How to Promote Well-Being on Project Teams

Transcript

STEVE HENDERSHOT

With the non-stop barrage of disruption and demanding deadlines, project professionals and teams need to make their well-being a priority. Not only for their overall health but also because there’s a real connection between making an effort to improve well-being and productivity. So how can project managers make a positive impact on team well-being? Let’s discuss.

In today’s fast-paced and complex business landscape, project professionals lead the way, delivering value while tackling critical challenges and embracing innovative ways of working. On Projectified®, we bring you insights from the project management community to help you thrive in this evolving world of work through real-world stories and strategies, inspiring you to advance your career and make a positive impact.

This is Projectified®. I’m Steve Hendershot.

Well-being at work is a big deal. According to Gallup research, employees who strongly agree that their company cares about their overall well-being are less likely to look for a new job or feel burned out. They’re also three times more likely to be engaged at work.

And employee well-being doesn’t just affect talent performance, recruitment and retention. It also makes a big difference in people’s overall mental health. Gallup studies also show that career well-being is the foundation for other well-being areas, like where people live, the friendships in their lives and their physical health. So there’s a lot at stake for team leaders, who play a key role in putting their people in a position to succeed not only at work but in other parts of their lives as well.

Today, we’ll talk to two project professionals about how project leaders can ensure they promote workplace and overall well-being for themselves and their teams. First, Projectified’s Hannah LaBelle spoke with Marilena Koliavasili, a project manager at Intracom Telecom in Athens.

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HANNAH LABELLE

Marilena, today the discussion is all about how project managers can promote and maintain their own, and their team members’, well-being. So let’s start with how do you define employee well-being?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

Employee well-being encompasses mental, physical, emotional as well as economic health issues that are affected by a positive culture that a company may have, a culture that includes clear tasks for the workers’ motivation but also benefits such as financial support, health aids and a kind of work-life balance. For instance, in my company we have incorporated a private health insurance program but also follow a remote work program for those who are interested. We would say that employee well-being is crucial for project teams because it directly affects productivity and the overall project success.

HANNAH LABELLE

What are some elements, whether that is in the work environment or outside of it, that can make maintaining your or your team members’ well-being difficult or challenging?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

Regarding the elements that are in the company environment and the project environment, we could refer to project deadlines and time restrictions. The team members feel stressed and overworked, leading to burnout and reduced productivity. Also, we could refer to lack of resources and support that make teams members feel stressed as well. We also have to deal with conflicting project priorities, so we have to balance multiple projects. Also we have high-pressure stakeholder expectations, which creates a tense environment. Regarding the elements outside the work environment, we would say that the work-life balance is an important aspect where project professionals struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance due to project demands and the long working hours.

We work in a demanding project environment where we need to excel in different projects at the same time, so we need to prioritize our actions in order to reduce our and our team members’ stress levels. But also we need to adjust to the current conditions and make the appropriate changes when something does not develop in the way that we want for the success of the project, but also for the well-being of the team members.

HANNAH LABELLE

When thinking about these elements, what are some practices you use to help maintain your well-being?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

The first things that come to my mind in order to maintain my well-being is the things I do outside the company, when I get [to] rest at home, and I try to relax and connect with my family and friends. And this is very helpful for my emotional balance.

However, we need to find ways during working hours to maintain our well-being. Some options that we can follow is to focus at the present. We need to try to be present and pay attention to what other people are saying and not be multitasking. Or, if we are on a conference call, we need to be fully present and decide not to check our emails while we are on the phone.

Also, I try to develop my resilience, which is the speed at which I recover from unexpected changes and difficult situations. I realized that the more I resist and fight against them, the more prolonged my stress response will be. So instead I accept that changes and problems are inevitable and try to solve the problems when they arise. Additionally, I try to have a positive outlook, to focus on the good qualities that other people have. And I try to remember that we are all human beings, and we are not perfect. This helps me create good interpersonal relationships with others and maintain a good atmosphere when working. But also I’m trying to develop my generosity, to say a good word about others and what they do, or to help others when they are struggling with a challenging task, things like that.

HANNAH LABELLE

Now let’s turn to your team members. What practices do you use to help them maintain their well-being, whether that’s one-on-one meetings, workload awareness or maybe deadline flexibility if it’s possible?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

The most important thing is to create a culture for open communication, where team members feel comfortable discussing their well-being concerns. And this is done using regular check-ins, and provides opportunities for team members to share their challenges and seek support. Apart from that, we would need to work with the teams to set realistic project goals and deadlines, otherwise unrealistic expectation can lead to burnout and stress.

