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How are well-being and interim manager related? Explore the link between well-being and interim management. Learn how interim managers contribute to a healthier workplace.

How are well-being and interim manager related?

Interview with Anita Buzás-Kovács, Business Development Manager at Interim Ltd.

Your digital business card says Business Development Manager. What does this title mean?

On the one hand, the literal meaning, i.e. business development: developing effective methods to increase the customer base and conquer new markets, finding and acquiring new customers, and maintaining relationships with existing ones. The other important area is recruitment, where we work with the team to find the best candidates and managers to be hired.

Interestingly, I also trained as an occupational mental health professional and came from the pharmaceutical industry to join the colourful and experienced team at Interim Ltd.

So you're also working on corporate wellbeing, which has been strengthened in the last few years, especially in the post-COVID world. Why do you think this approach is important?

Fortunately, more and more places are no longer looking at employees as just human resources who are only interested in benefits. They talk about people as valuable individuals whose intrinsic commitment needs to be taken care of. Wellbeing is looking for ways to make people more motivated and satisfied. Ultimately, mental well-being is about listening and dialogue - about how managers and subordinates can work together in a way that is good for both sides.

Listening is a very good word. But who listens to leaders? 

Indeed, senior management is a very lonely way of life. HR needs to pay attention to them too, and provide tools and programmes, knowing that this layer is otherwise a "brain-damaged" group. Solutions that build community can work particularly well, such as a sporting opportunity that involves the workplace and colleagues. In many places, a change of attitude helps: when we notice each other, we pay attention to each other, including at the management level.

To see that, particularly in the US, burnout is hitting the leaders en masse, and it's affecting the organisation as a whole. How real do you see this threat in Hungary?

COVID has had two negative effects on job satisfaction in Hungary. On the one hand, during the period of forced downtime at, the home office, many people asked themselves whether they were in the right place and whether they were satisfied with what they were doing. The other was our perception of time: time seemed to have sped up, and many people simply reached burnout in less time. Of course, many senior managers were conscious of themselves and their surroundings, and went through a learning process: they reacted to the changed situation. This is also called resilience. But not everyone can be expected to do this, so many have changed career paths and gone abroad.

How can sabbaticals, special long-term leave, help senior managers? It is as if a few domestic companies that have been the first to allow this practice for their executives are not being followed en masse by others.

Sabbaticals are, I think, becoming more and more familiar, but they dare not apply them because they lack company practice. In many cases, because there is no tradition, no experience, even the managers themselves are afraid to do it. But it is like the dentist or screening tests: you don't take action when you are already 'hurting' when you have a personal problem, but before it happens. However, when the problem is big, all options are open.

From this point of view, the use of an interim manager can be not only a symptomatic treatment but also a long-term solution.

Can interim be effective for burnout?

Absolutely so! It has been observed that prolonged stress simply creates disease in the manager: they are expected to perform at a high level all the time, while, as we have already discussed, they are left to deal with stressful situations on their own.

Interim means interim leader. Just think how much easier it is to be a leader in an organisation where you know you can "escape burnout" for a few months because you have a professional, quick replacement. We know that it's much easier to keep good people than to spend money and energy on top management selection. The possibility of an interim can therefore be a retention tool.

The institution of the interim manager can then be seen as a kind of well-being tool.

Yes, because freedom and rest are the most effective means of combating burnout, but life cannot stop. When a manager knows that everything is running smoothly in his absence - because the interim manager settles in quickly, does not run for his place, and processes are not interrupted - it is easier to let go of work for a shorter or longer period. I stress that it is important for the manager to be able to say: I am not comfortable in my skin right now. In this situation, the interim is a fantastic relief for him and the company, because after the replacement for a fixed period, they get a rested, recharged, energetic old-new manager "back".

Speaking of speed. It is striking that, unlike traditional headhunting opportunities, finding and hiring an interim manager can be done in a matter of days.

One of the secrets is the preparedness of the Interim Ltd team: we often know who to contact from the first problem. This is made possible by 20 years of experience and many successful projects. In addition, our up-to-date database of managers, full of active, well-prepared candidates with whom we have already worked and with whom we have positive experience, is a great source of ammunition.

Our professional approach is characterised by the fact that we always want to understand our client's problems first. We first listen to their current situation and then, if necessary to better understand it, we involve our experts who are well-versed in the workings of different industries. We have also had the extreme case of receiving an enquiry from a client on a Friday and having the interim manager in place by Monday. This is only due to our routine, our knowledge and our dedication.

How long is the mandate of the interim manager usually?

Three or six months, maybe a year. One of the beauties of our job is that we don't work to a 'one size fits all': each client is different. This means a typical tailor-made solution, person and time, because now, for example, we have an interim who we contracted for 10 days because we had to find out the real reasons first - the client was our partner in this.

So a senior manager who is running away from burnout is more likely to take an extended leave if he knows he will be replaced by an interim. What are the benefits for the company?

One key word is continuity. Think of an interim as a relay driver who takes over from the temporarily departing manager on the go, without stopping. Then the daily routine is uninterrupted, the company continues to run at full speed and the team of the manager going on leave does not experience the literal headache. What else does the company gain? A workplace culture where awareness, mindfulness and prevention of major problems, even health problems, come naturally. In such an organisation, the manager can tell you when things are not going well, you will be listened to, and thanks to the interim, the situation will be resolved.

What do you think could be done to help the continued use of interim, or transitional, leaders in this country?

I notice that many HR people are not yet aware of the benefits. That is why we at Interim Ltd. offer a free consultation for those interested. I usually suggest to decision-makers in companies: call me, let's meet and talk about it! It's easier for you to access the information you need to strengthen your company's senior management wellbeing environment than, say, going to a conference or browsing the web.

Let us know, contact us at a time when you don't even seem to be experiencing burnout problems in senior management. For 20 years we've known how to prepare for these situations in a way that creates win-win situations for everyone with the help of interim.

 

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