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Is the Mental Wellbeing of Staff a CEO’s Responsibility? 

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Global Trade Daily, Special Reports

Is the Mental Wellbeing of Staff a CEO’s Responsibility? 

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It’s no secret that mental health issues are on the rise around the world, with one out of every two people in the world developing a mental health disorder in their lifetime. 

As taboos surrounding mental illness break down and the way we live grows ever more digital, it’s expected that the number of cases being reported isn’t going to slow down soon. 

With over 200 centers focused on burnout treatment in the US and many more across the globe, workplace burnout has been added to the list of mental health concerns for global business owners. 

Employers are now being looked to for answers but, as the CEO of a global business, is it your responsibility to look out for the wellbeing of your staff, or should personal lives stay personal?

Is staff mental health a CEO’s responsibility?

In all circumstances, the answer to whether or not a CEO should take responsibility for their staff’s wellbeing is a resounding yes. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’re taking the blame for their mental illness or even confirming that the workplace is a contributing factor. 

What it does mean is that it’s your responsibility to do what you can to ease the impact of such mental health conditions and provide the right support when they’re at work.

Staff expect mental health support

Over 80% of workers said that they consider mental health support important when looking for a job and will actively seek positions where wellbeing is prioritized.

If you’re looking to hire top talent at your company, you need to have their mental health in mind. However, despite demand, work environments are the cause of a huge number of mental health problems and can exacerbate existing illnesses. Discrimination, electronic monitoring, and stress all contribute to poor wellbeing, and it’s up to you, as the CEO, to address these issues. 

Read also: Everything You Need to Know About Tech Recruiting Platforms

The demand for mental health support is set to increase, too, since Gen Z has entered the workforce. This generation ranks company values second only to pay when looking for a job and is more open and accepting of mental illness than any generation preceding them. As CEO, if wellbeing support isn’t fundamental to your workplace culture, your younger team members might be more inclined to vocalize that change is needed!

People are your company’s biggest asset

People are the most crucial resource that your organization has. Without staff, your processes halt leaving your clients unserviced and dissatisfied. 

Employees can make or break an organization, and providing the support they need to feel mentally well will directly affect the success of your business. Aside from the ethical reasons for supporting your staff, the threat of not looking after them should be motivation enough to create a strategy. 

What are the risks of not supporting your staff?

The more people struggling with mental illness, the more likely you are to see staff shortages and absences, along with decreased productivity and engagement. There could also be problems between staff, with increased emotions leading to arguments and team dynamic issues.

In worst-case scenarios, you may lose members of your team. When they realize that going to work puts their mental wellbeing at risk, they’re far likelier to resign without another job lined up. In fact, 1 in 4 employees has left their job due to mental health, showing just how impactful it can be. 

When word about your lack of mental health support gets out through word-of-mouth, you’ll struggle to hire new staff. Talented, experienced individuals simply won’t interview for a company that doesn’t value their health, leaving you with an incomplete team and skill gaps that can’t be filled.

Finally, you’re putting the lives of people at risk. Mental illnesses are complex and if the environment you’ve created is worsening someone’s illness, there can be a permanent impact on the individual’s life.

As CEO, that should be enough for you to take responsibility for your staff’s wellbeing whilst in your workplace.

Create a mental health support strategy

Once you’ve decided to take action on mental illness in your business, start by educating yourself. Understand how to spot the signs of different mental health issues, what they entail for the individual, and how you can help. 

Read also: 3 Steps Companies Can Take To Improve Mental Health In The Workplace

This training should involve your senior leadership team, too, and if possible be company-wide. The more people on board with your wellness strategy, the better results you’ll see from the wider organization.

Let your staff know that you’re available to talk, too. If they do come to you, listen to them and be ready to provide actionable support. This could include:

  • Offer a flexible work plan.
  • Adjust their workload and redistribute elsewhere.
  • Provide access to a qualified list of therapists or mental health treatment centers.
  • Giving them time off work where needed.

Sometimes, simply showing that you understand and won’t discriminate against them if they need to take time to focus on their wellbeing is enough to make a difference. 