Another thing is to acknowledge the hard work and achievement of the team members and have a positive feedback for their actions. But also to practice empathy and emotional intelligence. Try to understand the emotion in the team and the needs of the team members.

HANNAH LABELLE

Can you share an example where you used one or multiple of these practices, thinking about your own or your team members’ well-being? And what effect did it have on you or the team? And how did it benefit the work or the project?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

Recently I was dealing with a project with tight deadlines and a significant workload. Recognizing the potential impact on team well-being, I decided to proactively prioritize the team’s well-being from the project outset. I made it a point to have regular check-ins with team members during morning hours, 10-minute to 15-minute meetings. It is a method in agile that we use, and I think it was very helpful because these meetings provided an opportunity for team members to express any concerns or challenges that they are facing. They appreciated the support and understanding during these conversations.

The positive outcomes out of this process were enhanced collaboration. They were more inclined to help each other and share their expertise and experience. I also saw increased team morale because the team members felt valued and supported. But also I would say that affected a higher productivity level because the team members felt more motivated to give their best effort, knowing that their well-being was being considered and supported.

HANNAH LABELLE

So how do skills like emotional intelligence and empathy help you better promote well-being for your teams? And how do you build, or how can project professionals in general build, these capabilities?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

Emotional intelligence and empathy are very powerful tools for project managers to build strong relationships with their team members. We need to actively listen to our team members and pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, making team members feel heard and understood. Another way to do that is to recognize and understand first our emotions, and then [the] emotions of the team members, in order to respond appropriately and address potential issues before they escalate. Also, we need to recognize [the] strengths and weaknesses of each person. By leveraging these insights, we can assign tasks and play to team members’ strengths, fostering a sense of accomplishment and growth.

When team members face challenges or express concerns, empathetic project managers need to respond with understanding and compassion about whatever is being done. So for instance, during a particularly challenging phase in one project, I noticed signs of stress in some team members. By actively listening and empathizing with their concerns, I was able to offer support and adjust the project timeline to alleviate pressure. That action usually boosts team morale, but also it is adding improved collaboration and a successful project outcome, I would say.

HANNAH LABELLE

When we’re talking about emotional intelligence and empathy, another thing that usually comes up is this idea of psychological safety. Do you make psychological safety a focus of how you either build or lead teams? And if so, how do you foster a psychologically safe environment?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

Psychological safety is a fundamental aspect. I believe that encouraging open communication helps a lot for psychological safety. Apart from that, I think that we need to lead by example. As a project manager, I need to set the tone for psychological safety by being open and approachable and share my own challenges and vulnerabilities, demonstrating that it’s acceptable to make mistakes and learn from them. If the team members see me acting like that, they will feel free to express themselves openly. Also I think it’s important to [provide] constructive feedback and to allowing team members to have a say in project-related choices because that increases their sense of ownership and accountability, and it leads to higher levels of engagement.

HANNAH LABELLE

Looking at team members, how do you support a team member who might be struggling with work-life balance or burnout or other factors that might affect their well-being?

MARILENA KOLIAVASILI

People would question if this is really a project manager’s role. And I think that, yes, it is, because if one could imagine that there is a team of four people, let’s say, who work closely together, and they must walk a great distance but one has problems, obviously they won’t get as far. The same thing applies if one of the team [members] has a significant amount of anxiety.

If I notice that an employee isn’t engaging with colleagues as much as they normally would or a worker seems subdued, that would be a sign that they are dealing with issues maybe. If we do some actions like those that I have described, we need to, first of all, monitor the workload. We can use project management planning and control tools in order to do that. We can also encourage a healthy work-life balance by enabling workers to switch off, such as not sending emails after business hours. That helps to ensure that employees are able to focus on other areas of their lives, too. Also a smart thing is to learn from employees by just asking them what they want to do in order to overcome their issues. In general, when a company actively seeks to build a supportive culture and caring environment, for example, employees tend to feel more comfortable sharing their concerns on health or worries.

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STEVE HENDERSHOT

So what can project leaders do to assess and promote well-being on their teams? And what’s at stake for leaders and organizations if well-being is not a priority? That’s what I talked about with Jonas Ng. Based in Singapore, Jonas is a project coordinator at the global coaching company Exos.

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STEVE HENDERSHOT

Jonas, how would you describe employee well-being and the role it plays on project teams?

JONAS NG

To me, employee well-being is the overall physical, emotional, mental, and I would add on spiritual health and satisfaction. I think ideally someone with optimal well-being would be someone who can be at their best and feel at their best to handle anything it is that they are facing in life.

