A recent survey of 2,100 C-suite leaders by Deloitte in partnership with Workplace Intelligence has found that nearly 70% of the C-suite are seriously contemplating quitting their job for one that better supports their well-being.
The report, The C-suite’s role in well-being: How health-savvy executives can go beyond workplace wellness to workplace well-being – for themselves and their people, explores the C-suite role in organisational well-being and how a negative state of mental health affects employees and executives alike.
The findings revealed that more than three-quarters of executives from the US, UK, Canada and Australia said that the pandemic had negatively affected their well-being. 41% of the C-suite reported feeling stressed with a similar amount feeling overwhelmed. Executives and employees alike also reported that their health was suffering as they were feeling exhausted (36%), lonely (24%), and depressed (23%).
However, there is a disconnect between what employees are feeling versus C-suite perceptions. More than 8 in 10 executives believe that their people are thriving in all aspects of their well-being. Yet, for employees, less than half of those surveyed believed that their executives understood how difficult the pandemic has been for them versus 9 in 10 executives who say they do recognise how challenging it has been. The most concerning finding however was that only 56% of employees think their executives care about their well-being compared to 91% of the C-suite who believed their employees feel their leaders care about them.
Well-being is high on both the C-suite and employee agenda for the coming year with most respondents stating they have well-being goals and that improving well-being is a top priority for them this year, more so than progressing their career. Despite this, three-quarters of respondents felt as though they were facing obstacles when it came to achieving their well-being goals namely a heavy workload, stressful jobs, or long working hours.
Although there may be obstacles to overcome, leaders who are health-savvy can have a significant impact on the culture of their organisation, but they need to do more. Executives that openly embrace the importance of well-being, prioritise their own, and are aware of and empathetic to their workforce’s level of resources and access and are transparent will resonate with their teams, and help them become ambassadors or a better tomorrow.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
