23 September 2024
At SES, we believe that a happy team is a safe team - which is why creating a warm and friendly environment is an essential part of our health and wellbeing policy. Working in partnership with our parent company, Worley, the team regularly take part in mental health and wellbeing training. Just last week the team set up a gratitude board, had daily walk and talks and participated in a number of talks focusing on improvement of our own mental health.
In recognition of ‘happiness at work’ week, Managing Director Beth Towsey, discusses the impact that a positive work environment can have on productivity.
“Research shows that an individual's mental wellbeing is directly linked to their productivity. When employees are mentally and emotionally healthy, they are more engaged, focused, and creative.
Although this is not the case for everyone as each person will have their own individuals' drivers or challenges, when you look at the general mindset of a team, happiness has a direct impact on productivity.
Over the years, I have found that when individuals are happy at work, they are able to take a more balanced approach to stressful situations, are happy to collaborate with others and are open to hearing feedback about their work.
To us, mental health and wellbeing is more than just a holiday that we celebrate once a year. It is about creating an environment that everyone can thrive in. I find that a positive and safe space to work is the most productive. This can include:
Creating a positive impact
Because we work as a team, you find that everyone's concern is around keeping each other safe, instead of only thinking about themselves. When faced with tight deadlines, the team will chip in and work together to ensure that we deliver for our clients on time but without compromising on safety or quality.
It could be argued that taking time to do things safely would slow us down, but in reality, it can have the opposite effect. We are fortunate to have only had one accident in the last five years, but I know from experience that operations come to a standstill when an incident occurs.
Embedding safety in our culture
It is safe to say that safety is more than just a policy—it is one of our core values and is engrained in every decision that we make. Through hard work and dedication from our team, we have established a robust safety culture that permeates every aspect of our operations. From workshop to the office team, creating a safe work environment is everyone’s responsibility.
When health and safety are prioritised, the benefits to productivity are clear. Employees who feel safe and healthy are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their work. And as a result, they will perform their duties efficiently, with fewer distractions and a greater focus on quality. Moreover, a strong safety record reduces downtime caused by accidents or health-related absences, ensuring that projects stay on track and productivity remains consistent.
Regular training and development
When it comes to building a strong team, I am a firm believer of ‘the more you invest, the better the outcome.’ Whether that’s investing time and energy getting to know your team, their personality traits, skills, and weaknesses, or physically investing time and money into formal training programmes, the more energy you put into developing your team, the more valued they will feel, and the harder they will work which then increases productivity.
Providing additional support
Safety is about more than physical wellbeing, it’s also about mental health. By offering mental health support, such as counselling services or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), your organisation acknowledges the complexities of modern work-life balance. This support can reduce stress, boost morale, and create a more compassionate work environment for everyone involved.
Making sure it is a team effort
Health and safety is paramount to our success. There is an understanding throughout the company that we will not compromise quality, health, or safety to meet a deadline. We hold daily toolbox talks, where the team will discuss their workloads and priorities. This allows for everyone to communicate freely and flag if they are feeling overwhelmed, but more importantly it allows for senior members of the team to gain a full picture of the teams' capacity and share workload where necessary.
With the average years of service being over 10 years, there is no denying that we have a happy team. The SES team is small but mighty, we work hard and look after each other along the way. To learn more about our values, visit: https://ses-offshore.com/value_in_a_box/
