In May, senior figures within, and across the KBB industry shared their thoughts on the wellbeing of teams with workplace wellbeing organisation Stress Matters.
It would be dramatic to say that the industry has a workforce wellbeing problem however it was acknowledged as a subject about which there was limited awareness and activation. Gary Baker MD at CDUK and also Chair of The Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills and Training Alliance (FIESTA) described the situation as a “potential timebomb”.
The concept of workplace wellbeing was recognised by all as an area of interest although rarely an area of focus. The relationship between profitability, productivity and wellbeing of the workforce was identified by some of the participants although the direct link wasn’t known to all. Sofia Charalambous from Bathroom Origins acknowledged that paying attention to work productivity has been relatively easy for them, “when someone is packing 50 orders a day and over a couple of weeks that level decreases to 25 orders per day you know there’s likely to be something.”
Some leaders found that balancing the priorities of achieving the business objectives and the wellbeing of the team a challenge. Nathan Maclean from Logicom acknowledged whilst they have a balanced approach that includes annual PDPs and a flat hierarchy that allows colleagues to easily raise wellbeing issues, it was hard not to get caught up with business objectives sometimes letting other things slip away. Simon Acres from Simon Acres Group Ltd shared how allowing the time has been the biggest shift for them and now does weekly catchups with each team member. Showing companies the direct link between the wellbeing of the team and achieving their business objectives was seen as an important element of the plan.
Education around this was cited as a good first step in changing the culture across the industry. Association partners have already stepped up to support Stress Matters spread these insights and to mobilise change. Representatives from associations – British Institute of KBB Installation (BIKBBI), The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) and The Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills, and Training Alliance (FIESTA) that participated in the roundtables called for collaboration across associations to bring the importance of this connection between profitability and wellbeing of the team to the attention of business owners.
Acres agreed, “trade associations can do a lot more to show where signposting can start.” Damian Walters from BIKBBI highlighted that “people underestimate the importance of wellbeing, particularly mental wellbeing.”
“A happy and healthy workforce is a successful workforce”, Baker was keen to point out. When looking at the remit of employers, Hayley Fagan from Project Sure said her job is to “identify there is an issue and make sure people are offered the professional assistance needed.” Organisations such as Blum are taking the lead with Jacqueline Trowbridge and Andrea Hillier trained in Mental Health First Aid which gives them the tools to approach and signpost individuals that may be unwell to professional support. Stress Matters intends to work with organisations in making this training more widely available to the KBB industry.
Business leaders were then seen as the next step to creating lasting change. The cascade of education was clear to all, associations to business leaders and then onto the wider workforce.
Formal strategies relating to the wellbeing of the team were few and far between, but participants were actively trying to support their team. Trevor Scott from Rugby Fitted Kitchens said, “we have done things by the seat of our pants in the past but are now looking to formalise processes.” Current initiatives fell into two main areas:
- Personal development planning: These meetings ranged from monthly to annually but were seen as a good way to motivate team members. On some occasions feedback from colleagues were included in these review sessions and wellbeing was incorporated in the sense of personal development but not in an explicit way. Letitia White from Caesarstone explained how regional managers are often the closest point of contact and so relationships are important. Team building sessions and employee surveys were also mentioned.
- Creating a culture of openness: “I want them to feel they have the confidence that they’re willing to chat” was what Scott told us. Participants from Blum, Project Sure, Rugby Fitted Kitchens and Bathroom Origins all referenced a family feel as being something they had and valued highly. There was a sense though that in some larger companies “managers can be encouraged to avoid probing into personal situations” Fagan from Project Sure shared from previous experience.
The sense of family is a key aspect of the KBB industry. This is not simply in the family run businesses, but a culture that larger businesses try to emulate. It was cited as the epitome of what workplace wellbeing was – an environment where people felt like it was a family.
Family for many is a safe, comfortable, happy space but for some family represents conflict, irritation and at worst fear. Ensuring an edge of professionalism was seen as a way of minimising the negative sides of the family unit. We asked Suzanne Skeete of Tappytwins and Teenline her thoughts on how workplace wellbeing and the mental health of families were linked: “As more organisations support their workforce with their mental and emotional wellbeing then that has a significant impact on the homelife for our younger generations. It is vital for this to start with the adults, so that the work we do with the children provides long lasting results and a happy homelife; which is what everyone deserves.”
A challenge across many industries is the breadth of the types of businesses and people that make it what it is. This is the case in the KBB industry, and we had representatives from a vast number of these sides. The need for different strategies to engage different sectors and roles across the industry was a heated topic. Many felt that to unify the industry everyone should be treated the same and others referenced the benefits in adapting approaches whilst ensuring stereotyping didn’t ensue. The use of personality and behavioural profiling to better understand the people who work with you was referenced by Blum and CDUK to aid in building these insights.
There was unity however that one side of the industry that is currently particularly vulnerable are the freelance installers. Many working independently and have now found themselves without employment. This lack of security being a contributing factor. Tom Reynolds from the BMA and others highlighted that an industry specific support Line might be a good mechanism to aid in open conversations.
When looking forward, participants were clear that a more pro-active approach was needed by the industry as a whole and by individual organisations. Maclean summarised, “we need to be mindful that we are not fooling ourselves that we are doing all the right things and we need to do a reality check.”
Stress Matters who conducted this research is built on three pillars – Insights, Accountability and Support. Stress Matters provide mental health and workplace wellbeing support for a number of industries. One of the directors of the business has 10 years’ experience in the industry and brings first-hand knowledge of the issues that the industry experiences.
Following gathering these insights, Stress Matters are looking to set-up a network of wellbeing ambassadors in the industry, provide practical support on health and safety documentation and work with industry to activate a support line.
BIKBBI have recently named Stress Matters as their official wellbeing partner.
If you have insights to share or would like to find out more, the team at Stress Matters would love to hear from you, please reach out to james@stressmatters.org.uk
