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Management Competencies for Health and Wellbeing

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Handbook on Management and Employment Practices

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS,volume 3))

Abstract

A growing body of research demonstrates the impact of management behavior on a range of individual and organizational health and wellbeing outcomes; however, efforts to train and develop managers often fall short. This chapter focuses on research to identify competencies–or the collection of skills, abilities, and knowledge–required by managers to promote, protect, maintain, and support the health and wellbeing of employees. A number of specific competency frameworks are presented: for preventing and reducing work stress, enhancing engagement, managing remote workers, and supporting return to work following sickness absence. Research examining the development of management competencies is shared and the implications of new approaches to management such as compassionate leadership and mindfulness are considered. Finally, learnings from interventions to develop management competencies for health and wellbeing are discussed. This chapter aims to provide practical insights into how we can develop managers so that they can better support their teams. We argue that if we are to equip managers to manage the health and wellbeing of others, we must not only raise awareness of health and wellbeing but also support the development of the key skills, ability, and knowledge to take action. In doing so, managing health and wellbeing is not a separate activity on top of managing performance but rather becomes an integral part of the management practices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Affinity Health at Work and Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

    Jo Yarker & Rachel Lewis

  2. Affinity Health at Work and Affinity Coaching and Supervision, London, UK

    Emma Donaldson-Feilder

Authors
  1. Jo Yarker
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  2. Emma Donaldson-Feilder
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  3. Rachel Lewis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jo Yarker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Paula Brough

  2. School of Management QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Elliroma Gardiner

  3. Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

    Kevin Daniels

Section Editor information

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Paula Brough PhD

  2. School of Management, QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Elliroma Gardiner

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Yarker, J., Donaldson-Feilder, E., Lewis, R. (2022). Management Competencies for Health and Wellbeing. In: Brough, P., Gardiner, E., Daniels, K. (eds) Handbook on Management and Employment Practices. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29010-8_4

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