your team's mental wellbeing?

We've talked about your mental wellbeing and having those signals that you can support one another.

But how do you support your team?

Can you notice things that are happening in the teams?

Well I think we've done some quite strategic things to support the team actually.

And picking up on what you said about being able to change and adapt.

During Covid, we took the opportunity to completely uproot the business to a new location.

It was an ideal opportunity that you get possibly never, but certainly only maybe once in a business lifetime, where everybody suddenly out of the blue is working from home.

So we are able to take the whole business, relocate into much nicer premises, even though we're in the centre of a city.

That was a great move for us.

We are very close to green space.

Cafes, bars, restaurants and all those things that are great for people's wellbeing.

And then of course post Covid, that's a great help for us to encourage people to come back in, because I feel, both of us feel, it's really important even in this hybrid world that there has to be some connection, some human connection.

We want people back in the office, we want people to socialise, spend time.

I think you work better when you collaborate, but also wellbeing-wise, when you're able to go and share a beer after work or have a chat or a coffee, whatever that is.

But to speak to other people.

So that was one very important thing that we did.

Bringing people back in, into a really nice welcoming space.

And secondly, having the daily check-in.

So regardless of whether you're in the office or you're working from home, without fail we have a check-in in the morning, is everybody okay?

Does everybody know what they're doing?

And that's not just about, "Are you okay with your work load?

"But you know, are you okay with everything that's going on?

Do you need any other support?

And we do pride ourselves on being very flexible with our team.

We understand with the way things have developed over the last two years, that people's lifestyles are all a bit all over the place and they're having to perhaps be drawn in different directions with family, et cetera.

And we are very flexible to that working day doesn't have to be nine to five.

It can be whatever it needs to be to facilitate people's lives.

And would you say that that's been based on the changes that we've seen in recent years?

Would you have done this?

'Cause I asked myself would I've done this 20 years ago?

Definitely not.

I would've wanted everybody around their tables and things like that and see them and to be with them and to grow.

But have you witnessed, you're in the creative world, have you witnessed creativity with this flexibility, increasing?

I think, just picking up on, I think it has.

I think you miss some of those small moments, the ability to just very quickly get onto a project.

But I think allowing people flexibility in their life, they work at different times.

People have young families.

I mean we were probably working in a Victorian style.

And you'll see that people can still create great work, can collaborate fantastically.

There are fantastic tools out there that help people collaborate.

And so I think you can keep that creativity, keep that but still give that flexibility and help with your guys' wellbeing and help 'em get through these sort of odd times.

So what do you think are the risks of not looking after your wellbeing?

And does it make you and your business less resilient?

100%.

You have to look after your wellbeing, both mentally and physically.

Speaking as a business owner, the buck stops with you.

There is no C-suite, there is no lofty floor above you that can take the heavy lifting, it stops with you.

So you have to be fit physically, you have to be mentally resilient.

It's great having a business partner.

It's amazing having a business partner that you can talk to.

And you have to give your team the tools and the confidence and show that leadership from the front that if they can see you strong, mentally fit, physically fit, they also feel that power coming through and that commitment to them.

And Shari, would you say that that extends to then actually the output of the company?

That actually the healthier the inside, the better the outside so to speak, the better the output?

Oh, definitely.

I think that runs through everything in life, doesn't it?

If you are fit and healthy and you're feeling your wellbeing is topped up, you're in a good state of mind, then all outputs, creative, life, everything is gonna be much more improved.

And it's the same in business.

Yes, exactly.

And tell me, how do you keep yourself resilient when things are really tough?

I think things can be tough and especially this time of year, you know, you get up early in the winter, it's cold, it's miserable and it can be hard, but I find you've got to get on, you just got to get one foot in front of the other and then before you know it, I love getting to the office and seeing the team, getting involved in a project just lifts me.

Just getting involved and talking and discussing plans is great.

And then I think things just take care of themselves then really.

As long as you've got a positive outlook, it really helps.

And within OWB we've got a bit of a mantra where we have a can-do attitude and even if you're not feeling it, that's what you're saying at the back of your mind.

It's a can-do.

And that helps you get through most things And even if you can't do it, someone else in the team, you can talk it through and work out whatever needs to be sorted.

Amazing.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your insights.

That's it from us today.

Thank you to Shari and Andy for being guests on the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

And a big thank you to everyone listening.

I hope you found it useful.

See you next time.


How to build resilience to keep your small business growing
with Holly Tucker MBE

Problems | Key takeaways | Resilience tips
Watch in 42 mins

Holly Tucker MBE, founder of Holly & Co and Not On The High Street, talks with our expert panel. They discuss what’s keeping business owners up at night. They also cover how the support from your network can ease some of the pressure.


Hi, I'm Holly Tucker, and welcome to the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

This series aims to provide you with the practical support and advice to help you manage your team's health.

In this episode, we'll be discussing why in the current economic climate it's more important than ever to look after your team's wellbeing.

I'm delighted to be joined by Laura Williams, head of partnership's legal team at Worknest.

