As a property management agent, your top priority is ensuring your leaseholders and homeowners are safe, satisfied, and happy with their living conditions. But what about your own team?
Wherever you look, studies show employees who feel supported and empowered in their jobs are happier and less likely to leave, and we’ve seen the difference it makes to staff first-hand within Alpha.
Having put wellbeing at the top of our agenda this year, we’ve made numerous changes in the business, many of which led to our shortlisting for the new ARMA wellness award.
Piers Wrangham, Alpha’s Managing Director, points out, “As a company, we realised the importance of addressing employee wellbeing in the wake of the pandemic. Our team members have always been our greatest asset, but the challenges posed by the pandemic have since highlighted the need for us to ensure staff wellbeing remains at the forefront of our priorities. We’ve continued to work hard to invest in our team’s wellbeing to help them personally and professionally thrive.”
So from Alpha, here are our top tips on putting wellness first in your workplace:
Tip 1: Shine a Spotlight on Wellbeing for Enhanced Awareness
If you’re unsure where to begin when optimising wellbeing in your company, then start by showcasing its importance to your team and stakeholders.
At Alpha, we hosted a wellness week focusing on our team members moods, teaching yoga, making fresh juices and playing music. Whether it’s a whole week or even just an hour dedicated to self-reflection and staff welfare, taking time to spotlight wellbeing will go a long way to get everyone bought in.
Tip 2: Embrace Open and Transparent Communication
Lack of communication is a pervasive issue in businesses worldwide, and you shouldn’t overlook the detrimental impact it can have on staff and company successes.
Allowing team members to freely express their thoughts, concerns, and ideas creates a culture of openness and increases trust and collaboration.
We’ve found that our weekly team huddles are a great place to open up and share ideas with those in the office. For others working remotely, having multiple communication channels has been fundamental in keeping our teams connected and free to express worries without being affected by proximity bias.
To further develop our internal communication and deepen our understanding of one another’s needs, we recently implemented Clarity 4D profiling for our team, which we reviewed during an off-site team day. This initiative was highly appreciated and successfully strengthened the bond across the company.
Tip 3: Promote Collaborative Decision Making
One of the best things we have done at Alpha has been to place our staff at the heart of our decision-making processes. It has meant we have implemented the benefits and opportunities our team genuinely care about. From access to counselling services, more get-togethers and annual leave options for special days, our staff have chosen the wellbeing benefits that matter to them most.
Tip 4: Invest in Continued Professional Development
We have always valued career advancement and personal growth and fund many courses for our staff development at Alpha. Continued professional development improves confidence and mental wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to cost the earth if you’re working to a tight budget. We’ve found that even simple things like having an inspirational reading list available can help to boost creativity and reignite enthusiasm for our team.
Tip 5: Build a Strong Sense of Community
Whether it’s team-building activities and company-wide events or celebrating milestones and awards events together, we’ve learnt that maintaining a strong sense of community and connection is a huge benefit to staff wellness regardless of role or position. The feeling of belonging for everyone in our team has meant that we can always rely on one another and share challenges, ultimately leading to lower stress levels and improved wellbeing.
Achieving workplace wellbeing is an ongoing journey with no one-size-fits-all solution. Each organisation has its own unique dynamics, challenges and budget constraints to consider.
As a property management company, we understand customer service is paramount, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of staff welfare. To effectively care for our tenants, customers and contractors, we all need to prioritise the wellbeing of our teams, establishing a positive cycle that benefits everyone involved. So make wellbeing the top of your workplace priority today, and use these tips to help start that process.
To learn more about Alpha Housing Services visit: https://www.alphahousingservices.co.uk/services.
