Alignment, flexibility and autonomy
The work itself can also affect our mental wellbeing. Therefore, Lynne tries to assign projects that are aligned to an individual’s professional ambitions and interests in her capacity as a staffing manager.
“The best thing is to make sure that people are going on a project that they’re into. Something they can learn from”, Lynne says. And it’s important to have this conversation with people to show them what it is that they can gain from a project. Giving them context and managing expectations really helps to settle people into a project.
And when it’s sometimes not possible to offer people their dream project, it’s even more important to discuss how a new project fits into the wider spectrum of their aspirations and build a sense of purpose. There may be opportunities to learn new skills or to build a network that will help them move forward in the future.
Once the people are in a project, Lynne puts a heavy emphasis on a smooth lift-off: “We have a discovery period with sessions where we get to know each other, define how we’re going to work together, what values we’re going to work by and how we’re going to collaborate. If you lift off your project properly rather than fixing things as we go along, you have a better chance of having happy people and a successful outcome.”