Worknest provide employers with expert HR, employment law, and health and safety advice.

Laura has qualified both as a solicitor and a barrister, and has 15 years of experience in the legal sector supporting SMEs.

And Dr.Rebecca Rohrer.

Rebecca is a medical director in Bupa's UK Healthcare Management, and is also a working doctor with a background in management consultancy.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Right, let's start.

So from your data at Worknest, what are the key things small business owners are worried about at the moment, Laura?

So, as we know, small business owners, it's not uncommon for them to wear multiple hats.

So they're the MD, they're doing the sales, the marketing, everything else.

And in a tough economic climate, they're really feeling the pressure at the moment.

And we're definitely seeing that with the businesses we're advising.

So day-to-day they're having to manage the finances, think about staff retention, recruitment, and often getting the best performance out of what might be a smaller staff team as a result of the Covid pandemic.

And again, those financial pressures they're facing.

And in addition to that, just dealing with the general day-to-day employee issues that may arise.

And it's also, it's quite a turbulent time, isn't it?

And employers have had to really mould with what's been going on in society.

And so I can imagine, one day we are working from home, one day we're not working from home and all these sorts of things, it's really changed the fabrics of business.

So I can understand, and I certainly have heard that businesses are potentially more stressed than I've ever seen them at the moment.

Yeah and flexibility is key there.

And hopefully it's something that, obviously, in my role, I can advise and support and guide businesses to help with that.

'Cause, like you say, sometimes it might seem, well, I'm facing these challenges at certain times, staff teams are feeling it as well.

And inevitably the business owners then feeling that, whilst having to juggle the additional pressures in growing their business and surviving the times we're in.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

Dr.Rebecca with so many things to worry about, what are the risks to the wellbeing of small business owners?

We know that there's research showing that about 50% of SME owners are losing sleep because of stress and mental health issues.

And I think a lot of that is because they're trying to balance the demands of running a business, which is challenging at the best of times, but particularly difficult now.

And as we heard from from Laura, small businesses, they're often coordinating lots of different functions of the business and whilst they want to be successful and they want to grow their business, they also have to contend with inflation and rising energy costs and burnout and sickness and tax and all of these issues.

And so it's unsurprising that that can become overwhelming at times.

I think as the UK economy continues to throw curve balls, I think this is a really good opportunity for SME owners to think about their own health and wellbeing and also that of their employees, because we know that an increase in poor wellbeing poses a real threat to the resilience of not just the employees, but also the business itself.

The effects of that can be low productivity, it can be employee absences, it can be low performance levels and issues with recruitment and retention.

So the wellbeing of the employees, but also the business owner is really critical to this.

And when that business owner isn't looking after themselves, it's really difficult for them to look after other people.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

And I almost liken it to the way that we look at it health about our selves.

You have to have a healthy organisation, that's a healthy boss with body and mind, and thus then hopefully your team looks to the boss or you champion it.

And actually that really does show, you can tell happy organisations, you can tell healthy organisations very quickly.

So Laura, as you mentioned, business owners have to spin multiple plates and you forgot the marigold wearing in your list there and are often expected to be experts in various topics, including managing the health and wellbeing of the people.

Laura, you talk to SMEs every single day.

So from your perspective, what's the risk associated with trying to do it all yourself?

Well, what we're commonly seeing is business owners coming to us completely stressed and actually burnt out and mistakes can happen.

And when we're trying to run at that capacity and sometimes, well, we often get calls from people in really desperate states saying, "Really stressed out, we need help with this.

"And it's something that might have been quite a small issue.

They just haven't had time or just haven't had the awareness or understanding of how to deal with it.

It's grown to a much bigger issue, which then potentially is going to take more time, energy, and effort from them to then sort out.

So it's really important to tap into these helpful resources, which are available, where they can.

I call it the ostrich effect.

It's like when you are so busy and you just know you've gonna do it, but you don't feel maybe confident to do it, bury your head in the sand and hope it will go away.

And the whole point is it never does, it actually just becomes bigger and bigger and as you said, it can become overwhelming.

Dr.Rebecca, we know that financial stress, I mean we talk about all these stresses, but financial stress, especially at the moment, is a big concern for many small business owners and also their staff at the moment.

What would your advice be to someone struggling with this?

I think the first step is really understanding that you're experiencing financial stress.

And it may not necessarily present itself as realising that you're stressed.

You may be having difficulty sleeping, you may be eating too much or too little, problems concentrating.

So if you are experiencing any of those symptoms, then it's probably a good time to reflect.

I think if you do feel that you are suffering from a certain element of financial stress, then it's about going back to basics to start with.

Really focusing on your sleep, focusing on a good diet, trying to get out for 30 minutes a day, ideally somewhere green like a local park just for a walk and some sunlight, focusing on exercise.

And most importantly, leaning into your network, whether that's your family, your friends, your colleagues, to let them know that you're struggling.

I think if that doesn't work and if you feel like you need some more support, then we've got lots of resources that are able to help you.

