Building a store culture that values wellbeing

NATIONAL

As family and independent business owners our members are expected to be an expert in a number of business skills including inventory, finance, customer service, marketing, workplace relations, human resources, and workplace culture.

Members report on the need to have awareness of staff mental health and wellbeing.

The workplace culture and the way we work collaboratively as a team is more important than ever to maintain workplace harmony and productivity.

At the recent MGA AGM in November 2021, guest speakers and workplace culture experts, Kevin smith and Rachel Davidson, gave a summation around business owner behaviours and actions that build the culture and wellbeing of people in the workplace. Their key messages for store owners and leadership teams:

1. Right now, the wellbeing of team members and managers has never been more important.

We know that some people are struggling and more importantly, we know that some people are struggling in silence.

2. We will not know the extent of wellbeing challenges in our stores unless we monitor and measure the wellbeing of team members by using some simple tools to take a regular pulse check of how team members are travelling mentally. 3. Leadership teams need education about how to apply some practical tools so early signs and symptoms of mental injury can be seen and addressed.

4. Every store needs a wellbeing policy which RESPONDS quickly to wellbeing challenges,

PREVENTS mental injury, and actively PROMOTES wellbeing across the store.

5. The wellbeing of team members and managers needs to be elevated to the same level of priority given to customer service, staff satisfaction and store profitability.

Store owners need to take the lead and create an expectation in every store that wellbeing is critically important …are we giving that message now?

Kevin and Rachel spoke about behavioural tools and actions to implement in the workplace for business owners to adopt, emphasising that these were not traditional management skills. They advised store owners to: 1. Endeavour to show care, compassion, empathy (not traditional “management” skills)

2. Develop a store Wellbeing

Policy that recognises wellbeing hazards in the same way as physical hazards

3. Provide information and education about the meaning of wellbeing and how to recognise early signs and symptoms of distress

4. Create an instore system and process to monitor and measure wellbeing in the same way as other store assets are monitored.

5. Put wellbeing on the agenda at

EVERY leadership team meeting.

Members who would like to engage with workplace culture experts Kevin Smith or Rachel Davidson about tailoring a Well Being Culture in your store and business should contact the MGA National Support Centre on 1800 888 479.