Wellbeing – The Major Projects Performance Accelerator

As the world recovers from the impact of COVID-19, our ability to deliver high quality Major Projects will be central to how countries bounce back. We must rise to this challenge and consider how to create and maintain high performing teams that can deliver when it matters most. Wellbeing has been brought into sharp focus in recent times – what have we learnt from this, and can the wellbeing of our people be the project performance accelerator that we need?

There are numerous external factors which influence peoples’ productivity and performance. Wellbeing is an aspect companies can positively influence. Though often seen as ‘soft and fluffy’ or a nice to have, rather than an investment in peoples’ future performance, organisations are starting to place a greater emphasis on employee mental health and wellbeing, previously overlooked, and largely encouraged by events of the past year. Westfield Health (2020) state that if wellbeing strategies reach their full potential, subsequent increased productivity could add £61bn to the English economy by 2025. To achieve this change and realise the benefits, there needs to be an organisational shift in culture, approach, time and effort.

Developing and embedding wellbeing throughout an organisation, encompassing both behaviours (adaptability, proactivity, and participation) and leadership can help people to feel motivated and empowered to do their job better. Reducing factors that negatively impact, such as stress and high job demands can have a positive impact upon performance.

How can we develop and embed wellbeing and potentially lead to improved performance in Major Projects?