We know that online manager trainings are a lot more cost-effective and scalable than face-to-face trainings, but are they as effective at affecting change? This study compares the data from HeadCoach (see Episode 12) with a face-to-face manager training amongst firefighters (Milligan-Saville et al., 2017). While both result in changes in manager confidence, only the face-to-face training saw differences in the sick leave of the employees.  We discuss the possible reasons for this difference and how Nurau strives to incorporate the best of both in our hybrid live online microlearnings. Li ..read more

Similar to “Managing Minds at Work”, “HeadCoach” is an online training module designed for managers that offer both responsive and preventive strategies when dealing with the mental health needs of their staff. HeadCoach both improved manager’s confidence and led to changes in their behavior compared to a control group, although it was unable to detect any change in employee health and wellbeing. We discuss the limitations of fully online trainings such as low adherence and the perpetual theory-to-practice gap that can plague such interventions. Link to article: https://europepmc.org/article/m ..read more

At Nurau, we believe in the power of educating managers through digital training so they can both prevent and manage mental ill-health at work. “Managing Minds at Work” is one of the few interventions that exist for line managers that is built on the same principle.  This article outlines the development process of their digital training program and evaluated the feasibility of implementation using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The intervention resulted in improvements in manager attitudes and behavioral intentions despite its small sample size and represents a positive step towa ..read more

In the next few episodes, we cover some of the latest interventions designed to improve mental health. Whether you’re curious about which interventions are most effective or how Nurau compares to existing interventions, these next few episodes will acquaint you with how training, prevention, and social support can be used in conjunction to improve accessibility to good mental health care.  The first intervention we cover is the HAPPINESS pilot project, an initiative of the World Health Organization to scale up mental health care in communities, which trained non-specialist and primary hea ..read more

Other than managerial behaviors, leadership style is another way to look at your development as a manager. What leadership style do you have, and how does that compare to the transformational leadership style?  Learn about types of leadership styles and the one explored in this paper published in 2023 by Kelloway et al., called R.I.G.H.T leadership ..read more

We now zoom out and look at managerial behaviors as a whole. Are there behaviors that are more important than others for your team’s psychological wellbeing? What are the core competencies you should be focusing on as a manager? How does developing them in their career compare to listening to them share about their day? With so many competing priorities as a manager, it’s helpful to know which ones you can focus on first.  In this episode, we get down to the practical and talk actionable skills you could be honing that your team values most ..read more

We continue the focus on remote work but now discuss what managers can do to best support their team in a remote setting. We discuss the unique challenges that face remote teams, and what this qualitative study found when interviewing both managers and employees about what managers can do that is most effective. Do managers and employees differ in their opinions? How so? Listen in to find an insight you can implement to manage your remote team today ..read more

We now turn from the implementation of big programs to the study of workplace culture and how informal communication (i.e. small talk) can impact culture but also the commitment of your employees to your organization.  Especially in the remote work world where small talk is becoming increasingly infrequent, and we long for the days when we could hang out in person at the lunch room, it is important to understand what small talk can do, and how to re-create spaces for small talk in a remote work setting ..read more

There are a plethora of programs out there that promise to improve mental health at the workplace. But do they actually work?  The problem with many of the programs is the clinical and financial impact is not measured so we have at best, a fuzzy idea of how effective they actually were.  This paper by Bondar et al. 2022, however, show very clear impacts of their program on the mental health of the employees, that had both clinical and financial repercussions. It is one of the few papers out there that calculate the ROI of a program and make you have faith again that such programs, if ..read more

Psychological safety is what everyone in the workplace mental health world seem to be discussing today. It is one of the key ingredients to leading a successful team, as pioneering research by Dr. Amy Edmondson found. But how does one grow psychological safety in your team?  In this episode, we go over a recent article by Adam Grant, Wharton professor of organizational psychology and host of the WorkLife podcast, that compares two different kinds of behaviors and their impact on psychological safety.  Learn what is one quick, simple thing you can start doing today to start cultivatin ..read more