It’s also important to lead by example. Show good well-being practices by not working too late, not replying to emails when at home, and being open about any self care practices you do. If you’ve had any experiences with mental illness yourself that you feel comfortable sharing, do so. Being open will make staff more comfortable coming to you and being honest about their own struggles, which is essential if you want to help them.

Final words

As CEO, there’s no doubt that the mental well-being of your staff whilst at work is your responsibility. This article should have shone a light on why it’s so important and given you some tips to start providing support. Just remember to educate yourself, be ready to listen, and always lead by example. 

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Unveiling the Vast Global Gender Gap: A Deeper Dive into Women’s Legal Rights

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A groundbreaking report from the World Bank Group sheds light on the extensive gender gap prevailing in workplaces worldwide, surpassing previous estimations. Women, Business, and the Law report reveals that women, when considering legal disparities in violence protection and childcare access, possess less than two-thirds of the rights afforded to men. This gap exists universally, even in the most prosperous economies.

The latest report introduces new indicators, emphasizing safety from violence and childcare accessibility, crucial factors influencing women’s workforce participation and overall prosperity. When these measures are incorporated, women typically benefit from only 64% of the legal protections granted to men, a significant reduction from the previous estimate of 77%.

Moreover, the report evaluates the disparity between legal reforms and actual outcomes for women across 190 economies, unveiling a shocking implementation gap. Although laws suggest that women have approximately two-thirds of men’s rights, the average country has established less than 40% of the necessary systems for full implementation.

For instance, while 98 economies have laws mandating equal pay for equal work, only 35 have implemented measures to address pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms, exacerbating the gender pay gap. Effective implementation of equal-opportunity laws hinges on robust enforcement mechanisms and essential support systems, including tracking gender-related pay disparities and healthcare services for survivors of violence.

Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, emphasizes the transformative potential of closing the gender gap, which could amplify global GDP by over 20%. However, the pace of reforms has slowed significantly, hindering progress toward gender equality in business and the law.

Despite commendable efforts in instituting equal-opportunity laws, the implementation gap remains substantial, as illustrated by the case of Togo. While Togo has enacted laws granting women approximately 77% of men’s rights, it has only established 27% of the necessary systems for full implementation, reflecting a broader trend in Sub-Saharan economies.

The report highlights the urgent need for reforms, particularly in areas such as women’s safety and access to childcare. The global average score for women’s safety is alarmingly low, indicating inadequate legal protections against violence and harassment. Similarly, childcare laws are lacking, with only a fraction of economies providing financial support or quality standards for childcare services.

Moreover, women face obstacles in entrepreneurship, pay equity, and retirement benefits, perpetuating financial insecurity and inequality. Increasing women’s economic participation is not only a matter of fairness but also economic necessity, as countries cannot afford to sideline half of their population.

As the report emphasizes, accelerating efforts to reform laws and enact policies empowering women is imperative for fostering inclusive economic growth and shaping a more equitable future.

Archives, Global Trade Daily

How AI can Aid the EHS Manager in Identifying Potential Safety Hazards in the Workplace

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Since Artificial Intelligence was invented, how people work and live has changed significantly. While AI effortlessly learns and processes a huge amount of data, it has become an undeniable favorite tool for corporations across the globe. From personal to business uses, the options are endless. In a bid to automate multiple business procedures, identifying safety hazards has become a new addition.

An Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Manager must be present for these processes to occur. As described by ProtexAI in a guide, an EHS manager develops and implements effective safety programs to enhance the well-being of employees in a workplace. From training initiatives to recycling programs, the applications are numerous. They usually work with facility managers, but AI is fast becoming a new application.

To be an aide to the EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety) Manager, AI has to identify, improvise, and mitigate safety risks in the workplace. Apart from the traditional approaches of audits, which can be time-consuming and inaccurate, AI can automate the process better. It works by analyzing data sources effectively to pinpoint patterns and improvement opportunities. This allows the EHS manager to focus on problem areas to establish efficacy-driven measures.

