5.4 Examine the impact of personal wellbeing on: • own role and behaviour • others

This guide will help you answer 5.4 Examine the impact of personal wellbeing on: • own role and behaviour • others.

Personal wellbeing describes our mental, emotional, and physical state. It is how we feel on a day-to-day basis, both in ourselves and within our environment. Wellbeing includes many parts of life, such as stress levels, physical health, sense of purpose, relationships, sleep, and emotional balance.

Wellbeing is not just about the absence of illness. It recognises the quality of our day-to-day life. Good wellbeing means having energy, feeling motivated, managing emotions well, and bouncing back after setbacks.

Impact of Personal Wellbeing on Your Role and Behaviour

As a manager or leader, your personal wellbeing has a direct effect on how you perform your role. How you feel mentally and physically influences your behaviour and decision-making at work.

Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

Good wellbeing supports clear thinking and good judgement. If you feel rested and well, you’re more likely to:

Analyse situations properly
Weigh up risks and benefits clearly
Make timely, confident decisions

Poor wellbeing—such as tiredness, anxiety, or low mood—can cloud your judgement. You may make hasty decisions or avoid making decisions altogether. Errors can increase, and the impact on the quality of care can be significant.

Leadership Style

Your personal wellbeing shapes the way you lead. When you feel positive, you are more likely to:

Communicate openly
Be patient and empathetic
Motivate and encourage staff
Respond constructively to problems

If your wellbeing is low, you might become withdrawn, irritable, or overly reactive. Staff may notice changes in your mood or engagement.

Communication

Managers who feel emotionally balanced find it easier to:

Listen actively
Give clear instructions
Offer constructive feedback
Handle conflict calmly

Neglecting your wellbeing may make you short-tempered, distracted, or impatient. This can cause misunderstandings and stress among staff.

Ability to Support Others

When your wellbeing is high, you have the capacity to support staff effectively. You can:

Recognise when colleagues struggle
Offer help and guidance
Model healthy coping strategies

Diminished wellbeing reduces your emotional resources. You may overlook signs of distress in others, fail to offer support, or become less approachable.

Physical Stamina

Leadership in adult care is demanding. Good physical wellbeing helps you:

Respond to emergencies
Complete your work
Cope with long or unpredictable hours

If your own physical health is neglected, you may feel exhausted. This threatens both your ability to carry out your duties and your safety.

Setting Standards for Professional Conduct

Managers and leaders must set the tone for behaviour at work. Your attitude towards personal wellbeing sends a message to others about what is acceptable.

By managing your wellbeing, you set an example to staff. If you ignore your own needs, staff may do the same, risking morale and safety.

Reflective Practice

Leaders in adult care use reflective practice—thinking carefully about how to improve their work. Good personal wellbeing helps you reflect honestly and make positive changes.

Poor wellbeing can create defensiveness or a fixed mindset, making it difficult to learn from experience.

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover from challenges. Leaders with strong wellbeing adapt better to change and deal with setbacks.

Reduced wellbeing makes it harder to cope with stress, leading to burnout.

How Your Wellbeing Affects Others

Your wellbeing does not just affect you. It has a ripple effect throughout your team and the people you support.

Staff Morale and Motivation

Managers who feel well are more present and engaged. Staff notice this and are more likely to:

Feel valued
Stay motivated
Commit to high standards of care

If you are stressed or withdrawn, this can lower morale. Staff may feel unsupported or anxious.

Role Modelling Healthy Work Practices

Leaders who prioritise their wellbeing model this behaviour for others. This can include:

Taking regular breaks
Managing workloads
Seeking support when needed
Practising work-life balance

Staff take cues from your behaviour. If you normalise looking after yourself, staff are more likely to do the same.

Team Relationships

Teams function best when communication is open and trust is high. Leaders with good wellbeing foster positive team cultures:

Encouragement flows freely
Recognition is given
Collaboration thrives

When your wellbeing is low, tension can rise. Staff may become defensive or disinterested. Misunderstandings may increase.

Service Quality

The quality of care is only as good as the staff delivering it. When leaders feel well, their focus remains on person-centred care. This passes down to the frontline, where staff pay closer attention to detail and respond better to service users’ needs.

