Leading on the big issues: CEOs, mental health and inclusion

In 2019, employers were just starting to grasp the prevalence of the challenges of workplace mental health, and the need to address stigma, as well as its link to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

But then came the global devastation of Covid and the extreme disruption of the lockdowns, working from home, health emergencies and all the other issues that had to be endured.

Suddenly, mental health support was a long way from a ‘nice-to-have’. It was now front and centre as a business imperative.  There cannot be a serious leader today who isn’t aware of the workplace factors that can contribute to poor mental health, as well as heightened urgency around its intersections with diversity and inclusion.

However, as the importance of mental health grows, there is sometimes some confusion as to who was supposed to be heading up the mental health campaign. Was it HR, as it had usually been, to promote mental wellbeing? The answer was yes, but not exclusively.

The CEO was required to step up too.

It might be a prospect that terrifies the average CEO. And with good reason.

The CEO’s burden

Piled high with expectations from every direction, from multiple stakeholders, carrying heavy responsibilities, and navigating increasing complexities, the CEO role can be all-consuming even before something unprecedented like Covid or a war in Ukraine appears out of nowhere.

We are also very hard on CEOs too, expecting the relentless hard work without too much of a break. After all, they do get very well rewarded, don’t they? 

But with such influence, the CEO should be the first one to model good behaviours and champion the wider issues.  If your leader is constantly working, firing off emails at all hours of a day, then the rest of the organization will start to feel those type of stress-inducing behaviours too.

On the other hand, if the CEO that takes their own holidays and encourages others to do the same thing, and insists that emails (theirs include) should not be sent or answered outside of normal working hours, then improvements in mental health across the organization can’t be too far behind.

Three areas of concern and action

Deloitte also recommends other actions for senior leaders to consider for organization-wide mental health.

These can be summarized within three main themes:

1. Making it safe to discuss mental health (and otherwise destigmatizing the issue)
2. Putting the right people in place to oversee the issue
3. Creating systemic and cultural change to support a mentally resilient organization.

With regard to creating a safe space for mental health, as Deloitte puts it ‘if leaders are to combat mental health stigma, the first step is the same they would take against any other form of discrimination: bring it to light, name it, and acknowledge it, to make it safe to talk about. Address the stigma openly, by creating a safe space to raise awareness and literacy around mental health. In other words, normalize it.

“CEOs and others in positions of leadership can start make it ok to talk about mental health by modeling their own vulnerability”, states Christine Kuhl, Partner at Odgers Berndtson Germany.

That starts with simple actions like sharing their own stories of struggle, admitting that they also have very bad days, just like we all do. That shows that no one is alone in struggling with their feelings. That brand of authenticity is powerful indeed.

Enduring cultural change

“Beyond leading the conversation promoting a truly widespread understanding of the importance of mental health, the CEO and senior leaders must create and maintain an enduring and effective culture that really prioritizes and supports mental health. In other words, if those leaders leave, the support for mental health shouldn’t go out the door with them”, says Christiane Pietsch, Partner at Odgers Berndtson Germany.

This starts by examining the benefits and resources already available to employees. Are they both meaningful and appropriate for everyone? 

A successful mental health programme  addresses prevention as well as supporting those who are already struggling.

Deloitte also suggest that ‘CEOs might want to consider creating a new position specifically for this purpose’. A Chief Wellbeing Officer (CWO) would be charged with creating programmes to ‘help educate and destigmatize, urge employees to become literate about holistic and mental health, and design support structures and environments where people feel comfortable reaching out to ask for help.’

As part of this, communication is key, beginning with routine surveys to monitor employee mental health and well-being, and learn whether the offered benefits continue to meet employee needs. Also, by connecting well-being metrics with performance targets, the organization can demonstrate its commitment to responsibility and accountability.

Recently, there has been some support for mandatory wellbeing reporting. However, implementing statutory reporting can often mean that employers simply report on a minimum common standard, rather than report data that is more pertinent to their organizations.

An important link to diversity and inclusion

Finally, leaders can only build a psychologically safe company culture where mental wellbeing is a priority by putting an equivalent ongoing effort into  Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives.

Research certainly confirms that that mental health is a D&I issue.

Employees from diverse backgrounds can face lack of representation, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and other stress forces that negatively impact their mental health and psychological safety at work.

You cannot design a new wellbeing culture without addressing existing those internal and external issues that impact diversity and inclusion.

Continue the discussion with us

If you would like to discuss this subject in more detail, and its application to your corporate strategies or indeed your own personal career trajectory, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.