Leading for Mental Health

This blog was provided by our partners at Cenovus.

Mental health has profound implications for employees and their workplaces.

We all have a critical role in contributing to the conditions for positive mental health – people are influenced by everyone around them, but leaders can have an outsized impact. And, while leaders don’t have to be anyone’s therapist, they do need some basic understanding of how a person’s job affects their mental well-being.

Recent data from The Workforce Institute at UKG , a leading international HR management firm, suggests almost 70% of people feel their manager has more of an impact on their mental health than their therapist or doctor— equal to that of their partner. The stakes for leadership have always been high but may feel even more important when we recognize addressing employees’ mental health is part of that.

At Cenovus, we foster the following approaches for our leaders to protect, promote and support positive mental health.

Normalize Conversations

Stigma is a serious barrier to people speaking up or getting help. Having open conversations about mental health in the workplace is an evidence-based way to reduce stigma.

 Team meetings, one-to-one check-ins, storytelling – these are all ways to ask people how they’re doing and encourage dialogue. Tune in when you see they may be out of sorts or when they may need support.

Constructive feedback and positive reinforcement are cornerstones of a healthy and respectful workplace. Regularly engage employees in developing realistic and positive solutions that increase psychological safety in the workplace.

Connect to Meaningful Support

The job of a leader isn’t to uncover or diagnose mental illness.

But being observant brings an opportunity to intervene in a supportive manner and connect the employee to the right resources. Problem-solve to remove roadblocks and streamline processes to get employees connected.

Build Knowledge

Building mental health literacy is crucial for fostering a supportive work environment. By understanding mental health issues, leaders can identify early signs of distress, offer support, and create a culture of openness and acceptance.

Also help your team members connect with others in the organization. Connection is critical to well-being and happiness. Help them find mentors, encourage collaboration across departments and consider sponsoring volunteer efforts for team members to serve the community together.

Address Psycho-social Hazards

Leaders have a role in mitigating psychosocial hazards to create a supportive environment. This includes:

• Identifying risks, such as excessive workload, lack of job control, poor communication, and workplace bullying.
• Implementing policies – establishing and enforcing policies that address these hazards, such as clear job descriptions, fair workload distribution, and zero-tolerance for harassment.
• Promoting work-life balance – encouraging practices that support work-life harmonization, including flexible working hours, remote work options, and promoting the use of vacation time.
• Fostering a positive culture – cultivating an inclusive, respectful, and supportive organizational culture where employees feel valued and heard.

Encourage Disconnection

Giving employees the opportunity AND permission to disconnect from workcan support their mental health and make them more engaged on the job. Encourage employees to use time away from work to avoid burnout.

Prioritize Your Own Mental Health and Well-being

Many leaders try to shield team members from stress by taking on the toughest work—or the extra work—themselves. People watch how leaders manage workload and personal well-being and model their own habits accordingly.

Leaders are human too and need to plan for self-care. It doesn’t need to be complicated but they must ensure healthy behaviours are actioned consistently. These include eating well, resting and also engaging with the people you love, while having some fun each day. Being aware of energy boosters and energy drains will help keep their batteries charged. This builds leadership capacity, providing the necessary energy to fuel good decision-making, sharpen focus and maintain a steady pace. This has a direct impact on the health and culture of the team & organization because high performing, resilient leaders inspire others to follow their example.

At Cenovus, a pillar of our approach to mental health is promoting those open conversations to reduce stigma and perceived stigma. To see whether our approach and actions are resonating with our people, we use our organizational health survey to check in and track our progress.

Prioritizing mental health directly impacts employee well-being, productivity, and overall organizational success. When leaders focus on mental health, they create a supportive and inclusive work environment where employees feel valued and understood. Ultimately, a mentally healthy workforce is more engaged, innovative, and resilient, driving better business outcomes and a more positive organizational culture.

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Leora Hornstein,

Well-Being Specialist, Human Resources,

Cenovus