In terms of a project context, you’re going to have different roles, and each role is going to face the constraints or demands on wellness in a different form. A high-level stakeholder, for example, is going to have a lot of stresses related to stakeholder management, towards budget management, towards strategic-related decisions. Whereas someone who’s on the workforce is going to probably have more concerns towards timelines, towards ticking off your work tasks and just getting the deliverables done. I think ultimately everyone is facing some form of stress. They are going to face some form of time demands. They are going to face some form of scope demands as well. So the idea is just when you are planning your wellness activities, how do you ensure that you are taking care of your health whilst you’re delivering all of these according to the scope demands, the stress demands, as well as the timeline demands?

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What is at stake for a team, project leaders or an organization with regard to worker well-being? What do teams and leaders get out of having a well-balanced workforce, rather than one that’s stressed out and stretched thin?

JONAS NG

If your workforce is well taken care of, your team is well taken care of, you’re going to have a more motivated team, a team that’s more closely bonded and team that is better on board with whatever objectives your company or your project is aiming to achieve. Because everyone is at their best, they are ready to take on the challenge. They are able to handle the responsibilities that they are given. But of course on the flip side, if, let’s say, your workforce is drained, they feel unfulfilled, they don’t feel motivated, or part of the company or part of the team, they are probably going to be wondering why do they have to contribute to this project in the first place? Why do they have to meet a certain standard? And that’s, of course, going to rob you of the quality of your project.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

We’ll talk about what you do to promote well-being or what organizations can do, but let’s start with your own personal practice. What goes into how you think about wellness and what you make sure you do to stay right?

JONAS NG

I view well-being as a marathon or a long run. Basically, you’re going to have to see how to handle your well-being in a sustainable state, and that means that you’re going to see the long view of what strategies can you employ to make sure that you’re constantly taking care of your health, even during the busy times, even during the relaxed times. So, for example, things like breaking up your workday with short, 10- to 15-minute breaks where you’re just taking your mind off work, going for a walk, perhaps going for a short meditation, or even sometimes just taking a snack or a chat with a friend. That could actually help with the long-term game of being able to take care of your health and well-being. The idea is just to make sure that no matter how busy, or how focused or how deep in work you are, to still take short breaks because it is necessary. It’s not just a luxury; it is a priority, actually.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What does that look like? Give me an example from your life.

JONAS NG

When you’re managing projects, you’re often going to be dealing with certain periods that are a little bit busier and certain periods that are a little bit more stressful. But it’s just being mindful that, during those times, we keep only the most essential meetings. We try to keep meetings succinct, concise and really to the point.

And I guess apart from that, I think what really helps me is that especially when you’re in a diverse global workforce, to really just ensure that you spend some time during meetings to just catch up with one another. Because, ultimately, beyond every worker is actually a human who has their own life, who has their own challenges and their own journey. And if you just focus on work all the time, we miss out [on] the opportunity to connect with one another and just grow closer as human to human.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

How much of getting wellness right belongs to the worker, as opposed to the leader or the organization? Some of these components I can take ownership [of] myself as a worker; others, like my overall workload, I’m a little bit more passive, and it’s the organization that has to be looking out for me. How do you see the sort of shared responsibility for setting someone up for success?

JONAS NG

For the team to have the success that they are aiming for in terms of overall well-being, I think of course it will help immensely if the leader is able to empower and model the idea of prioritizing his or her own well-being. We know from stats that actually once a leader prioritizes well-being themself, for example, the leader themselves sets meetings to be fixed to a certain time, and they go to their own meditation session or a short gym session, we know that when a leader demonstrates well-being behaviors that the team actually feels more empowered to do this themself. They feel that they have the permission to do this themselves, and this actually improves the overall well-being of the whole team itself.

But what if the team leader is not for well-being or not for taking breaks? Then I guess it’s up to the individual to see how they can manage what they can do within their own constraints. And that could mean that, for example, if, let’s say, it’s before a meeting, they take a five-minute breather, a short breathing exercise, a short mindfulness exercise, whatever they can do within the constraints of what their organization allows them to do, I think that helps as well. It might not be the best, but at least it helps to manage the well-being where the employee’s allowed to, in a sense.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Can you give me a specific example of a project where you knew the workload or demands were going to be such that you needed to encourage or proactively take steps to ensure team members were taking care of themselves and their well-being?

