Why did you integrate RSSB’s Health and Wellbeing Competency Framework?

We already had a leadership framework in place. To drive a more preventative approach to health and wellbeing, we wanted line managers to better understand how leadership styles impact the wellbeing of their teams.

Our employee engagement survey highlighted areas where our leadership could more effectively support health and wellbeing. It showed that an environment where employees felt comfortable to talk about their health would help. It also showed how the support offered by managers could positively affect employee health and wellbeing.

We incorporated RSSB’s Health and Wellbeing Competency Framework into line manager briefings and workshops through our Leading Mindfully programme. The framework enabled us to emphasise line managers’ role in employee wellbeing and strengthen leadership capability in supporting employee health.

How did you use the framework?

We mapped health and wellbeing competencies to our existing leadership framework, considered areas of overlap, and decided where the competencies could be integrated most effectively. 

The mapping exercise revealed the need to, at a local level, position health and wellbeing competencies and behaviours as supplementary to our globally accepted leadership framework.

We involved stakeholders from different UK functions (e.g., talent, learning and development, occupational health) in discussions on using the competencies to:

  • enhance leadership skills
  • encourage line managers to take responsibility for wellbeing initiatives
  • drive awareness of the leadership framework.

We initially considered focusing on new managers; however, we quickly recognised the need to raise the awareness and capability of all managers.

What step did you take to implement the competencies?

We launched our Leading Mindfully programme alongside our annual performance management process. We ran a separate briefing and workshop on health and wellbeing, focusing on competencies and behaviours. Line managers were encouraged to attend these sessions. Additional Leading Mindfully resources were provided through the company’s intranet.

A survey was prepared for the sessions using RSSB’s self-assessment checklist, which promoted personal reflection on current capabilities and challenges. This was used to engage managers and encourage them to explore their leadership style. It also provided a baseline for current competency and a point for comparison for the following year.

The survey was published on the intranet to gather more data and identify the lowest- and highest-rated competencies for future line management development.

What did you learn on this journey?

Planning and leadership commitment

It was important to plan and identify and engage the right people at the outset to drive change. The initiative was not simply added to the health and wellbeing agenda, as cross-functional leadership was required to drive positive changes in employee behaviour and culture.

Engaging line managers

There was a clear link between the framework and our professional development and career planning avenues for managers. It was important for this initiative to create awareness of, and improve, capability to support health and wellbeing—not become a tick-box exercise within the performance management cycle. 

Using the right language was important. The programme name, ‘Leading Mindfully’, is relatable and reflected the findings in the engagement survey.

Interaction and participation

Data was captured through real-time self-assessments using Microsoft Teams’ poll functionality. The data was analysed and translated into an engaging format for the audience. The platform also helped lead discussions, as it was possible for participants to benchmark themselves against their peers.

What was the impact?

Initial feedback showed interest in upskilling. We plan to hold monthly sessions to support competency development. 

The programme increased engagement in health and wellbeing so that preventative measures can be employed and line managers can assume more responsibility.

The longer-term impact will be measured through annual engagement surveys, wellbeing risk assessments, occupational health referrals, absence levels, and recruitment and retention rates.

What next?

We will provide further briefings and content over the year to extend reach and promote engagement. We plan to use survey feedback to identify training needs for managers.

Line managers will be encouraged to use the results of the self-assessment to build personal development plans. We also plan to provide line managers with a survey they can share with their teams to encourage anonymous feedback.

We see the development of health and wellbeing capabilities as part of a broader behavioural change within the organisation’s business strategy. We are working to identify the enablers of change to drive this forward.