Leadership is a critical factor in the success of corporate well-being programs. When leaders champion well-being, employees feel empowered to prioritize their own well-being. The benefits are many: reduced population health risks, more work/life balance, increased employee engagement and better business outcomes. Let’s explore how leadership commitment can strengthen workplace well-being.
Why it’s important for employees to hear from leaders about workplace well-being.
Many workplaces say employee well-being is an organizational value but often fail to support it in practice. What tends to be missing is visible leadership commitment. If leaders do not openly discuss, support, and practice well-being, it’s clear that the commitment to well-being is merely lip service. Harsh, I know, but it’s true.
When leaders make it a priority to discuss the importance of well-being at every employee forum and actively practice healthy behaviors in their lives, it’s a game-changer. Managers feel empowered to prioritize their own well-being and more comfortable urging their team members to engage in healthy behaviors. Essentially, there is a “leadership cascade effect” that amplifies the message and signals to everyone that well-being is core to the organization.
How leadership support can strengthen a culture of well-being.
Here are seven ways leadership involvement can be the driving force to help strengthen a culture of well-being at work.
1. Leadership can increase the psychological safety of well-being—particularly for mental health.
Psychological safety is a critical component of high-performing teams. And it’s something that can also be applied to well-being. When leaders are open, honest and vulnerable about their well-being, employees are more likely to feel psychologically safe to engage in healthy behaviors of their own. This is particularly important when it comes to mental health. When leaders share personal connections to emotional and mental health, they help to normalize and reduce the stigma of mental health at work.
Unfortunately, in a study by Mind Share Partners, less than 40% of workers saw their leaders as advocates for mental health. The study also found workers’ comfort talking about mental health at work has declined, with just 19% feeling comfortable talking to senior leaders versus 37% in 2019.
On a personal note, in December, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I was scared, depressed and vulnerable, but I decided to be open about my health situation. As a senior leader at WebMD Health Services, I wanted our employees to know we have a culture where we should feel comfortable talking about our mental and physical health and that we will support them with any health challenge.
2. Leadership empathy is a critical skill and an important ingredient for employee well-being.
As Harvard Business Review writes, “empathy is the ability to show compassion for another person without personally relating to them through firsthand experience. For a manager, it means you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand where they’re coming from, share that you understand, and thoughtfully respond to their feelings, thoughts, and circumstances.”1 In the absence of empathetic leadership, a toxic workplace, low morale, high turnover2 and burnout can result.3
3. Organizational care demonstrated by leadership has a profound impact on the employee experience.
In a recent study, WebMD Health Service’s Center for Research examined the concept of organizational care. The study broke respondents into two categories: those with a strong perception of their organization caring about them, and those without a strong perception of care. We then compared how each group rated six key experiences in their organization, ranging from leadership valuing employee input, to manager support, to psychological safety and belonging.
The magnitude of difference between the experience of those who felt cared for was enormous. Employees with a strong sense of organizational care rated the six key experiences up to 91% higher than those who didn’t perceive their organization cared about them; in every area there was at least a 50% difference.
4. Leadership support of well-being can increase employee engagement, reduce burnout and lead to greater retention.
Our Center for Research found that employees with a strong perception of organizational care report 56% higher engagement, 37% lower burnout and greater retention compared to those who feel less supported. Outside of work they also experience higher overall well-being and life satisfaction.5
5. Leaders can help employees make the link between well-being and performance.
Leaders must stress that personal and professional growth is tied to well-being. In fact, nearly 80% of organizations with well-being programs that follow best practices have leaders who understand the connection between well-being and business results.6 And, numerous studies have proven that investment in employee well-being is correlated with better financial performance and the ability to provide positive returns to shareholders.7 8
To demonstrate this link, leaders should include well-being goals as part of the performance management process, recognize managers and employees who prioritize well-being, and ensure future leaders are trained on the importance of well-being in the workplace.
6. Leaders’ visible commitment to well-being can spur employee participation.
Whether it’s blocking time for fitness or family, protecting non-work time, or taking advantage of paid time off, leaders’ actions speak volumes. In fact, research from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) found that leadership support—more than any other factor—predicted participation in health screenings, improvement in health risks and medical costs, and perceptions of organizational support.9
7. Leaders must listen and apply feedback.
Leaders play a key role in encouraging open dialogue about the well-being program so that it continually evolves to meet employees’ wants and needs. This includes safe feedback loops (for example, anonymous pulse or engagement surveys) so employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and suggestions for how the program can be expanded or improved.
Cultivate employee well-being through visible leadership support.
Leadership support is the cornerstone of a successful corporate well-being program, creating a cascade effect that permeates throughout the organization. When leaders authentically model healthy behaviors, openly discuss well-being, and demonstrate genuine commitment through their actions they create psychological safety that empowers employees to prioritize their own well-being.
This visible leadership commitment not only reduces stigma and normalizes well-being conversations, but also drives tangible business benefits, including increased employee engagement, higher trust levels, and improved financial performance. By linking well-being to performance outcomes, actively participating in programs, and creating feedback loops for continuous improvement, leaders can transform well-being from lip service into a lived value that enhances both individual employee health and collective success.
Start your journey toward creating a culture of well-being with WebMD Health Services.
WebMD Health Services is on a mission to help companies truly care for their employees while also impacting business results. If you need help learning how to create a culture of well-being at your workplace, request a demo or contact us at connect@webmd.net.