You know, we've got Anytime HealthLine, we've got our Family Mental HealthLine, we've got Silver Cloud, which is our online portal where you can access courses and resources, including therapies like CBT if you want to deal with something very specific.

And of course we also have direct access, where you are able to be put in contact with a mental health practitioner if that's the best thing for you.

Yeah, and I, for nearly 20 years dealing with small businesses, one of the things I know that really is so stressful is this financial worries, especially when you're your own boss, it's your personal financial status as much as your professional, and then your teams as well where you actually feel the responsibility of everybody's financial wellbeing as well.

And as you said, I'm interested in that because a lot of our fears about finance can be very deep-rooted.

It can be how we were brought up or our experiences were, are we scared of money, are we gonna bury our heads in the sand?

And all those sorts of things.

So it's just amazing that actually that approach of this actually not only causes mental stress, but actually mentally we can help ourselves to actually cope with the pressure.

Laura, can small businesses outsource more, in your opinion?

And I know this for a fact, that most business owners are, perfectionists and we are a bit of, you know, like to have the control, let's put it that way, when it comes to looking after your people, do you think that they don't ask for help enough?

Outsourcing could be a really powerful tool.

It shouldn't be seen as being too expensive a resource because actually there are tailored and flexible options available for a different size of businesses.

And it's a common misconception we'll have to wait till I have a staff team of 25 before I might seek some sort of HR employment support.

But actually as soon as you employ one person, you are an employer and there are legal obligations to go alongside with that responsibilities.

And for me, I truly believe that the staff team is really the backbone of your business and it can be your greatest asset as well.

So in looking after them, can actually help you grow as a business, can aid productivity.

We know that We've seen that 60% of SMEs will say that where they've looked to offer, for example, health and wellbeing benefits to their staff team, that actually it can increase of productivity and also staff morale as well.

It's important to remember that and that again, can aid in the progress and success of your business overall.

Yeah, a happy team.

The power of that, it's a battery almost locked into your company and that's what we need to invest in.

And I've seen it firsthand, the power of that.

Dr.Rebecca, how can people alleviate supporting their team's health and wellbeing so that they can focus on running their business?

I think it's about creating a culture of health and wellbeing within your organisation.

And that may include having to lead from the front.

I think there are so many benefits to having a positive culture of health and wellbeing.

It helps you recruit, it helps you retain and it helps you perform.

So I don't think that there's any reason not to invest time and energy into it.

What does that actually entail?

Well, I think that means, you know, keeping conversations open, providing people with the information and the support so that they feel confident that they can come forward with healthcare concerns.

And that kind of creates an environment where they're a also able to tackle them.

It also means that having a very robust policy around your mental health policy, for example.

And it might mean putting in support services like gym membership or having a running team once a week or yoga instructor come to the office.

Free fruit for snacks.

These basic things can also be really important.

And again, I really want to go back to this issue that if you don't look after yourself, you can't look after other people.

So it's really important that by creating the policy, you help to support yourself as well.

And actually creating the policy alleviates some of that stress about health and wellbeing within your organisation off you so that you can focus on the success of your business.

You've got to sort of lead from the front.

I know that from personal experience that, I've taken that on in the last two, three years and I've absolutely seen my team become healthier or more open about their wellbeing.

And actually then that's almost been a nice circle that comes around to then I feel the pressure to maintain that.

And so actually it's a healthy habit that we've brought into the team and actually made us closer as well, because it's another side of business, isn't it?

It's not necessarily your everyday part of business, but it's a nice side.

Laura, what would your advice be to a small business owner struggling to keep on top of everything?

Best advice for me is to get the appropriate support and advice, whether that's from your professional business network or professionally outsourced or service, in my line of work, I'm advising day-to-day on strategic planning.

So thinking it forward but also reactionary.

So it might just be as simple as managing those day-to-day.

Someone might have been off sick for a lengthy period of time, what do I do about this and how do I manage that?

So it's important to deal with things promptly as well.

Like we mentioned before, putting your head in the sun, like you say, it can create into a bigger issue, which then takes your time, attention, efforts, away from other key elements of running your business and growing it.

So it's really important to seek help where you can and there's a whole wealth of resource out there to tap into it.

Would you say as well that it's about identifying that you are struggling as well?

I think that you tend to, when you're leading from the front, you want to look like you've got everything under control and things, but you almost have to identify that you do need help and that actually being vulnerable, being open, is going to make your business stronger, rather than, as we are saying, ignoring those facts and actually not asking for help.

I'm sure you've had experience of people not asking for help and what that's done for them.

There has been occasions, people have called saying, "Laura, this is becoming so stressful today", it's at the point in which they've come to us to seek that help.

They're on the verge of saying like, "I don't think I can manage this business anymore.

I want to close it.

"Easier to give up.

It's terrible they've gonna that state with it, when actually it's something that in majority of cases had they sought that support earlier, we could have helped guide 'em through and work their way through it.

And it's a learning curve as well.

We advise and support and guide through that and we learn about their business as much as they're learning about what to do because it's a balance.

