Caring for those who care — what we learned at OneTeamGov’s first Wellbeing Camp

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It has been several years now since I worked inside Whitehall, the home of the UK government departments’ HQs, so I often feel an imposter talking to civil servants about how to become more effective. Like them, I joined the Civil Service because I believe in the power of public service to help people, I still do, at CPI it is our core belief. Today, the Civil Service and public sector is however as tough a place as it ever was to work and the wellbeing of workers is now of paramount importance to them and our society.

So I snapped up the chance to be at OneTeamGov in Leeds, the first ever Wellbeing Camp to talk about wellbeing and inclusion in the workplace. OneTeamGov is a fast-growing global community of mainly public servants working to transform the public sector and fast growing on me. I was determined to give something back and share what I have learned from both the public sector and private sector worldwide since leaving the Civil Service about how to build more caring organisations.

What I shared and heard:

1. Public sector workers cannot be the carers of society if they do not feel cared for.
2. People have high expectations of public servants and CPI’s legitimacy behaviours are as relevant for civil servants as they are for citizens looking in on government. Authenticity, empathy, transparent and fair processes, as well as valuing voices and responding to them matter inside government as well as to the citizens they serve.
3. The feeling that you don’t belong grows in subtle ways. Unkind gestures, such as not inviting you to a meeting, saying your work is not up to standard on conference calls or group emails, not being asked how you are and or whether you need help can chip away at you daily. BAME colleagues also have to deal with the fact they are often expected to speak on behalf of minority communities — as if they are the only ones responsible for thinking about them and their needs.
4. Belonging is more than a diversity issue. Though diversity figures look healthier, we have much further to go in understanding each and every one of us as individuals. We each have lives outside of work: passions, pains and pathways to walk. It can be helpful to have someone you can share those with and who can back you.
5. There are practical ways organisations can start to break down the cultures and behaviours that contribute to our sense of not belonging such as: no hierarchy in the room, no referring to people by their rank or grade rather than their name, open meetings where managers empower their teams to attend, renewed values with kindness, compassion and the freedom to be you as shared purposes. Buurtzog is a place to look at and Wigan for how hard change is, but how worth it it can be.

What I learned:

1. Those in our workshop felt the culture of government was hard wired from another time, despite talk of change and diversity. People felt that talk of inclusion and wellbeing is happening more often, but it can feel as if nothing real is changing. Conversations and finding the language for belonging and caring is still hard. Colleagues expect authenticity and leadership teams to show by example.
2. Government is a hard place to be yourself. Many talked of the agenda that is ‘bringing your whole self to work’ as a great idea, but questioned whether it was safe to do so for fear of being stereotyped or looked over for promotion.
3. Silos are still a big issue in government. Many liked team working, but wanted to work across the usual boundaries of hierarchy and across departments and agencies.
4. It still doesn’t feel like you can go into rooms without being judged by your grade, your sick record or your willingness to work long hours. Young people are often left to ‘fend for themselves,’ one participant said. People need to say what they see and stop making assumptions people are fine, I heard. Every leader must stop and ask are you okay? How can I help?
5. It is not clear who has your back but the civil service networks are strong and supportive, so for those who feel on the outside looking in and anyone wanting to feel more connected, they can be a source of new friends or even a lifeline. It’s important to connect and feel part of something, so leaders should encourage teams to find a network — especially if they find it hard to open up through the usual management lines.
6. How we work matters as much as what we do. We need to understand that how we all work best might be very different. Not noticing someone is finding the office environment tough or not suited to their preferences can make working harder — too quiet for some, too noisy for others.

The openness and trust in the room to share some very personal stories in this session was humbling and helped us conclude together that speaking up was hard to do alone, but felt good. Participants wanted to be able to do more of this at work with those they trust and in safe spaces.

Leaders need help starting difficult conversations on issues such as race, gender, health, learning difficulties, caring responsibilities and mental health. Those conversations don’t happen enough because people fear them and saying the wrong thing can have repercussions or a fear you are being seen as ‘difficult’. Training is needed here for people to speak about these and other issues around identity and belonging.

There is a need to build up psychological safety to say confidently ‘Enough! I don’t feel comfortable or valued’. Many spoke of the recruitment gaps in teams and said expectations just fall to others who experience burn-out (another session was held on this specifically at OneTeamGov). In this session on belonging, the key missing ingredient in helping civil servants feel they belong, are valued and that they can start to talk about it more confidently, was a need for more leading by example by leaders themselves.

Leaders will have to start to call out bad behaviours — especially to their senior colleagues — and say, ‘that is not kind’, or ‘how can I help you?’ to more junior members, especially when the pressure is on. There needs to be a clearer assurance that being yourself at work is encouraged and welcome — we will need to see what ‘bringing your whole self to work’ means in practice when the safety net isn’t feeling quite strong enough to support that mission.

Only when psychological safety and trust is built and guaranteed will people feel confident enough to speak of self care, show vulnerability and be themselves. Perhaps when they do, they can care better for others inside and outside of government — I hope so, our country depends on them.