The role of corporate leaders in promoting mental health forms the crux of a research exercise titled ‘All in the Mind: The Leadership Factor 2022’ commissioned by Gi Group Holding, India.
Seeking the views of leaders and employees, the paper spells out how to adopt a leadership style that promotes mental health.
More than 1000 employees and 504 reporting heads/managers participated in the survey.
Psychological safety
The top workplace psychological safety factors that leaders need to build on are:
1. Accountability: 70% of the employees and 54% of the leaders believe leaders who take accountability for the well-being of the team would ensure an atmosphere that organically promotes mental health.
2. Delegation: 65% employees and 55% leaders agree apportioning work by matching tasks with skill-sets will spare employees undue stress. Horses bred and trained for jump racing will obviously cut a sorry figure in harness racing.
3. Responsibility: 61% employees and 52% leaders vote for this factor. Assuming responsibility for outcomes is hallmark of efficient leadership . When employees can count on their leaders to do that, they would be less anxious, especially when they are trying out an innovation in their work
Leadership traits
The study notes that inherent traits of leaders and how they show up in the workplace have mental-health implications for employees.
1. Leaders who are communicative/ responsive, supportive, confident, and demanding are seen to positively impact mental health.
2.Leaders who are rigid, anxious, aggressive or impatient are perceived to impact employee mental health adversely.
Gender factor
Employees place male and female leaders nearly on a par with each other on a range of traits, which include empathy, decisiveness, confidence and honesty. However, they rated female leaders higher on two counts
1. Being approachable (51% versus 21%)
2. Being supportive (46% versus 27%).
Sector watch
The study undertook a sector-wise analysis of the popularity of organisational support through leadership training.
1. Automobile sector (34%)
2. FMCG (33% )
3. E-Commerce (29% )
Wellness budgets
Sectors that loosen their purse strings remarkably to promote mental health are:
IT/ITeS (33% )
Consumer durables (29% )
Policy support
Sectors that lead in translating mental health concerns into inviolable policies are: The IT & ITeS sector leads policy support along with the health & pharmaceuticals sector (both 18%)