Here are some ways how AI can help EHS managers improve workplace safety:

Identify Patterns in Data

For AI to pick up patterns of equipment behavior, analyzing large data sets from machine sensors is vital. AI can easily highlight a potential safety hazard by using a data-driven approach to identify discrepancies, abnormalities, and disparate patterns. From overheated machines to unusual sounds from internal machinery, nothing is undetectable. In addition, employee feedback on production floors can also be incorporated. Not just limited to machines, slippery floors, poor lighting, and ventilation can also be noted. As long as data can be coordinated and consolidated, AI can use it for EHS managers to take preventive or corrective actions.

Potential Hazard Prediction

Through historical data, AI can swiftly detect consistent or probable recurring patterns. With this additional information, identifying the root causes of accidents is simple. By knowing the reasons behind different incidents, EHS managers can establish preventative measures to stop history from repeating itself. One of the best aspects is predictive modeling. It is a methodology that analyzes data using statistical algorithms to predict future outcomes. AI can instantly predict potential safety risks as long as a wide range of data sources is included, such as weather and machine data.

Empower Safety Training

Employees must be adequately trained and informed of the latest safety procedures to cultivate a safe workplace. AI can help analyze data from employee training programs. Struggling employees can be pulled aside and given a personalized approach to help improve. By addressing their pain points, employee safety awareness can be maximized to reduce the probability of accidents.

Drive Regulatory Compliance

With data, AI can be a potent ally for workplace safety. AI can instantly pinpoint areas lacking regulatory compliance through employee feedback, machine and environmental data. By being aware of areas that lack compliance, EHS managers can develop and implement measures for damage control. In some cases, corrective measures can be executed to ensure each area complies with the state’s regulations.

In Summary

AI is a powerful aid for EHS managers to identify potential safety hazards in the workplace by analyzing a vast range of data sources. Not just to prevent accidents, it is a helpful ally in ensuring the corporation is compliant with the state’s regulations to avoid legal implications. Despite AI’s many uses, it is not a direct replacement for human judgments but a tool for providing actionable insights to help EHS managers make informed decisions.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily

Is Your ‘Inner Critic’ Undermining Your Career? 5 Ways To Boost Your Confidence.

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The workplace, like the playing field in sports, is packed with competition — often against oneself. It demands being at your best, reaching and exceeding goals, working hard to master all aspects of a position, and proving you’re capable of taking on more.

Someone might have all the requisite skills to succeed, but they also might become their own biggest obstacle when self-criticism gets in the way, corporate observers say. Confidence becomes a problem when difficult experiences at work, such as making mistakes or being passed over for an opportunity, cause us to question ourselves and create negative thoughts.

To produce positive thoughts and smooth the path toward success, one needs to create a mindset based on processes that are purposeful, says Grant Parr (www.gameperformance.com), a mental sports performance coach and author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown.

“The mind can get lonely and focus on negative things,” says Parr. “We risk giving our attention to thoughts that can eat away at us, destroy our confidence, and take us out of our rhythm.

“We begin to listen to a cartoon version of the devil who sits on one shoulder and whispers in our ear. So we need to develop ways to listen to that other voice within us, that angel on the opposite shoulder, to quiet the inner critic.”

Parr suggests a five-step process to develop a more positive mindset and boost your confidence in the workplace:

Focus on winning in the present. Dwelling on past mistakes or worrying about what comes next can create self-doubt. Staying present is key and requires resiliency, which leans on past training and the skills that led to achievements. Parr likens a resilient worker with athletes such as a placekicker, who shakes off a missed field goal and comes back to make the game-winner. “The workplace setting doesn’t wait for you to get over things,” Parr says. “And rather than fearing making more mistakes, you must ask yourself, ‘What’s important now?’ To be the best you can be in the current moment, you have to focus all of your energy on the present and embrace it.”

Breathe to relax and refocus. “Refocusing always starts with your breath,” Parr says. “It casts out distractions and allows you to be yourself. Focusing on your breathing reminds you that this is something you can control, and in turn you can control your thoughts. Ultimately, you’re training your subconscious mind how to use breath to settle you.”

Meditate. “Meditation builds off your controlled, sustained breathing,” Parr says, “and it becomes a practice to develop clarity and create a calm space in the mind. Meditation brings control and harnesses much of the untapped power of the mind. It aligns your mind, body, and spirit.”