Obviously, in my role, there's legal obligations obviously that have to be met, but isn't this that pragmatic approach to it?

And there's always a workaround and way through it.

And it's normally quite a lonely existence we have.

So actually to be able to share with someone who can give you actual advice and solutions, that's unheard of.

Dr.Rebecca, if a business owner is struggling with their mental health.

So they've gonna that point that they've realised.

What can they do to find support?

There's lots of support available.

So, I would urge people, just if they're concerned, please lean in.

I think there are free resources that it's important people are aware of.

So we have our Mental Health Hub, it's available online, it's got so much content and resources and sources of support available that people can research in their own time.

We've also partnered with a really interesting social media mental health organisation called Jack.

And their entire aim is to increase availability to expert-led information.

So they have partnered with world-leading experts, doctors and people who have lived experience of mental health issues, like Alistair Campbell for example, who are able to provide information about mental health, answer questions.

And it's all completely free.

Amazing.

I think for those Bupa customers, there's also some additional resources available.

So we have direct access, which is the ability to call to speak to a trained practitioner.

And if you meet certain criteria, obviously if it's co covered by policy, then actually you can be booked in directly to see a mental health practitioner.

We also have Silver Cloud, which I briefly mentioned earlier, which is an online portal which has courses and support and access to therapies like CBT.

And then finally we have Growth Plus, which is a really interesting and exciting new proposition, which is a specific wellbeing service just for small business owners.

And it's a single number that you can call to speak to a trained professional who particularly understands the challenges of being a small business owner.

And that provides you also with access to our 24/7 Anytime HealthLine, our Mental Health Family Line and also to menopause support, which is, of course, an increasing issue in the workplace.

God, that is actually amazing, Rebecca, it's so great that there is one phone number to access that range of specialists.

That's just, yes, incredible.

If business owners also wanted HR support, what can they do, Laura?

So as an additional elements of the Growth Plus offering business owners have access to free HR support, so telephone, email advice.

And there's also a workplace wellbeing resource kit.

So there's a range of templates, helpful guides to help SMEs through the whole employee life cycle really and supplemented by that live and bespoke advice and support as well.

It's amazing because that is definitely, when I talk to small businesses where they worry about employing someone, is it that responsibility and the letters and what should I do next?

So that's just fantastic.

What's the most common topics businesses want to talk to you about?

Well, off the back really of the Covid pandemic and the challenges we're facing, obviously, with the current economic climate as well.

What we're seeing is businesses trying to be really creative about employee retention and engagement.

So obviously salaries are gonna play an important part to that, but what we're seeing is a real emphasis on flexible working arrangements and we really are seeing companies be just that, very flexible.

It helps with staff engagement and productivity, but what's really important from my side of things is getting the right advice to formalise it where you need to.

So for example, there may be ad hoc casual arrangements in place, but ultimately there is a change to terms and conditions and hopefully they've got that contract of employment in place from the start.

So any amends to that, again, we can guide and support and it's important to formalise that.

And other than that, we are still seeing a lot of businesses struggling to manage staff absence.

We're seeing a whole range of long Covid cases that are continuing and we're feeling our way in terms of managing that, but we can guide the SMEs in managing that absence or indeed succession planning if that needs to take place as well.

It's been such a shift, hasn't there, in the way that we are working and the way employers and employees are engaging with each other.

In my personal experience, I went from all working in the office to becoming a working from home organisation, overnight.

Obviously so many people did that and we've maintained that actually.

We've had to be flexible, but actually again as you said, putting those changes into our terms and conditions and updating people, as long as you have a lot of communication and keep it open and fluid and listen, I think we're heading in such an interesting direction as a workforce.

Dr.Rebecca, if small business owners don't put more focus on looking after their wellbeing, what are the longer term risks?

I think it's important to think about the risks not just to yourself, but to your friends, to your family and to your colleagues as well.

And I tend to think about stress in particular.

Now, you know, stress is a reaction to external pressure and it can be very motivating.

It's incredibly common and it can help us to balance all of the things that we need to balance in our day-to-day lives.

But if stress goes on for too long or you have too much of it, then we do start to see negative consequences.

And certainly long-term stress can lead to profound physical, mental, behavioural burnout.

And I tend to think about the effects of stress as mental, physical, and behavioural.

And mentally it can present not even as a feeling of stress, but difficulty concentrating, problems with your short term memory, headaches.

And actually if that goes on for too long, then we know that increases the risk of serious side effects like an anxiety and depression.

Behaviorally, people might become more irritable, snappy and then long term actually might develop really unhealthy coping mechanisms, including addiction to alcohol.

And then physically, actually it can present as chest pain, body aches, headaches, dizziness, GI symptoms, even sexual problems.

And longer term we know that long term stress leads to a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic back pain.

So these are real effects and I think that that points to the fact that it's really early to identify the It's really important to identify these as early as possible and hopefully with all of the resources that we've discussed, there should be enough in there to arm yourself to try and deal with it by yourself if you want to, but also to feel the support that if you do want to lean in and you need a bit of extra support, then there's a lot out there.

