You Are the Wellbeing Strategy

Dr. Louise Lambert, Head of Happiness Programming & Policy Design at HappinessMatters.org, explores how managers shape workplace wellbeing daily through behaviour, presence, and small, consistent actions.

| Written by Dr. Louise Lambert

Most managers don’t wake up thinking, “Today, I will influence my team’s wellbeing.” They wake up thinking about deadlines, emails, decisions, problems to solve, and meetings they don’t have time for.

And yet, whether they think about wellbeing or not, they influence it every single day. Not through programs, benefits, yoga classes, or wellness webinars, but through who they are.

That’s you.

Your tone and availability. What you notice and what you ignore. What you tolerate and what you address. How you respond when things go wrong, and how you behave when pressure rises.

This is what people mean when they talk about leading with wellbeing. It’s not an extra task. It’s a recognition of what is already true.

Wellbeing at Work Is Relational

When people hear the word wellbeing, they often think about individual behaviours like sleeping more, exercising, eating better, or managing stress. These things matter, but they are not the full picture.

At work, wellbeing lives in the spaces between people. It shows up in how safe it feels to speak in a meeting, and whether mistakes are met with curiosity or blame. It appears in whether people feel seen or rushed, respected or dismissed, trusted or ignored.

It also shows up in how people feel in your presence.

Workplace wellbeing is a relational outcome, and it is where managers matter the most.

Managers Shape the Daily Experience of Work

Research consistently shows that the direct manager is the single biggest influence on how people experience work. Estimates vary, but it is often around 70 percent of the variance in both employee wellbeing and engagement.

This does not mean you are responsible for everything. You are not expected to fix people’s lives or become a therapist. But it does mean your behaviour, words, and mindset carry disproportionate weight.

You shape a large part of the emotional climate in your team, even when you are not trying to. People take cues from you constantly, often without realizing it. Through your actions, facial expressions, and tone of voice, you signal whether it is safe to switch off at the end of the day or okay to ask for help.

You set the tone for whether disagreement is welcomed or exhaustion is normalized. Even the questions you ask influence whether wellbeing is something people feel comfortable talking about.

This is not a burden. It is leverage.

You Already Influence Wellbeing, Use It Intentionally

You might be thinking, “I don’t have time for this,” or that this is yet another responsibility added to your role.

That is understandable. It was probably never written in your job description.

But here is the reality. You already influence how people feel at work. The question is whether you do it intentionally.

When you use that influence deliberately, even in small, repeatable ways, you improve the emotional conditions for work. And that, in turn, makes your job easier.

Leading with wellbeing simply means using your existing influence on purpose.

You are not managing wellbeing as a program. Through your everyday behaviour, you are already shaping it. The real question is whether you do it intentionally.

What Managers Often Get Wrong About Wellbeing

There are three common misconceptions that quietly undermine wellbeing at work.

1. “If people are struggling, they’ll tell me.”

   Often, they won’t. Not because they do not trust you, but because they do not want to burden you, appear weak, or make things uncomfortable.

2. “If I say the right things, people will feel supported.”

   Words matter, but behaviour matters more. Saying “take care of yourself” while sending emails late at night sends a very different message.

3. “Wellbeing happens outside of work.”

   Work is where people spend most of their waking hours. How work feels matters, whether we acknowledge it or not.

The good news is that small shifts in behaviour can make a meaningful difference, and often quite quickly.

The Practice of Leading with Wellbeing

Leading with wellbeing does not require grand gestures. It is about small, visible behaviours that signal care, respect, and boundaries.

Here are three simple practices you can start with immediately.

1. Be deliberate about after-hours signals

Unless something is truly urgent, avoid sending emails or messages outside working hours. If you work late, schedule messages for the next day.

When people see messages from their manager at night, they feel pressure to respond, even if you say they do not have to. This interferes with recovery, sleep, and mental shutdown. Over time, it increases stress, fatigue, and even resentment.

This is not just about email management. It is about giving people permission and space to have a life.

2. Talk about wellbeing as part of normal work

Wellbeing does not belong only in workshops or policies. It belongs in everyday conversations.

You can start by sharing your own habits or simply checking in. For example, “I have been trying to move more lately. What about you?” or “This has been a tough week. How is everyone doing?”

When you talk about wellbeing, it becomes legitimate. When you do not, people assume it does not belong.

3. Close the day, not just the task list

If possible, take a moment to say goodbye to your team at the end of the day, even briefly.

It signals that the workday has an end. It creates space to check in if something was difficult. And it shows people they were seen, even on ordinary days.

If someone had a tough day, this is when they might mention it. If they do not, they still leave feeling acknowledged.

That feeling is wellbeing.

A Final Reminder

You are not delivering a wellbeing strategy.

You are the wellbeing strategy.

Through your presence, consistency, and the small moments you shape every day, you influence how people feel, perform, and grow. That is not a burden. It is a powerful opportunity.

When you implement these behaviours, you are not just supporting others. You are also strengthening your own wellbeing and making your work more sustainable over time.

You are not doing people a favour. You are helping create an environment where everyone can grow into better versions of themselves, including you.

See you next month for more practical actions you can implement for a better work life.