If a leader neglects their wellbeing, this can lead to a lack of oversight or poor decision-making. Care quality suffers, and service users may notice reduced attention, empathy, or responsiveness.

Conflict in the Workplace

Good personal wellbeing supports patience in resolving conflicts. You can mediate disagreements fairly and calmly.

If your wellbeing is poor, you may avoid addressing issues or react impulsively. This can cause problems to escalate, harming relationships across the service.

Staff Retention and Sickness

When a manager looks after their wellbeing, they foster a culture where staff wellbeing matters too. This reduces stress and sickness absence.

Managers overwhelmed by poor wellbeing may not notice signs of burnout among staff. Sickness rates may rise, and good staff may leave.

Implementing Change

Adult care services often undergo changes—new policies, systems, or care plans. A leader with strong wellbeing can guide their team with confidence and support.

Feeling drained reduces your ability to motivate others or champion improvements. This can stall progress and disrupt routines.

Building Trust

Trust is built through consistent, reliable behaviour. Staff and service users want to know they can depend on you.

Wellbeing supports trust because:

You behave predictably
You honour commitments
You react appropriately in crisis

Low wellbeing makes your behaviour less predictable. Trust can be broken quickly.

Ways to Improve and Maintain Wellbeing

Your role carries responsibility, but managers and leaders are not immune to stress. Looking after yourself improves your performance and protects those around you.

Here are key ways to support your wellbeing and your team’s:

Self-Awareness

Notice how you feel physically and emotionally
Reflect regularly on your strengths and struggles
Ask for feedback from trusted colleagues

Work-Life Balance

Set defined work hours
Give yourself permission to rest
Make time for interests outside of work

Healthy Boundaries

Learn to say no where necessary
Delegate tasks appropriately
Recognise the limits of your role

Managing Stress

Take regular breaks—even short pauses help
Use relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing
Notice signs of stress early and seek support

Support and Supervision

Attend regular supervision meetings
Share challenges with senior colleagues
Encourage open conversations about wellbeing

Physical Health

Eat regular, balanced meals
Stay hydrated
Get enough sleep
Make time for physical activity

Emotional Support

Build supportive relationships at work and outside
Access counselling or mental health support if needed
Keep a journal to reflect on your experiences

Learning and Development

Set personal and professional goals
Take part in relevant training
Stay updated with best practice

Encouraging Team Wellbeing

Create a culture where staff feel able to speak up
Celebrate achievements, both big and small
Monitor workloads and offer support

By making wellbeing a priority, positive changes filter through all levels of a care service.

Risks Linked to Poor Personal Wellbeing

It is not always possible to feel positive all the time. Still, ongoing poor wellbeing brings risks:

Impact on Safety

Decision-making suffers when you feel exhausted or anxious. This can cause accidents, errors in medication, or missed care needs.

Absence and Retention

Poor wellbeing increases risk of sickness absence or leaving your job, affecting service continuity.

Regulatory Issues

Care regulators expect leaders to be fit for their roles. Poor wellbeing can lead to non-compliance with standards.

Professional Reputation

Repeated poor behaviour caused by low wellbeing can damage your relationship with staff and service users. Reputation can be hard to rebuild.

Recognising Signs of Poor Wellbeing in Yourself and Others

It helps to recognise when wellbeing dips. Signs can include:

Mood changes (irritability, sadness)
Trouble concentrating
Fatigue or sleep difficulties
Withdrawal from colleagues
Increased sickness
Losing interest in usual activities

If you notice these signs in yourself, take action early. If you spot them in your staff, check in with them and encourage them to seek support.

Final Thoughts

Personal wellbeing is key for managers and leaders in adult care. It shapes decision-making, leadership style, communication, and resilience. The impact spreads out to staff, the people you support, and the whole organisation.

Looking after your wellbeing is not self-indulgence. It means your team performs well, and those in your care receive safe, high-quality support.

Become aware of your needs, model good habits, and make wellbeing a core part of your leadership role. This benefits everyone involved in care.