It's absolutely brilliant.

And also the point is, why did we create our small businesses in the first place?

It was to do what we love, it was to play out our dreams of whatever we wanted to build, to build a team.

And actually if you are in that place that you are becoming sick because the stress, we've just got to take that responsibility to call it out.

There's so much support here and get ourselves back on track.

Stop it early and so that we can get back to enjoying it.

And Laura, finally, are there any watchouts for SME owners that they need to know for the year ahead?

Are there any new legislations or any shifts in trends that they should be aware of?

So following Brexit at the end of 2023, we're going to see the revocation of a lot of EU derived legislation unless it's preserved by government.

So we're really watching with a keen eye on that as to what changes.

'Cause inevitably that will be changes to workplace legislation off the back of that.

But in the interim, we touched on flexible working earlier, there's actually been a change in the law to make that.

.

.

Well, proposed change in the law, sorry, to make that easier for people to apply for flexible working, making it a day-one right from when you start employment, shortening the process and the timeframe which an employer has to deal with those requests.

And also reducing the amount of hurdles the employees have to go through.

So you can see the sort of themes of where things are going.

There's also a lot of, in a very positive way, a lot of proposed legislation changes for women in the workplace who are having to take time off perhaps for neonatal care.

There's proposals in place to have some paid time after that and also further protections for pregnant members of staff as well.

So see a bit of a theme there and the legislation that's coming through this year.

So we really must keep up to date with those changes.

Well thank you very much for all of your advice.

So we're nearly at the end of our session, but before we go, let's look at the top takeaways from our experts here.

Poor wellbeing poses a threat to both the resilience of the employees and the business itself and obviously the actual opportunity that it could go after.

The wellbeing of the business owner, the founder, that battery at the helm, is critical to the growth and success of the business.

Something I think we tend to forget.

And by getting help, business owners can increase the chances of their business succeeding as it eases the burden of trying to do all of it themselves.

What they've gonna do though is just recognise it and ask for help.

So thank you Laura and thank you Rebecca for such a thought-provoking conversation.

Next up we'll be moving on to the second part of our session, which I'm really excited about.

But before we do that, we'd like to ask you a quick poll.

Are you worried about the impact of the cost of living crisis on your small businesses?

We are now moving on to the second part of today's session.

We'll be asking two small business owners about their experience of running a business and how they look after their own wellbeing to be resilient for their team and their business.

Welcome Shari.

Welcome Andy.

Please could you start by introducing yourselves and telling us briefly about your business and roles.

My name's Andy Wilkinson and I'm founder and managing partner of OWB Creative.

We are a full service marketing agency based in Birmingham.

My role is predominantly around creative strategy and business development and looking after really the overall client direction for the agency.

Hi, I'm Shari Bryan and I'm also co-founder and client services director at OWB.

My role is much more about liaising with the clients and the team, the creative team and production, making sure that projects get delivered on time and also working on more of the admin side of the business.

So that could be anything from HR through to finance and just basically keeping the business going.

Amazing.

How long have you worked together?

23 Years this year.

My goodness.

founded in 2000.

A lifetime.

This is amazing.

So first question Andy, what keeps you awake at night?

Well firstly I think experience has shown me that external factors, I've given up on worrying about those.

When you first start a business, everything seems like a mountain and you worry about so much.

So now I'm focused or I probably am kept awake by two main things, one of which is business development.

Keeping that pipeline of business, the confidence of a call from a client, A good call or a bad call can keep you awake.

And the second thing I think is the overall navigation of our staff thinking about our business.

And one of the interesting things is having got through, as a small business, through Covid and realising that we can adapt, we can be a virtual business, we can be a hybrid business, I think it shows you that once you get through that you really can get through anything.

It's unbelievable, even for entrepreneurs, I think this time has shown us truly what we can do.

It was a very scary period of time and even us entrepreneurs was probably shocked by how versatile and chameleon-like that we could be.

Shari, do you think you put your own wellbeing first?

You know, it's a big question here.

And for those who are busy running a company, we tend to go on the bottom of the list, don't we?

Yeah, so I think I've got a lot better at it over the years.

I think anyone who has their own business will know, especially when you start out, it's all consuming.

You feel that you have to go that extra mile, you can't afford to let anybody down.

And when you're small and you don't have the resources of other people to support you, you're doing everything yourself.

So you are responsible for every role in a business.

As you get a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and hopefully your business grows and you bring on more people and you can bring in other resources to support you, of course you can take back a little bit more of your own time, but there's always still times when you are on your email, you're answering calls in the evening and at weekends.

And I think any business owner understands that and that's never gonna go away.

But that's also the fun of having your own business.

Yeah, and wouldn't you say in recent times, we're gonna talk about our teams, but that actually we do realise it sort of starts with ourselves and potentially with society talking more about wellbeing.

It's actually helped us think, "Oh, that's us too.

"It's not everyone else, it applies to me.

I think I've learned a lot more, I think both of us have as well, is that you can actually sometimes back off a little bit.

