How to ensure people feel supported, valued, and safe: Strategy #1.4 – Provide the necessary resources.

We have previously published a series of people leadership strategies around the themes of people feeling supported, valued and safe; creating a ‘team environment’; supporting learning and growth; empowering staff and building autonomy; ensuring clarity of roles and expectations; and creating meaning and purpose.

Practical Ideas Guides

We are now going to explore the actionable steps that you can take to enable the suggested strategies and actions. This is one in a series of 31 posts providing specific descriptions of the actions in practice. (There is one practical idea guide for each people leadership strategy)

So, this post focuses on the theme of helping people feel supported, valued, and safe. In a previous post we have talked through 6 overarching strategies to support people feel supported, valued, and safe:

1.1 Communicate openly and authentically

1.2 Provide direct help and support.

1.3 Actively encourage appropriate behaviours

1.4 Provide the necessary resources.

1.5 Share information regularly

1.6 Show appreciation and recognition

In this post we take a deep dive into the specific strategy of:

1.4 Provide the necessary resources.

It is very difficult for people to perform at their best if they don’t have the necessary resources (tools, systems, authority, physical work environment) so leaders have a role, within organisational constraints, to make such resources available. So, here are some of the actions that can be taken to put this leadership strategy into practice.

1. Take time to understand what resources are required for people to do their jobs.

People are more likely to feel confident, effective, and engaged when they have the resources they need to do their job well. As a manager, supporting performance is not just about setting expectations for delivery, it is also about making sure the conditions for delivery are in place. Your role is to actively understand what your team needs to succeed, and address gaps early.

1. Don’t just plan the work – plan what the work requires

When developing work plans or setting priorities, don’t only ask:

“What needs to be delivered?”

Also ask:

“What will people need in order to deliver it well?”

This shifts planning from outputs alone to the conditions required for success.

2. Think broadly about ‘resources’ and capability

Capability is more than skills. Consider whether people have the right:

Knowledge and expertise
Systems and technology
Tools and equipment
Processes and decision-making support
Time and capacity
Access to information or key stakeholders

Gaps in any of these can undermine delivery

3. Review major pieces of work through a capability lens

For each significant project, service, activity or priority, ask:

Do we have the capability to deliver this well?
Where are the risks or gaps?
What support or investment might be needed?

This helps identify issues before they become performance problems.

4. Be prepared to re-negotiate commitments

Sometimes the issue is not capability gaps to fix – it is expectations that are too ambitious. Where needed, be willing to ask:

“Are we overcommitted relative to what we can realistically deliver?”

Strong management sometimes means adjusting scope, sequencing work differently, or re-negotiating deadlines. Protecting credibility is better than overpromising.

5. Keep checking whether conditions for success are still in place

Needs change over time. Regularly ask your team:

What’s helping you do your work well?
What’s making delivery harder than it should be?
What do you need that you don’t currently have?

These conversations often surface issues you may not otherwise see.

When you take time to understand and address what people need to do their work well, you do more than support delivery – you create the conditions for confidence, ownership, and sustainable performance.

2. Ask people where they don’t feel they have the necessary resources to do their job.

People don’t always tell you when something is making their work harder. They often work around poor systems, missing tools, unclear processes, or unrealistic expectations without raising it – until performance suffers or frustration builds. As a manager, your role is not just to provide support when problems are raised, but to actively ask where barriers or gaps may be affecting people’s ability to perform.

1. Don’t assume silence means everything is fine

If people are coping, they may not be speaking up. Make it normal to ask:

What is making your work harder than it needs to be?
Where are systems, tools or processes slowing you down?
Is there anything you need that you currently don’t have?

These questions often surface issues that would otherwise stay hidden.

2. Ask about barriers, not just performance

In one-on-ones, don’t only ask about progress on work, also ask about what may be interfering with good performance.

For example:

“What’s getting in the way right now?”
“Where are you having to work around limitations?”
“What would make this easier to deliver well?”

This shifts the conversation from judging performance to improving conditions for performance.

3. Make these conversations routine, not reactive

Don’t wait for frustration or underperformance to trigger the discussion. Build these questions into:

Regular one-on-ones
Quarterly check-ins
Team planning discussions
Team meetings or improvement conversations

When this becomes routine, people are more likely to raise issues early.

4. Treat raising resource gaps as useful information

If someone tells you something isn’t working, don’t treat it as complaining, treat it as valuable operational insight. Your role is to explore:

Can the issue be fixed?
Can you advocate for support?
Can the work be redesigned to reduce the impact?

This signals you take barriers seriously.

