Mental health is a constant topic of discussion within HR because it remains a constant threat.
While more organizations are introducing mental health benefits and policies, it’s often on the managers’ shoulders to carry out, model, and promote well-being, even though managers are also at risk of burnout. According to a 2024 survey report from The Predictive Index and HR Dive’s studioID, nearly one in four people managers identify the risk of burnout as a significant challenge to their success.
Employers who truly care about promoting a healthy workplace culture must figure out how to supply people managers with tools to support their mental well-being and become more “human-centric managers.” (After all, one of the biggest influences on mental health at work is one’s manager, even more than one’s therapist.)
One underrated way to support leaders’ well-being is with access to behavioral analytics, a tool for better understanding employees’ behavioral tendencies, styles, preferences, and strengths. As Dana Pollet, PhD, the manager of product science at The Predictive Index (PI), explains, “The information gleaned from behavioral analytics helps build stronger, more positive, and more effective working relationships.”
Discover how access to analytics like these can help you reduce mental health threats and build healthier teams.
How to bolster team mental health with behavioral analytics
1. Build collaborative teams
Collaboration is in high demand, with “teamwork” being one of 2024’s top desired skills. And it’s no wonder, given that Mental Health America explains how effective teamwork can decrease stress and make workloads more manageable. The problem is that many leaders lack the insights necessary to build teams with complementary skills and character traits to avoid tension and promote collaboration.
According to the survey, nearly a quarter of organizations don’t understand the value of behavioral data when building teams. Without this data, HR teams and managers are left guessing while expanding teams and sourcing candidates, which could lead to poor team dynamics.
Meanwhile, having access to behavioral insights into team members enables managers to improve job fit by matching candidates with roles they’re more likely to thrive in and teams they’re more likely to thrive with.
“Every job has a set of behavioral requirements,” Dr. Pollet explains. “And when managers understand the behaviors linked to strong performance in the role, they can utilize behavioral analytics to find candidates most likely to succeed.”
2. Tackle team conflict
It’s no secret that team conflict negatively impacts teams, but it can also damage individual well-being. Studies show that conflict at work can lead to depressive moods and decreased productivity due to stress, anxiety and depression.
Unfortunately, many leaders are unprepared for friction. Over one-third of middle managers say they lack the resources to address team conflicts. Even if managers have conflict resolution training, many resources are only temporary solutions because they don’t address the source of the issues.
Conversely, behavioral analytics can help managers resolve conflict. By comparing behavioral profiles of peers and obtaining personalized recommendations, managers can effectively keep conflict at bay—while building trust and improving teamwork.
“When managers understand the behavioral drives or tendencies of two employees experiencing conflict, they are better positioned to discuss why the conflict may have occurred, help them process the incident, and come to an understanding,” Dr. Pollet explains. (For example, it could help explain that while one employee, “Taylor,” thought their co-worker “Alex” was being short, “Alex” believes they were being efficient.)
3. Optimize giving constructive feedback
Most of us can recall being on the receiving end of feedback that felt discouraging or unhelpful. Feedback can be hard to give and hard to take, and it turns out it can also impact employees’ mental health, as negative feedback is associated with emotional exhaustion brought on by shame. Other research even links feedback to burnout.
Behavioral analytics can play a crucial role in optimizing feedback. It enables managers to deliver feedback in the setting and style most likely to support employees, avoiding potentially negative effects.
For example, Dr. Pollet explains how some people appreciate receiving feedback in the moment, while others feel caught off guard and derailed. Some appreciate feedback that is as detailed as possible. Others only want to understand the big picture, the “why,” or focus on solutions.
“When a manager understands these preferences, it’s easier for them to cater to the employee’s needs. This leads to a more successful delivery of feedback and increases the likelihood of the employee acting on the feedback,” Dr. Pollet says.
Pro tip: The same thinking applies to recognition (which scientific studies show improves well-being). At a time when nearly a quarter of organizations don’t recognize good people managers for their contributions, behavioral insights can help people feel acknowledged—in the way they prefer.
For example, some people prefer private recognition while others prefer recognition among peers. “Understanding the behavioral preferences of one’s employees should give managers an idea of what each employee likes to be recognized for, how important visibility of that recognition is for them, and the level of detail provided in their feedback.”
4. Manage employee workloads
Feeling overworked leads to stress, poor sleep, and other negative effects. According to research, one in four people managers say that work overload is one of the most significant challenges impeding their success.
However, many organizations don’t realize that overwork isn’t just about the amount of work but also the type of work being counterproductive to one’s strengths. Leaders can avoid this by using behavioral analytics to provide employees with growth opportunities that are a natural fit or a healthy challenge based on their tendencies, naturally increasing productivity and decreasing stress.
Behavioral analytics can also help managers decide how to structure 1:1 meetings to determine whether an employee has a manageable workload. Instead of asking a generic “how are you” in a meeting, Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg, Chancellor’s Professor at UNC Charlotte and author of Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings, points to a research-baked alternative. Ask instead: How are you on a 10-point scale, with one being horrible and ten being fantastic?
“When you ask it that way, the next thing you know, you get scores in the sixes, sevens, and fives; now you have something to work with,” Rogelberg says. “You can say, ‘Tell me more’ or ‘What can I do to help you become an eight?’”
Bolster your people managers
As crucial as prioritizing team mental health is, it’s only one factor hindering people managers’ success. Leaders across the industry are also actively struggling with misaligned training opportunities, undefined success metrics, and more.
Ensure your people managers—and their teams—have the tools to succeed by understanding their struggles and uncovering their solutions. Get resources today to start problem solving tomorrow. Download the report.