Redesigning work

One of the key factors that contributes to a mentally healthy workplace is good work design.

Good work design not only minimises workplace risks associated with poor mental health but also supports engagement and promotes wellbeing.

As the HBR article states: “we can’t fix today’s burnout culture with a wellness app. What it takes, instead, is a mindset and culture shift among managers and organizations everywhere.”

The article talks about how taking pressure off your team and asking for less effort will help to create high-performing teams without burning people out.

Renee from Thrive Lab suggests the following questions to help you start thinking about work redesign:

Have we right-sized these roles? How do we manage our incoming pipeline and our capacity?

Are people clear on what kind of work adds the most value, and are they working to their strengths?
Do they have autonomy about how they deliver?
Have we created a working environment that supports focus and value-add work, or are we designing for distraction?
Do employees enjoy supportive relationships with their colleagues?

These are questions of work design.

If you want to promote employee wellbeing – AND help your people be more effective – then it makes sense to focus on work design.

But how to start?

As design and advisory professionals, we’re familiar with the design process:

Determine what the problem or opportunity is
Identify a range of potential solutions
Select a preferred solution and develop it in detail
Roll it out and ensure that it is effective

Work redesign can follow the same process, but you’re focusing on internal challenges, rather than the client brief.