You don't have to immediately jump in and deliver when sometimes things just aren't reasonable to do that.

You can take the time to sit back and say, "Actually we need to think about delivering this in a different way because it's not possible.

"But you can do that together as a team and that works very well.

Yeah, absolutely.

Andy, tell me about what a good day looks like versus a bad day for you.

Well, a good day for me is most definitely being out in the agency or out with clients.

I have adopted, adapted to the Zoom world, but I don't particularly like it.

So a great day for me is being up early, walking Rudy, our puppy, being back, getting suited and booted, getting out in front of a client.

Especially if I can get my pens out and do some doodling and some ideas.

And I like getting back into the agency, seeing it really busy.

I love the team being in and ending up with a couple of beers.

That makes a really good day.

That feels like a really strong, powerful day.

Whereas a bad day.

I think two things on a bad day, I think a bad day is always something that's out of your control.

Something that you can't control, you can't impact on that makes a bad day.

I feel a bad day is also if you don't get out for some exercise, to do something to feel the wind in your hair, to get outside.

And also critically as well is getting my ticks in.

I have to have my list and I have to see those red ticks all done, even if I make a few up to know that I've had a really good day.

Otherwise it is a bad day.

Have you ever, I'm not saying I have, written down something you've completed on your list so that you can tick it off?

100%.

Oh yes, definitely.

I mean it's great isn't it?

It's even better.

Even like wake up, have a coffee, tick, tick.

Done.

I've done two things already.

Brilliant.

When you think about that bad day, do you feel that when things are out of your control that you, as you've grown and sort of become wiser, I think we all become wiser as our businesses grow, you are able to take a different viewpoint on these things because I suppose Covid and everything that we went through was completely out of our control.

But do you think that built the muscle up for a lot of small businesses to sort of have a new look on outside elements that can come and rock your world, so to speak?

100%, Holly, I think you suddenly realised that there is so much out of your control that you can only impact on immediate things.

You can only make sure that if it's a client issue or a staff issue, that you are with people, you are supporting them, you are doing as much as you humanly can, but you have to work out that there's nothing you can do, so let its take its course.

Everything will be a bright day tomorrow we will wake up and we can go again.

So, you know, you really do.

And that is age and experience as well of being a business owner.

I would think that doing this, if Covid had hit 22 years ago when we first were in business, we'd probably be in very, very different (indistinct) I think it drew a line in the sand as well for all businesses to say, certainly for us to say, if you can get through that, you can pretty much get through anything.

It's very tough times.

So to have a plan for your business to get through is great.

Amazing.

Yes.

So tell me, how do you recognise the signs that you are struggling?

I mean I actually do enjoy being under pressure.

I think I work better under pressure and when I've got a deadline to work to, that's great.

But I think I would recognise, really when it's too much, I just can't focus.

I suddenly am unable to prioritise.

Everything's become a little bit overwhelming and I think the two of us as well as a business partnership have become very good at recognising that with each other.

You tend to crack on and deliver the bits of your business that you need to.

And then you'll suddenly be aware, almost subconsciously, that the other partner is perhaps struggling a little bit with something.

And it's at times like that we'll just sort of just stop and down tools, talk it through, analyse what the situation is, what do we need to do as a team to get through it.

And invariably we can manage to do that between us.

I think it's interesting you are a duo.

For a lot of people listening to this at the moment, they all be running their own business by themselves.

And I think having that person, it could be friends or maybe family.

It could be someone that you actually employ just to be able to share, "These are the signs of when I'm very stressed" or "Could you ask me how I am?

I don't want to trouble you, but I would love you to ask me in case I need to offload.

"We tend to take on a lot, don't we?

I think that's vitally important, Holly, we've spoken about that many times in how thankful we are that there are two of us to share that problem.

So exactly as you say, friends, family, anybody else who can come in and support you if you are on your own, just so you've got someone to discuss, situations with is really helpful.

Absolutely.

So Andy being your own boss, it has its share of challenges as we know.

What do you find the most stressful?

The most stressful thing about being your own boss are things that are outside of your control.

Things that you can't foresee and they create an immediate pileup on your day and they could be really simple things and they could be an IT issue or a courier issue.

And once those things begin to impact upon you, it creates a real.It creates a real issue, creates a real burden and you have to lead from the front, you have to deliver it.

And one of the other things I think that being hybrid working nowadays almost makes these things slightly worse.

'Cause when you used to all be in an office, you could share that sort of, you know, there's a problem you could get round a table and sort it out.

So actually having people away from offices, I think, makes things sometimes they magnify what is really probably not a very big problem.

So I think that's one real challenge.

But I'm also passionate as well that about you should look for a business coach or a mentor, someone.

Reach out to your network to find someone that you can help.

Probably may might be older than you in a different industry, but they can help really make some of those challenges feel a lot easier, can help you guide, navigate, your way around things that you might find very difficult.

But actually somebody else, someone a little bit wiser has been there, they've seen it and they can show you a really good route map around it.