JONAS NG

One of the projects that I’ve been working on happens to span across Europe and Asia. Due to the difference in time zones, the difference in cultures, we knew that we would be communicating at different timings. And because of the difference in time zones, we had to implement more mindful practices in terms of when are we scheduling our meetings so that we don’t schedule at timings that are either too early or too late for the other party. We try to keep communication off-work hours to a minimum; if it’s not urgent, leave it for the next day. We try to ensure that we encourage one another to always do an activity of their own every week. For example, if it’s spending time with your family or perhaps just taking care of yourself, doing a hobby, try to encourage each other every week, and check in on them as well.

So, we actually would ask each other, “How did you spend the weekend? What did you do?” Just [to] ensure that they’re not constantly working day in day out. And if, let’s say, they are, then perhaps it will be time for us to rediscuss and see if perhaps we are not resourcing efficiently. Perhaps someone is being overloaded, and we can help to take off some of that load so that they can have some time for themself as well. So these are just some strategies that we implement to make sure that everyone is balancing their workload at a sustainable level, and that we are all taking care of one another such that the team itself is able to function as a whole.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

In a situation like that, where you’ve got people spread out, is there anything you can do to keep tabs on the well-being of workers who aren’t in your same physical space? How can you sort of understand and care for folks who you’re only seeing via email or Zoom?

JONAS NG

Something that we found super useful would be at the start of every meeting, to just spend a good five to seven minutes checking in on them, asking things that are totally not related to work at all. It could be, like, “How is your day? How is your family?” Of course, it’s up to the worker to share based on their comfort level. Some people don’t want to share about their personal life, and that’s okay. But for those who are willing, we try to get each other involved in our personal lives just so that we are able to connect on a different level that’s apart from work.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

How do you as a project leader balance needing to get done what you need to get done with the fact that you care for all these people and also value well-being? Are those ideas inherently in tension with one another?

JONAS NG

The way I view it is that if we want to contribute our best to the project, and the project is a long game, then the idea is that we employ recovery tactics to ensure that we contribute the most in terms of the long run. How I see it is like a marathon or a sports game. You won’t sprint for the first kilometer and give your all and suffer for the remainder of the marathon. You will try to employ recovery tactics during your run to ensure that you are able to hold out for the entire marathon, or in this case, the entire project, so that you are able to contribute all the way to the very end of the project.

So how I see it is that these short breaks that you’re taking to go for your walk, to go for your meditation, to talk about off-work topics like life and how each person is doing, that’s actually contributing to your project itself. Because without that, you won’t be able to contribute in the long run to that same extent. It would be better if someone is able to contribute at 80% but complete the whole project [rather] than contribute at 100% and last only one month and burn out for the rest of the 10 months in the project. All of this actually does have value to your KPI [key performance indicator]; it’s just whether the company or the team is able to embrace that as part of their culture as well.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What about psychological safety, that notion of feeling safe at work? How do you incorporate that? How does that factor into team dynamics, and what do you do personally to cultivate that and make sure it’s respected?

JONAS NG

Psychological safety is a huge[ly] important component that’s often overlooked. It’s something that takes ages to build, and it’s very easily broken. I think just being respectful of each person’s views, being transparent yourself, and really encouraging that transparency and openness in communication of any views and any opinions is really important. As humans with different cultures and different beliefs, we are going to have different opinions and a huge number that’s going to contradict one another. I think just being able to put aside your assumptions and just being able to actively listen to one another’s opinions, being curious about one another’s opinions and really encouraging the sharing of opinions, that will actually help to create a safe environment for people to speak up. And once people feel that they are empowered to speak up, then you will be able to have people be open about whatever that they are facing. I think most often people are scared of sharing what is going on in their life because they feel that it’s not important or it’s going to offend someone. But if we are all able to demonstrate that behavior of openness and transparency itself, that will probably encourage others to do the same as well, and that will help to build that environment of safety, basically.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What about organizations’ well-being or wellness resources? These could range from an on-site yoga room-type thing to actual coaching or counseling resources. How do you incorporate or encourage team members to use them? What is their potential impact, and how do you rely on them?

JONAS NG

I’ll be honest. I think most companies come up with a whole plethora of well-being resources, but how many employees actually use these resources? So I think being able to connect them to the right resources [is important]. For example, if, let’s say, they are stressed out about time demands, then perhaps something that is quick and easy, and incorporate it into their day-to-day. Let’s say, during the weekly meetings, we incorporate just a three-minute stretch, something that’s not going to take a lot of time but actually has a huge amount of impact on it. So it’s really connecting the right resources that the company has, or is willing to explore, to the actual needs of the employee itself.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

That’s great. Thanks so much for a great conversation, Jonas.

JONAS NG

Thank you so much as well for having me.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

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