Recently Deloitte and independent research firm Workplace Intelligence partnered to survey 2,100 employees and C-level executive across four countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

The results in the report “The C-suite’s role in well-being” are damning.

Nearly, 70% of the C-suite are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being.

Both the employees and the C-suite are struggling to prioritise their well-being – and for most people, work is to blame.

The great divide

This is where it really gets frightening. The fact is that the C-suite, despite struggling themselves, are significantly over-estimating how well their employees are doing and how supported they feel by their leaders.

More than 8 out of 10 global executives believe their people are thriving in all aspects of their well-being.

Only 47% of workers believe their executives understand how difficult the pandemic has been for them, yet 90% of the C-suite say they do recognise how challenging it has been.

While only 53% of employees feel that their executives have been making the best decisions for their well-being during the pandemic, 88% of the C-suite believe their decision-making has been exemplary.

While 56% of employees think their executives care about their well-being. 91% of the C-suite believe that their employees feel that their leaders care about them!

This is a formidable gap.

The opportunity

Now, whilst my instinct is to launch into a dialogue about how the C-suite could be so out of touch and the damage caused not only to employees but the organisation, I thought I would position this as a tremendous opportunity. It will be the forward-looking organisations, executives and leaders that embrace this opportunity for the long-term success of the organisation whilst prioritisation their own well-being and that of the entire organisation.

If no action is taken and the 70% of the C-suite considering quitting do so, and the 57% of employees who also said they may soon quit for a more supportive job did so, the organisation is on a rapid downward trajectory to insignificance.

I don’t have to remind you, my reader, that employees are now demanding more from their employer than ever before, and they are seeking employers who have employee well-being as a core tenet of the employee value proposition.

Employers can no longer just talk the talk. They must walk the talk and demonstrate that they are taking deliberate action improve and maintain the well-being of every employee wherever they may reside in the organisation.

In this together

The research clearly shows that it is both the general workforce and the C-suite whose well-being is suffering due to work. Mental well-being does not discriminate based on your position in the company.

This is an organisational issue and must be addressed on that basis. When an executive’s well-being is suffering, their ability to effectively lead, and make good decisions is impacted. They are certainly not going to inspire, motivate, and rally the troops out of a pandemic slump and into a better future.

When an executive has negatively impacted well-being, employees suffer as a result. Executives in the research, as well as employees, stated that they are finding it difficult to prioritise their health. How can they then be expected to prioritise the health of someone else?

When employee’s well-being is compromised, they are disengaged, unmotivated and unproductive. This has an impact on executives trying to meet deadlines and demand.

The cycle must be broken. We must stop talking about employee well-being and executive well-being. We must talk about organisational health and well-being. We cannot tackle one without the other.

This means that everyone needs to start talking. We need transparency across the organisation. We need everyone to feel safe to talk about how they feel. There can be no place for silos, divisions, or demarcations.

A healthy organisation will only be such when all its parts are in good working order.

Stigma and psychological safety

If we are to have an organisational-wide conversation about well-being we must remove the stigma of mental-health in the workplace. No-one must feel that they will be thought less of if they are suffering with their mental well-being. Leaders must not feel that it diminishes their status as a leader. Rather they should realise that being open, honest, authentic, and transparent raises their standing with other due to being courageous and prepared to be vulnerable.

Everyone must use positive reinforcement to reinforce the conversations and behaviours we wish to see more of. We must recognise those who are prepared to share how they feel and have open and honest discussions. We need to call out behaviours we do not want to see. There must be zero-tolerance for those who continue to mistreat, bully, or abuse others who have indicated they are struggling with their mental well-being.

Everyone must work to create an environment of psychological safety. Whilst leaders may be tasked with driving this change in culture, building, maintaining, and sustaining it, must be everyone’s business. Psychological safety means that everyone feels safe to speak their mind, challenge, question, but also ask for help with fear of reprisal or reprimand. Everyone must feel safe to say, “I need help.”

We will remove the stigma and make it safe for others to speak up when we have a continuing conversation about well-being. It may take the brave and courageous to make the first move and step outside of their comfort zone, but they will be making the workplace better for all as a result.

Support

The research revealed that many executives are not acting on mental health in the workplace with 20% saying it was because they felt overwhelmed and did not know where to start and18% said they did not feel qualified to take ownership in these areas

Every organisation must invest in a training and development program focused on matters of well-being. Whilst the research report discusses the need for executive training and support, I believe that training and support should be provided across the entire organisation. The program may be different for cohorts within the organisation, but it is not something limited to the upper echelons of the company.

The starting point is that everyone must know that they are not expected to be a psychologist, psychiatrist, or other medical practitioner to look after the well-being of employees. They just need to know the signs to look for, the initial action to take, and how to find the right support for the other person.

Training and development programs for well-being are just that – programs. They are not a one-off event but a program that continues to evolve as the world around us does just the same.

Holistic and contextual

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to providing the right resource and support to everyone in the organisation.

If you have got to this point in this newsletter and are reflecting on how well your organisation is doing because it has invested in mental-health first aiders, and mindfulness sessions, and gratitude apps, pinch yourself now.

They are point solutions and are not going to cut it. No-one will reach out to use those resources if there is still a stigma in the workplace. They need to be part of a holistic platform that creates the right culture and environment for well-being to thrive across the organisation.

There need to be resources and support mechanisms that meet the needs of every employee. Not everyone enjoys meditation!

The resources available must also be contextual and address the situation an employee finds themselves. I often use the example of being faced with solving a complex problem and on a deadline to do so. Struggling to find a solution, I am stressed, anxious, and fatigued. The support and resources I need include problem-solving skills, collaboration, and self-efficacy. Friday’s yoga lesson is not going to help. You cannot yoga your way out of burnout. Period.

Summary

This cannot be an us and them conversation. This must be a “we are all in this together” conversation. We need honesty, transparency, and trust if we are to really address the issue of well-being in the workplace.