Yeah, completely.

And I think that the, again, it's this sharing isn't it?

It's actually I think a lot of us believe that we were meant to maybe swallow a business book at a young age and that us business owners, we know everything.

And actually I think the whole point is, things do change and they change all the time and our job is to assess it and to try and work around it.

And we have teams that we need to lead and that can be, though, very difficult because sometimes we actually don't know what we're doing, we're making it up as we go along but have to seem like we absolutely have it completely under control.

So that's the trickery pokery that we're doing here.

So how do you support your team's mental wellbeing?

We've talked about your mental wellbeing and having those signals that you can support one another.

But how do you support your team?

Can you notice things that are happening in the teams?

Well I think we've done some quite strategic things to support the team actually.

And picking up on what you said about being able to change and adapt.

During Covid, we took the opportunity to completely uproot the business to a new location.

It was an ideal opportunity that you get possibly never, but certainly only maybe once in a business lifetime, where everybody suddenly out of the blue is working from home.

So we are able to take the whole business, relocate into much nicer premises, even though we're in the centre of a city.

That was a great move for us.

We are very close to green space.

Cafes, bars, restaurants and all those things that are great for people's wellbeing.

And then of course post Covid, that's a great help for us to encourage people to come back in, because I feel, both of us feel, it's really important even in this hybrid world that there has to be some connection, some human connection.

We want people back in the office, we want people to socialise, spend time.

I think you work better when you collaborate, but also wellbeing-wise, when you're able to go and share a beer after work or have a chat or a coffee, whatever that is.

But to speak to other people.

So that was one very important thing that we did.

Bringing people back in, into a really nice welcoming space.

And secondly, having the daily check-in.

So regardless of whether you're in the office or you're working from home, without fail we have a check-in in the morning, is everybody okay?

Does everybody know what they're doing?

And that's not just about, "Are you okay with your work load?

"But you know, are you okay with everything that's going on?

Do you need any other support?

And we do pride ourselves on being very flexible with our team.

We understand with the way things have developed over the last two years, that people's lifestyles are all a bit all over the place and they're having to perhaps be drawn in different directions with family, et cetera.

And we are very flexible to that working day doesn't have to be nine to five.

It can be whatever it needs to be to facilitate people's lives.

And would you say that that's been based on the changes that we've seen in recent years?

Would you have done this?

'Cause I asked myself would I've done this 20 years ago?

Definitely not.

I would've wanted everybody around their tables and things like that and see them and to be with them and to grow.

But have you witnessed, you're in the creative world, have you witnessed creativity with this flexibility, increasing?

I think, just picking up on, I think it has.

I think you miss some of those small moments, the ability to just very quickly get onto a project.

But I think allowing people flexibility in their life, they work at different times.

People have young families.

I mean we were probably working in a Victorian style.

And you'll see that people can still create great work, can collaborate fantastically.

There are fantastic tools out there that help people collaborate.

And so I think you can keep that creativity, keep that but still give that flexibility and help with your guys' wellbeing and help 'em get through these sort of odd times.

So what do you think are the risks of not looking after your wellbeing?

And does it make you and your business less resilient?

100%.

You have to look after your wellbeing, both mentally and physically.

Speaking as a business owner, the buck stops with you.

There is no C-suite, there is no lofty floor above you that can take the heavy lifting, it stops with you.

So you have to be fit physically, you have to be mentally resilient.

It's great having a business partner.

It's amazing having a business partner that you can talk to.

And you have to give your team the tools and the confidence and show that leadership from the front that if they can see you strong, mentally fit, physically fit, they also feel that power coming through and that commitment to them.

And Shari, would you say that that extends to then actually the output of the company?

That actually the healthier the inside, the better the outside so to speak, the better the output?

Oh, definitely.

I think that runs through everything in life, doesn't it?

If you are fit and healthy and you're feeling your wellbeing is topped up, you're in a good state of mind, then all outputs, creative, life, everything is gonna be much more improved.

And it's the same in business.

Yes, exactly.

And tell me, how do you keep yourself resilient when things are really tough?

I think things can be tough and especially this time of year, you know, you get up early in the winter, it's cold, it's miserable and it can be hard, but I find you've got to get on, you just got to get one foot in front of the other and then before you know it, I love getting to the office and seeing the team, getting involved in a project just lifts me.

Just getting involved and talking and discussing plans is great.

And then I think things just take care of themselves then really.

As long as you've got a positive outlook, it really helps.

And within OWB we've got a bit of a mantra where we have a can-do attitude and even if you're not feeling it, that's what you're saying at the back of your mind.

It's a can-do.

And that helps you get through most things And even if you can't do it, someone else in the team, you can talk it through and work out whatever needs to be sorted.

Amazing.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your insights.

That's it from us today.

Thank you to Shari and Andy for being guests on the Bupa Academy for Small Businesses.

And a big thank you to everyone listening.

I hope you found it useful.

See you next time.

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Building resilience in the workplace

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View transcript

(happy music)

Hi, I'm Piers Linney,

welcome to the Bupa Academy.

