The world's best managers view the growth of employees as an end, not a means, and take responsibility for their people's wellbeing, according Gallup researchers Jim Harter and Tom Rath.

Over the past decade Gallup has asked more than 15 million workers whether their supervisor (or someone at work) seems to care about them as a person.

"This question serves as a barometer of whether an employee feels as if his manager truly cares about his wellbeing," the researchers say.

"What we've discovered is that the world's best managers see the growth of each employee as an end in itself, instead of a means to an end.

"They realise that each worker's wellbeing, and in many cases the wellbeing of his or her entire family, is largely dependant on their ability to lead and manage."

For example, Ritz-Carlton president Simon Cooper says "the greater purpose" of his organisation is serving not only its 38,000 employees around the world, but also their families.

"[T]he most progressive leaders not only understand that they are in the business of boosting their employees' wellbeing, but they also use this knowledge as a competitive advantage to recruit and retain employees," the researchers say.

They know it will be easier to attract top talent if they can show prospective employees how working for the organisation will translate into:

    * better relationships;

    * more financial security;

    * improved physical health; and

    * more involvement in the community.

Employees who say their leaders care about them as people are more likely to be top performers and produce higher quality work, and are less likely to be sick, change jobs, or get injured on the job, the research found.

"This all adds up to a more efficient and higher performing organisation."

In contrast, "the most disengaged group of workers we have ever studied" are those whose manager is "simply not paying attention", the researchers say.

"If your manager ignores you, there is a 40 per cent chance that you will be actively disengaged or filled with hostility about your job."

Don't isolate workplace wellbeing

The different social, physical and psychological factors that influence a person's wellbeing are interdependent, and their interaction is critical, the researchers say.

In their new book, Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, Rath and Harter draw on extensive research to argue that wellbeing boils down to not one but five elements: a person's work, relationships, finances, health and community.

These elements are "the currency of a life that matters", and transcend countries, faiths and cultures, the researchers say.

Each is important, all are interrelated, and no one element should be focused on in isolation. But "career wellbeing", which can influence all the other areas, is "arguably the most essential".

Research suggests long-term unemployment is the only "major life event" from which people do not recover within five years, and there is evidence that "actively disengaged" workers are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, the researchers say.

In contrast, engaged workers have lower cholesterol, and people who have the opportunity to use their strengths at work are three times more likely to report an "excellent" quality of life than those who don't.

"People with high career wellbeing wake up every morning with something to look forward to doing that day," the researchers say.

They have the opportunity to use their strengths and make progress, they have friends who share their passion and, in most cases, "a leader or manager who makes them enthusiastic about the future".

Originally published on HR Daily.