Visualize. To reach peak performance, Parr says, people must be able to see themselves performing well. “The more precisely you can see yourself in action, the more you are able to adjust and control that image, change its details, and guide its outcome,” Parr says. “Visualization also entails tapping into an emotion, feeling the confidence of the moment that you see yourself making happen.”

Engage in self-talk. “Learn to become your own best motivator,” Parr says. “You can do this through the power of positive language directed at the self. We want to develop a language that creates purposeful optimism. Find specific language that can give voice to your feelings and enhance your internal drive.”

“Training the mind to generate confidence, qualm fear and spark joy empowers someone to be better than their negative side thought they could be,” Parr says.

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Grant Parr (www.gameperformance.com) is a mental sports performance coach and the author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown. Parr owns and runs GAMEFACE PERFORMANCE, a consulting firm that enhances mental skills for athletes and coaches. A recruiter and sales leader in the corporate world for 17 years, he now works with a wide variety of athletes including Olympians, professionals, collegians and high school athletes. His podcast, 90% Mental, provides a window into a broad range of athletes’ and coaches’ mental games and shares their insights around mental performance.

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So You’re Not The Boss? Here’s How You Can Still Be A Leader.

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Are leaders born or are they developed? It’s a subject that’s long been debated.

And in the workplace, can an employee who holds no supervisory job title be an effective leader — before being entrusted with managing people? 

Grant Parr, a mental sports performance coach, says yes — and adds that it’s almost mandatory if someone hopes to be ready as a leader when promoted to a bigger role in an organization.

“Leadership is a choice,” says Parr (www.gameperformance.com), author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown. “It’s not a title, position, or rank. You don’t have to be a department head, manager or CEO to be a leader.”

“Leadership is a group of characteristics, and you can acquire them even if you’re not the boss. You’ll never be a leader when you assume that prime time role unless you have developed the qualities of leadership as part of your preparation for the next big step.”

Parr offers five ways to become a leader at a company without holding a leadership-type position:

Listen to others’ ideas. “Leadership is about others, not about the self, and it starts with listening,” Parr says. “Being a leader isn’t putting yourself above others, interrupting them, or acting like your ideas are more important than anyone else’s. True leadership brings out the best in others and your culture, and you do that by making them feel valued and giving them a voice.”

Be accountable for mistakes. “Own your errors,” Parr says. “It sets an example of accountability that is good for the culture. Too many people, when told of a mistake, assign blame and make excuses. A leader corrects constructively and surveys for solutions. As a subordinate, staying positive and offering ways to fix your mistake, and showing the humility of asking for help, is a path toward being a leader people can trust.”

Learn flexibility. “This applies in so many ways,” Parr says. “If you’re stuck on doing something one certain way, you’re headed toward being a micromanager who few would like and fewer would want to work under. Leadership is about tapping into your broad base of workplace talent, expanding knowledge, improving systems and raising the ceiling.”

Interact and network. Networking isn’t only about finding jobs, it’s about connecting with people in a way that enhances important relationships and the work environment. “As you learn to interact with different types in the workplace,” Parr says, “you’ll learn which relationships are most effective, how to help those people with their career, and show your ability to direct and lead.” 

Develop a thick skin. To become a leader, Parr says it’s vital to rise above annoyances and petty slights from others and let them roll off your back. “HR isn’t the principal’s office,” he says, “and if you vent every time about someone doing something irritating, you’ll get the reputation of being a whiner. Don’t complain behind closed doors, gossip, or criticize people behind their backs. No one who does those things can be viewed as a leader.”

“People want to be led,” Parr says. “But they don’t want to be bossed around. Great leaders can learn this as underlings on their way to a management position. Then when they get there, they’re ahead of the game — and everyone’s in step with them.”

Grant Parr (www.gameperformance.com) is a mental sports performance coach and the author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown. Parr owns and runs GAMEFACE PERFORMANCE, a consulting firm that enhances mental skills for athletes and coaches. A recruiter and sales leader in the corporate world for 17 years, he now works with a wide variety of athletes including Olympians, professionals, collegians and high school athletes. His podcast, 90% Mental, provides a window into a broad range of athletes’ and coaches’ mental games and shares their insights around mental performance.