What do you think the biggest drivers

of health and wellbeing are of absence in the UK?

What we've found actually

from 58,000 health assessments is that a huge,

eight out of 10 employees,

suffer from a musculoskeletal condition.

Over half of the people within the MSK condition

will report that it affects their ability to work.

Almost half of those people will also report

that it interferes with their ability to concentrate

when they are at work.

Why is it so important for small businesses

to think about proactively managing this?

It's about managing risk.

And there are three parts to that risk.

It's the legal risk,

because the law protects people with disabilities.

It's about the reputational risk,

because you don't want to be

that business that can't hire its staff

'cause people say, "You don't want to go there,

they don't look after their people."

And of course, it's your financial risk.

So do you think that providing this kind of support,

especially for MSK,

has that made a difference for the team,

especially post-COVID?

Lots of team members come board

and say, "I've used it this year, it was really helpful."

And we can obviously see on the account that people

have claimed.

The cash plan side,

supporting that those bigger claims

then also enables acupuncture,

and physio, and I know that's been used a lot.

In 2017, it was estimated

that 2.58 billion pounds was lost a business

through absence because of MSK, which is huge.

And that's expected to rise

to around three and a half billion in 2030.

So, this is a major issue for business.

(upbeat music)

Reducing absence in the workplace
with Dr Andrea Killick

Preventing absence | Legal risks | Wellbeing initiatives
Watch in 41 mins

Every person counts. Get the insight on reducing absence in the workplace to keep your business growing. Our experts cover:

  • how small businesses can manage and prevent workplace absence
  • how employers can support the musculoskeletal (MSK) health of their employees
  • how to manage occupational health and the legal risks associated with not taking appropriate action

(happy music)

Hi, I'm Piers Linney,

welcome to the Bupa Academy.

What do you think the biggest drivers

of health and wellbeing are of absence in the UK?

What we've found actually

from 58,000 health assessments is that a huge,

eight out of 10 employees,

suffer from a musculoskeletal condition.

Over half of the people within the MSK condition

will report that it affects their ability to work.

Almost half of those people will also report

that it interferes with their ability to concentrate

when they are at work.

Why is it so important for small businesses

to think about proactively managing this?

It's about managing risk.

And there are three parts to that risk.

It's the legal risk,

because the law protects people with disabilities.

It's about the reputational risk,

because you don't want to be

that business that can't hire its staff

'cause people say, "You don't want to go there,

they don't look after their people."

And of course, it's your financial risk.

So do you think that providing this kind of support,

especially for MSK,

has that made a difference for the team,

especially post-COVID?

Lots of team members come board

and say, "I've used it this year, it was really helpful."

And we can obviously see on the account that people

have claimed.

The cash plan side,

supporting that those bigger claims

then also enables acupuncture,

and physio, and I know that's been used a lot.

In 2017, it was estimated

that 2.58 billion pounds was lost a business

through absence because of MSK, which is huge.

And that's expected to rise

to around three and a half billion in 2030.

So, this is a major issue for business.

(upbeat music)

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Presenteeism is just as problematic as absence. Working when unwell or working longer hours than usual impacts productivity and wellbeing. Know what to do and tackle it head on.

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Support your team's MSK health


Healthy muscles, bones and joints can help your employees to carry out their daily tasks and activities easily and without pain. Here's how.


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Watch our other events

Building a workplace mental health plan
with Dr Naomi Humber

Practical tips | Developing a strategy | Case study
Watch in 48 mins

Experts discuss how to build a mental health plan for your small business including:

  • practical tips for developing a workplace mental health strategy
  • expertise on the legal obligations an employer has when it comes to mental health in the workplace
  • first-hand experience of supporting employee mental health with Bupa

Open up about mental health


Work is a huge part of our lives so it's important that employees are happy and healthy. This guide will help you to support your people and promote good mental health at work.

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Social anxiety is a common problem. Recognise if anyone in your team has social anxiety and learn how you can support them.


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Download your workplace mental health and wellbeing plan

Each business is different and facing unique challenges. We've developed these employee health and wellbeing plans to help power your business for a healthier, happier workplace.

Are you just getting started?


Starting a new business is an exciting yet challenging time. Especially in the wake of the last few years.

Everyone in a small business needs to be at their best. That's why we've created this workplace wellbeing plan.

Use it to create a resilient business that's ready for growth.


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(PDF, 1.2 MB)

Is your business expanding?


A growing business needs a happy, healthy team to succeed and the first few years are critical. While it's exciting, growth can bring pressure. Your challenge is to look after your people when there is so much going on.

Using our plan will help keep your team and your business powering ahead.



 Download growing business plan
(PDF, 1.5 MB)

Keeping your edge to stay ahead?

SME businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. Adapting to the challenges of new ways of working and attracting and retaining talent is a testing environment.

But there are great opportunities for teams who are resilient, innovative and well supported. Our plan can help you keep pace and create a stronger business.

 Download established small businesses plan
(PDF, 1.5 MB)

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