5. Where you can’t fix the gap, talk honestly about trade-offs

Sometimes additional resources aren’t available. When that happens, don’t leave expectations unchanged. Instead discuss:

What priorities may need adjusting
What can be deferred, reduced, or sequenced differently
What “good enough” looks like under the constraints

A useful question is:

“Given the resources we have, what is realistic to deliver well?”

This creates alignment between expectations and reality.

6. Follow through when issues are raised

Asking only builds trust if people see action follow. If someone raises a barrier:

Respond to it
Update them on what you’re doing
Be honest if progress is slow
Close the loop, even if the answer is no

Following through matters as much as asking.

When you regularly ask what’s getting in the way – and act on what you hear – you help remove interference, strengthen trust, and create better conditions for people to do their best work.

3. Identify little things that can make a difference e.g. extra filing cabinets, upgrading printers.

Support is not only shown through major investments or big resource decisions. Often, the small practical improvements you make – especially the ones people weren’t expecting – can have an outsized impact on how supported people feel. As a manager, your role is to notice and act on the small things that make work easier, better, or more sustainable.

1. Don’t wait for big resource wins to improve people’s experience

Even when major resources are constrained, there are often smaller improvements within your control. Look for practical changes that could improve:

Efficiency
Comfort
Friction in day-to-day work
The overall work environment

Small improvements often matter more than managers realise.

2. Pay attention to everyday friction

Look for the minor irritations people have learned to work around. Notice things like:

Clunky systems or outdated tools
Gaps in equipment
Poor meeting spaces
Small technology frustrations
Home office limitations
Processes that create unnecessary effort

Ask yourself:

“What small obstacle is making good work harder than it needs to be?”

Removing friction is often a form of support.

3. Listen for what people don’t explicitly ask for

People often won’t raise smaller needs because they assume they’re too minor to mention. Be deliberate about listening for clues. In one-on-ones, ask:

Is there any small improvement that would make your work easier?
Is there anything frustrating you’ve just learned to put up with?
Is there a tool, system or physical environment improvement that would help?

Sometimes the best improvements come from simple questions.

4. Look for opportunities to surprise people positively

Don’t rely only on people requesting improvements. Sometimes notice something and act on it. For example:

Replacing outdated equipment
Improving a shared workspace
Adding a practical tool or resource
Providing short-term resource support during a busy period

Unexpected practical support can have a strong signalling effect:

“My manager notices what would help and acts on it.”

That matters.

5. Create some capacity to act when opportunities arise

Where possible:

Set aside a modest budget for small improvements
Keep some flexibility to respond to practical needs
Review periodically where low-cost changes could help

Sometimes small discretionary support creates outsized benefit.

6. Make noticing and improving a habit

You might periodically set yourself a simple discipline:

For one week, pay close attention to small things that may be making work harder – and identify one or two improvements to act on.

Done consistently, this builds a stronger culture of support. When you look for small improvements that make a difference, you show support in a way people can feel in their everyday work.

4. Ensure the physical work environment is safe, functional and supports productivity and wellbeing.

A safe and functional work environment is not optional – it’s a core responsibility.
How you manage the physical environment sends a clear signal about what you value and what people can expect at work. As a manager, your role is to make sure the space is not only safe, but actually supports how your team needs to work.

1. Treat safety as a visible priority

Don’t assume safety is “handled elsewhere.” Make it clear through your actions that it matters:

Address hazards promptly
Follow through on issues raised
Reinforce safe behaviours

People notice quickly whether safety is taken seriously or treated as a formality.

2. Don’t rely on assumptions – get a proper view of the risks

Even in office-based environments, risks exist. Take practical steps to understand them:

Arrange a safety review or audit (internal or external)
Include ergonomic considerations (desk setup, seating, screen use)
Look at both immediate risks and longer-term impacts

This helps you move from assumption to informed action.

3. Act on issues – don’t just identify them

A review only builds trust if people see change. After identifying issues:

Prioritise what needs to be fixed
Communicate what you’re doing
Follow through and close the loop

Unresolved safety issues quickly undermine credibility.

4. Keep safety and functionality front of mind

Don’t treat safety as a once-a-year activity. Build it into regular team rhythm:

Raise it in team meetings
Check in on any new risks or concerns
Encourage people to speak up early

Consistency matters more than formality.

5. Align the environment with the team’s priorities

The physical setup should reflect how you expect people to work. If your team needs:

Collaboration → provide accessible shared spaces
Focus → ensure quiet areas or options for uninterrupted work
Flexibility → enable hybrid or adaptable setups

A mismatch between environment and expectations creates friction.

