Wellbeing: Effectively managing your teams’ health and happiness

Our fast-moving workforce now yearns for flexibility and new ways of working, more than ever. Prioritising the personal needs and overall wellbeing of your employees will help to keep your business ahead of the curve in the fight to attract the best talent in a highly candidate-driven market.
When your teams’ wellbeing is managed and maximised effectively you develop a loyal, committed and productive workforce – making your business one that people want to join! This should be a top business priority to ensure you are able to attract, engage, and retain top talent.

What are the commercial benefits?

  • Improving your brand and reputation - As a respected brand, top talent will want to work for you and businesses will want to work with you.
  • Reducing staff turnove - It costs more to replace staff than to retain them. Looking after your employee’s wellbeing is a great way to improve your staff retention.
  • Attracting the best talent - If you offer a great wellbeing plan, candidates will put you at the top of their list.
  • Reducing costs throughout the business - Reduced employee absences and ancillary expenses.
  • Minimize avoidable ill health - If employees feel satisfied at work, they are less likely to take days off due to work-related stress.
It is key to understand what wellbeing means to your employees and overall business model, assessing this will put an effective plan in action that will have the most positive impact.

The importance of employee wellbeing in the sales industry

The sales industry has a reputation for being fast-paced and stressful at times, so employers should be focused on wellbeing to ensure employee health and efficiency are peaked at all times. The demand and expectation of a sales role can affect physical and mental health. 
It is becoming more common that sales professionals will work through the evenings and weekends, as they must be available for their clients in their own time. Your sales team are client facing and operate as the face of your business, how they conduct themselves reflects directly on to your organisation – it is crucial your clients are presented with a happy employee.

Offering the right support to your sales team

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for supporting your employees’ wellbeing within a business. Wellbeing can mean different things to different people. On one hand, employees might desire a good work-life balance and on the other, an employee may focus on monetary goals and financial freedom. The right wellbeing programme for your business will depend on the culture you want to promote, the business strategy you are striving to meet, and the unique needs of your workplace profile. 
The best way to decipher the most effective method to support your sales team is to ask them directly. “What does employee wellbeing mean to you and how can we support your wellbeing in the workplace?” By asking these questions you should be able to paint a clear picture of their needs and how you, as a business, are able to support them. Monitor the support your business currently provides and regularly review this to make sure that what you are offering matches the needs of your team. 

Key tips to assess your teams’ wellbeing needs

Ask, ask and ask again!

Communication is key here, presuming you know what your employees want without asking them first can create frustration within the organisation, as staff will feel their needs are not being considered.

Host 1-2-1 wellbeing meetings

Sales meetings are regularly organised, why not incorporate 1-2-1 wellbeing meetings to check on your staff and make sure they feel supported by the organisation as a whole. 

Conduct confidential questionnaires

Some individuals aren’t as comfortable as others when it comes to discussing their wellbeing. A way around this is to allow every employee to answer a confidential questionnaire to assess this data privately and gather an array of honest opinions.

Internal ambassadors

At Michael Page, we have mental health champions who provide help and support to those suffering from mental ill health, it’s a great idea to have ambassadors internally to support your wellbeing programme and to ensure that your staff know they have someone to talk to.

The general consensus: what sales candidates want out of their benefits

Flexible working is becoming more essential to candidates as the market develops. A sales professional who invests a large amount of their personal time to a business will feel appreciated if flexibility is given back in return.
A key motivator causing professionals to leave their roles is when they believe they aren’t being rewarded fairly for their work. It is essential to a sales person that they are remunerated for the sales they achieve. A fair commission scheme that is set against realistic targets is key.
Sales candidates are increasingly seeking:
  • Working from home options.
  • A car or car allowance.
  • A suitable company culture.
  • Flexible working hours and holidays.
  • Health and life insurance for them and their families.
  • A flexible benefits package including pension.
  • Good financial packages including a generous commission scheme.
  • Access to counselling and mental health support.
When hiring, it is crucial to highlight the wellness benefits potential candidates will have access to in your workplace.
If you are looking to hire top sales professionals, why not get in touch with one of our expert sales consultants to discuss how we can help with your recruitment process? Alternatively, why not read our article on a flexible sales team and why you need dynamic working options.
Felicity Burrows
Senior Consultant Michael Page Sales
T: + 44 121 230 9403