Managing Your Team’s Well-being Through Change: The Value of a Workplace Charter

Mark Mohammadpour, APR; Fellow, PRSA (via Catalyst, IABC’s thought leadership publication):

Business leaders, take a few minutes to reminisce about your first week at your current or last job. Ask yourself: What could have been communicated to me during my first week to reduce my stress and anxiety?

Now step into the shoes of those external or internal candidates you want to bring to your team. Ask yourself: What can I communicate to them now to help reduce their stress and anxiety?

I was recently chatting with a communications director for a global company. They’re building a brand new team and asked for my thoughts on best practices to maintain morale. They’re concerned about team burnout and want to do what they can to show they prioritize well-being.

I recommended developing a workplace expectations charter. Whether you’re a team of one or 10, a set of norms helps set boundaries around work expectations.

Such a charter should be no more than one page and can include four key elements.

1. Provide a clear definition of work hours.

When I started my career, I received permission from my manager to work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time. This let me contact media on the East Coast before their deadlines and beat the afternoon traffic when commuting home.

What are your company’s core business hours? When is your team expected to be available? Is it 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., for example? Do your hours offer other flexible times so team members can make personal arrangements, pick up children from school, and eat lunch? What are the expectations for working nights and weekends? Our profession isn’t 9-5, but I’ve witnessed many people burn out because they believe they should be available all day. Is that truly the case? Discuss this with your team.

2. Establish your core business days.

Set guidelines that empower you and your teams to take time off. This isn’t just for in-house and agency teams, too. Consultants: consider including your bill of working rights with your clients.

During an event recently with business owners, one member said they write in their contracts with clients that they will not work between Christmas and the New Year. I love that idea!

3. Outline an actionable backup plan.

How will your team ensure their established schedules and boundaries are respected? How is your team cross-trained and equipped to effectively back each other up when taking much-deserved time off? How does your team know their manager will ensure time off and other boundaries are respected outside?

Make sure there is time scheduled on a routine basis and ensure your team is prepared to cover for each other — not just in an emergency but to also empower individuals to take guilt-free, well-deserved time off.

4. A defined purpose for scheduling and running meetings.

We are in too many meetings. While many are essential, too many are nonessential or poorly run. What is your team’s decision process for scheduling, deciding who attends, their role, and preparing them for a successful, strategic, and actionable meeting? Documenting that for your team will go a long way in helping your colleagues reduce burnout.

When developing this charter, don’t do it in a vacuum — get buy-in from your teams. It will show leadership, demonstrate that you care about their well-being, and ultimately reduce employee turnover, positively impacting your organization.

Use this charter when onboarding new team members and in the interview process. Are you interviewing prospective candidates? Show them you are thinking about their well-being from day one with this document.

Finally, ensure the charter is set up per your company’s HR policies. A plan will improve morale and set yourself and your team up for personal and professional success.

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This article appeared previously in Catalyst, IABC’s thought leadership publication.

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Mark Mohammadpour is a strategic communications executive, certified personal trainer, and health coach. After losing and keeping off 150 pounds over the last 15 years, Mark founded Chasing the Sun to work with teams to design their company’s Culture of Well-being™️ to retain healthy employees and create a healthy bottom line. Mark led integrated communications programs for more than a dozen global brands throughout his career, including Adobe, AMD, Microsoft, Samsung, and the U.S. Army.

Written by: Editor