6. Involve the team in improving the environment

Your team experiences the space every day – they will see things you don’t. Ask:

“What in our environment helps you do your best work?”
“What gets in the way?”
“What small changes would make a difference?”

This builds both better solutions and shared ownership. When you actively manage the physical environment, you’re not just reducing risk – you’re creating the conditions for people to work well, feel supported, and stay engaged.

5. Allow people to personalise their workspace and/or for the team to spruce up the workplace

The physical environment shapes how people feel at work more than managers sometimes realise. When people have some ability to shape their workspace, it can increase comfort, autonomy, and a sense of belonging. As a manager, your role is not just to manage the work, but to help create an environment where people feel at ease, respected, and able to bring some of themselves to work.

1. Allow personalisation within clear boundaries

Where appropriate, encourage people to make their space their own. This might include:

Personal photos or meaningful items
Books or professional interests
Objects linked to hobbies or identity
Playful or creative touches

The goal isn’t decoration for its own sake – it’s giving people some control over the space they spend time in. Set simple boundaries so the environment remains inclusive, functional, and professional.

2. Model permission by going first

Sometimes people won’t personalise their space unless they feel it is genuinely welcome. You can help by signalling permission explicitly. For example:

Personalise your own workspace in a modest way
Raise the idea positively in a team meeting
Invite ideas for making the space more welcoming

Sometimes leadership is simply making it feel safe to do something.

3. Look beyond individual workspaces – build shared ownership of the team space

Think beyond personal workstations. Invite the team to help improve shared spaces such as:

Team areas
Meeting rooms
Common spaces
Virtual team spaces (if hybrid or remote)

Ask:

“Are there small ways we could make this a better place to work together?”

This can build shared ownership, not just individual comfort.

4. Use the environment to support connection

Personalisation can do more than improve comfort – it can create connection. Personal items often become natural conversation starters and help colleagues know each other beyond roles. This can strengthen:

Rapport
Trust
Team cohesion

Sometimes small humanising touches help relationships form more easily.

5. Allow some fun and playfulness

Not everything in the workplace has to be purely functional. Appropriate creativity or playfulness can:

Lift energy
Reduce formality
Make the environment feel more welcoming

Used thoughtfully, this can be a sign of psychological safety, not a distraction from performance. When you support people to shape their workspace and contribute to the environment around them, you help create a team space people feel connected to – not just a place they work in.

6. Be mindful of workload. Consider mutually beneficial opportunities for flexible work practices to maintain a balance between organisational deliverables and individual wellbeing.

Workload isn’t just about how much work is assigned – it’s about whether people have the time and conditions to do it well. As a manager, being “mindful of workload” means actively noticing pressure, having honest conversations, and making deliberate choices to protect both delivery and wellbeing.

1. Don’t wait for burnout signals – look for early signs

People often push through before raising workload issues. Pay attention to indicators like:

Regular late nights or early starts
Emails sent well outside normal hours
Rushed or declining quality of work
Reduced engagement or visible stress

Ask yourself:

“Is this sustainable, or are they just coping for now?”

2. Make workload a normal conversation

Don’t wait for people to raise it – bring it up regularly. In one-on-ones, ask:

“How manageable does your workload feel right now?”
“What’s taking more time than it should?”
“Where are you feeling stretched?”

This signals that workload is something you actively manage, not something people just endure.

3. Use flexibility to create better conditions for work

Where flexibility is appropriate, use it deliberately – not just as a perk.

For example:

Working from home for focused, uninterrupted work
Adjusted hours to align with energy levels or personal commitments
Structuring days to reduce unnecessary interruptions

This is especially valuable for deep work that requires concentration.

4. Be explicit about the purpose of flexibility

Frame flexible arrangements as supporting both outcomes and wellbeing.

For example:

“Let’s use this to give you uninterrupted time to get through X.”

This reinforces that flexibility is about enabling better work – not avoiding it.

5. Watch for trade-offs and keep them visible

Flexible work can create benefits, but also trade-offs:

Reduced availability for collaboration
Potential gaps in team coverage
Risk of work spilling into personal time

Discuss these openly and adjust as needed.

6. Revisit and adjust regularly

Workload and personal circumstances change.

Check in regularly on:

What’s working
What’s not
Whether adjustments are still helping

Treat workload management as ongoing, not a one-off fix. When you actively manage workload and use flexibility well, you protect both performance and people – rather than trading one off against the other.

What Next?

Having read this practical guidance, some questions you may want to ask yourself might be:

Are there one or two ideas emerging for me that I might want to put into practice?
What is the smallest thing I could do that might have a positive impact?
How will I hold myself accountable for following through on my actions?

Good luck!