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and turn into stress. This was followed by education on how to identify the early warning signs of stress and a five-step process for helping an employee affected by stress to come up with their own solution for making things better.


A problem shared is indeed a problem halved, so the simple act of talking and being listened to increases self-esteem and confidence, while decreasing isolation and anxiety, and boosting mental health


an ACTION-PLAN of specific steps they could take to improve their situation. The reason for listening is so that the manager can assist the employee to work out the best options for their own situation. The manager becomes a facilitator of good thinking, at a time when employees are struggling with rational and commonsense thoughts. This can feel like a very difficult approach to take, particularly if the employee is feeling overwhelmed by their situation. However, by listening and asking questions, without giving advice or making judgements, the manager can provide a thoughtful space for the employee to think about their situation and begin exploring their own coping strategies. Useful questions might be: Who else have you talked to about this problem? Who might be able to support you with this? Can you think of any options that might help? Where would be a good place to start? How can I help with this?


One of the most challenging skills for managers to acquire was the ability to really listen to what an employee had to say, without jumping in to give advice or tell them what to do. Instead, managers were encouraged to work through a number of case studies using a clear five-step process of: Role, Listen, Summarise, Self-Solve, Action Plan. For example, managers on the course were asked to consider a team member who was working longer hours than usual, accused of being snappy in a meeting and receiving lots of personal calls. The managers were then encouraged to role-play the situation, listening without interruption, and remember that while they were experienced at solving workplace problems, they were not mental health professionals and not required to act as pseudo-counsellors. Instead, their ROLE was to invest the time and energy it requires to really LISTEN to the employee, so that they could SUMMARISE the facts of the situation and empathise with the feelings the employee had displayed.


Next, they had to resist the temptation to jump in with their own solution, so they could instead help the employee to explore the options and support available. This was so that the employee could start to SELF-SOLVE by creating


This process of listening, summarising and self-solving serves two fundamental objectives, firstly; by helping the employee to self-solve, instead of attempting to give out a solution, the manager can encourage the employee to take their own positive steps towards taking control of the situation. Whatever actions are taken, the actions have been generated by the employee and not the manager. Secondly, for most people a problem shared is indeed a problem halved, so the simple act of talking and being listened to increases self-esteem and confidence, while decreasing isolation and anxiety, and boosting mental health. It is also the manager’s role to enable the employee to access help and support, for example, by explaining how the Employee Assistance Programme can provide a fully confidential space for them to talk to experienced professionals, ranging from counsellors to financial experts and lawyers, about a range of problems. The impacts of the Managing Pressure Positively workshops have been very positive. On a business level, along with other wellbeing activities, they have helped us to reduce overall absence by five percent. In our annual employee engagement survey employees said they felt more cared about. The workshops were very well received by managers who feel much more able to support employees now that they know their role is to help them access the support in place, rather than solve their problems for them. We’re now looking forward to conducting a further ‘train the trainer workshop’ so we can get our trainers


to start delivering the workshops as part of our ongoing health & safety and management training. It takes energy and concentration to really listen to someone, and see the world from their perspective, without falling into one of the following 10 blocks to listening. Which blocks do you suffer from? See below.


ten fundamental blocks to listening


Comparing: as soon as someone starts talking about a problem, you feel compelled to start talking about what you or someone you know did when faced with a similar issue. Filtering: try as you might to give someone your undivided attention, you always find yourself listening to just some of what they’re saving and not the full picture. Judging: you find it hard to listen to some people without dismissing what they’re saying because you’ve judged them and think they only have themselves to blame. Advising: you’re a bit of a problem solver and just a few words into the conversation, you find you’re already making suggestions. Identifying: you can’t help but refer everything they’re saying back to your own experience. Daydreaming: you’re not really paying attention to them because what the person is saying is triggering your own memories. Mind reading: instead of listening to them you’re pre-occupied with trying to figure out what they’re really thinking. Rehearsing: your attention isn’t on the person speaking as you’re too focused on thinking up what you’re going to say next. Derailing: as soon as you feel bored or uncomfortable you change the topic. Placating: you pretend to listen by making supportive noises, ‘yes, really’ but you’re not actually listening. Critical to improving your listening skills is becoming aware of the blocks and recognising when you’ve stopped listening. As with any other skill, getting good at this takes practice. Role-play with colleagues or a trained professional can help.


Source: www.validium.com


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SEPTEMBER 2016 thehrdirector 33


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