Shared Responsibility for Workplace Wellbeing: The Role of Managers and Leaders

 

The second blog in our Shared Responsibility for Workplace Wellbeing series.

 

The first blog in this series explored the role of the individual in supporting workplace wellbeing, highlighting how self-awareness, healthy boundaries, and personal wellbeing practices can contribute to healthier and more sustainable workplaces. However, while individuals have an important role to play, workplace wellbeing cannot be achieved through individual action alone. Organisations must create environments where people can thrive, and one of the most significant influences on this is the quality of management and leadership.

 

Why Managers and Leaders Matter

 

Research consistently shows that managers have a significant impact on employee wellbeing. In many ways, a manager can influence a person's daily working experience more than any policy, wellbeing initiative, or organisational strategy.

 

Managers shape workloads, set expectations, influence workplace culture, and often act as the first point of support when challenges arise. The way managers communicate, make decisions, and interact with their teams can have a direct impact on motivation, engagement, psychological safety, and wellbeing.

 

Within Scotland's free money advice sector, managers and leaders often face a difficult balancing act. They are responsible for supporting service delivery, managing performance, responding to organisational pressures, and supporting staff who may be working with complex and emotionally demanding situations. While this can be challenging, it also presents a significant opportunity to positively influence workforce wellbeing.

 

Creating Psychological Safety

 

One of the most important contributions a manager can make is creating an environment where people feel psychologically safe.

 

Psychological safety exists when individuals feel able to speak up, ask questions, share ideas, admit mistakes, and raise concerns without fear of embarrassment, blame, or negative consequences.

 

When psychological safety is present, teams are more likely to collaborate effectively, learn from mistakes, support one another, and identify problems before they escalate. Conversely, when people feel unable to speak openly, concerns can remain hidden, stress levels can increase, and opportunities for improvement may be missed.

 

Managers can help create psychological safety by listening openly, encouraging participation, responding constructively to feedback, and demonstrating that all team members are valued and respected.

 

Supporting Healthy Workloads and Working Practices

 

Workload remains one of the most common factors affecting workplace wellbeing. While managers may not always be able to reduce workload pressures entirely, they often play a key role in helping teams manage those pressures effectively.

 

This includes maintaining realistic expectations, prioritising work appropriately, identifying capacity concerns, and helping staff focus on what matters most. It also means recognising that sustained high workloads can have a cumulative impact on wellbeing if left unchecked.

Managers who regularly discuss workload, encourage breaks, support annual leave, and model healthy working practices themselves help create a culture where wellbeing is seen as an essential part of performance rather than something separate from it.

 

Recognising Early Signs of Concern

 

Managers are often well positioned to notice changes in behaviour, performance, or engagement that may indicate someone is struggling.

 

These signs can be subtle and may include changes in mood, increased absence, reduced confidence, withdrawal from colleagues, difficulty concentrating, or changes in performance.

Recognising these signs early does not mean becoming a counsellor or wellbeing expert. Rather, it means being approachable, having supportive conversations, and helping staff access appropriate support where required.

 

Often, the most valuable thing a manager can do is create the space for a conversation and demonstrate genuine care and concern.

 

Leading by Example

 

Managers and leaders influence workplace culture through their actions as much as their words.

 

If managers regularly work excessive hours, fail to take breaks, respond to emails late at night, or neglect their own wellbeing, teams may feel pressure to do the same. Conversely, when leaders model healthy behaviours, set realistic boundaries, and prioritise their own wellbeing, they help give others permission to do likewise.

 

Supporting workforce wellbeing is not simply about what managers encourage others to do; it is also about what they demonstrate through their own behaviour.

 

Building Trust and Strong Relationships

 

Positive relationships are one of the strongest protective factors for workplace wellbeing. Managers play a critical role in developing trust, creating open communication, and fostering a sense of belonging within their teams.

 

Trust is built through consistency, honesty, fairness, and reliability. It develops when staff feel listened to, supported, and treated with respect.

 

Strong manager-employee relationships can improve engagement, strengthen resilience during challenging periods, and contribute to a more positive and supportive workplace culture overall.

 

Managers Need Support Too

 

While managers have an important role in supporting others, it is equally important to recognise that managers are employees too.

 

Many managers experience significant pressures associated with balancing organisational demands, supporting staff wellbeing, managing performance, and responding to change. Managers cannot effectively support the wellbeing of others if their own wellbeing is being neglected.

 

This highlights an important aspect of shared responsibility: organisations must also provide managers with the resources, training, support, and development opportunities they need to succeed in their role.

 

Shared Responsibility Requires Partnership

 

Managers have significant influence over workplace wellbeing, but they cannot create healthy workplaces on their own.

 

Individuals must engage with the support available to them. Organisations must provide appropriate systems, resources, and policies. Sector bodies and funders must help create conditions that support sustainable services. Managers sit at the centre of many of these relationships, helping to connect organisational intentions with the day-to-day experiences of staff.

 

When managers are supported to lead well, the benefits can be felt across entire teams and organisations.

 

Reflection Question

 

As a manager or leader, consider the following:

 

What is one thing you currently do that positively supports the wellbeing of your team, and what is one small action you could take over the next month to strengthen that support further?

 

Looking Ahead

 

Next month, we will continue our Shared Responsibility for Workplace Wellbeing series by exploring the role of organisations in creating the systems, culture, policies, and environments that support workforce wellbeing.

 

Because while managers play a critical role, workplace wellbeing is most effective when it is embedded throughout the organisation and supported at every level.