Leading from the top

Leaders are critical for mentally healthy workplaces

Creating a healthy workplace should be a key priority for every organisation, which includes mental and physical health and safety. It is a priority that must be led from the top. 

Sustainable improvement in mental health requires top management—executives and decision makers—to develop effective organisational systems and strategies that influence every aspect of the workplace. 

Executives and decision makers shape an organisation's culture, working conditions, management practices and overall experiences of workers. 

How leaders can support mentally healthy workplaces

Executives and decision makers can follow a 3-step process to address the factors that affect mental health that are somewhat within their sphere of influence and control:

1. Recognise your influence on organisational culture and promote positive mental health

• Know your legal obligations to create a psychologically safe workplace and mitigate psychosocial hazards.
• Be aware of the operating environment, through continual measurement and analysis.
• Recognise the forces that drive change, affect the organisation and individuals, and shape strategic decisions so you know where to invest time, effort and attention.

2. Consider your actions, habits and approaches. 

• Use your influence to create mentally healthy workplaces—e.g. ask for feedback and take steps to change.
• Explore ways to learn, build and incorporate core capacity to meet your legal obligations.

3. Act to lead effectively. 

• Make visible, actioned and long-term commitments to a mentally healthy workplace strategy.
• Show your commitment to mentally healthy workplace and act as a positive role model. 
• Set clear cultural standards and have a holistic definition for wellbeing. 
• Consult and communicate extensively and often.
• Commit resources to measuring mental health, which may include indicators of worker satisfaction.
• Promote the positive aspects of work. 

Mental health pressures affecting executives, decision-makers and owners

Being an executive, decision maker or business owner can have many benefits—autonomy to make decisions and set values, vision and direction, access to education, training and other additional supports (e.g. coaches) and, in most cases, financial remuneration. 

However, people in these roles also face unique challenges:

• Responding to unprecedented events – e.g. having to rapidly pivot operations, anticipate customer expectations, navigate public scrutiny and protect organisational health, safety and reputation
• High workloads, demands and levels of responsibility – e.g. attending frequent and consecutive meetings, steering the performance and professional development of others, navigating organisational bureaucracy and dealing with conflict
• Responsibility to support others – e.g. complying with legislative and ethical requirements to prevent harm and protect others
• Public scrutiny – e.g. experiencing critical examination of successes, missteps and mistakes, including personal or family-related matters
• Decision fatigue – e.g. having to produce more with less in resource-constrained environments
• Moral injury – e.g. having objectives, expectations and responsibilities that are incompatible with personal values
• Burnout – e.g. experiencing psychological exhaustion from high work demands, responsibilities to support others, public scrutiny and decision fatigue
• Loneliness – e.g. finding it difficult to connect with people and be part of a group. 

How executives and decision makers can support their own mental health

Executives and decision makers can support their own mental health by:

• Managing decision fatigue – e.g. prioritise decisions, make important decisions early in the day, create a decision making process, delegate low-priority decisions, ask for advice
• Managing moral injury – e.g. discuss moral and ethical dilemmas with trusted colleagues or peers, share concerns with the board, engage independent supports
• Avoiding burnout – e.g. delegate tasks, schedule time for yourself, set and maintain work–life boundaries, take leave
• Addressing loneliness – e.g. seek ideas and opinions from others, deliberately interact with others, engage with peers
• Prioritising a healthy lifestyle – e.g. healthy food, regular exercise, good sleep, enjoyable activities
• Seeking professional support or advice – e.g. coaching, counselling, psychological therapy.

Executives and decision makers need to 'practise what they preach', 'lead by example' and 'walk the talk' in their day-to-day behaviours and actions. 

How the workplace ecosystem can support executives and decision makers

The mental health of executives and decision makers is influenced by a range of actors within the workplace ecosystem:

Broader regulatory environment – This is the regulatory framework an organisation operates within. Peak or industry bodies, government departments, regulatory bodies and others in the regulatory environment can support the mental health of executives and decision makers by:

• promoting and referring people to industry-specific resources
• advising on and fostering best practice standards and guidelines, innovative strategies, initiatives and peer networks
• normalising conversations about mental health.

Authorising environment – This is the governance framework an organisation operates within. Boards, governing bodies, shareholders and others that affect an organisation’s authorising environment can support executives and decision makers by:

• providing appropriate governance – e.g. reporting structure, financial framework
• planning for succession – e.g. co-designing roles that suit the individual and the organisation
• promoting a positive board culture – e.g. ongoing team building, routine training
• equipping individuals to navigate public scrutiny – e.g. providing media training and developing crisis management skills, access to communications expertise.

Operating environment – This is the environment in which executives and decision makers lead the organisation. People in executive teams can support their own and one another’s mental health by:

• shaping roles to protect mental health – e.g. roles with variety, responsibility and autonomy
• designing executive teams to promote mental health – e.g. consider factors such as team size, structure, skill mix
• tailoring induction processes – e.g. training on managing challenges, mentors, peer support
• enabling flexible working arrangements – e.g. changing hours, pattern or location of work
• investing in relevant resources, supports and training – e.g. Employee Assistance Programs, mentoring, coaching, peer support.