Mental health at work – who is responsible?
WHAT DEFINES A GOOD LEADER? LOOK FOR THESE SIX QUALITIES
Modern business challenges can require new approaches. Leadership will need to evolve in order to continue to guide organisations in tomorrow's world of work. But what are the characteristics of a good modern leader in the workplace - and how can organisations develop them?
Many studies draw parallels between effective leadership and solid organisational performance. But whether they’re a junior manager or a senior executive, the qualities that leaders need are changing.
Nearly 1,500 HR professionals ranked leadership development as the number one priority for 2025, with managers feeling 'overwhelemed' by the expansion of their responsibilities. In today’s unpredictable world, you must combine traditional leadership skills with new abilities. So, what does an effective modern leader look like?
1. Remember what makes a good leader
Before looking at the new skills future leaders may need, it is worth reflecting on what a leader actually is.
What are the qualities of a good leader? It’s not what you may think.
Being in charge of colleagues does not necessarily make you a ‘leader’. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg explains: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield believes that good leadership is: “Not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it. Especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.”
There may be varying opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of leaders. But overall, most people believe that great leaders motivate their team members to perform their best and achieve common goals.
What traits do you need to achieve this in the modern workplace?
2. Use blended leadership styles for a VUCA world
Stacey Philpot from Deloitte Consulting maintains that the core skills needed historically in leadership roles have remained unchanged.
“These skills allow someone to become a leader faster than their peers. This is even true in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment,” she says.
The core skills for leading in a VUCA environment include:
- Pattern recognition
- Motivation
- Agility
- Emotional intelligence
- Ability to understand, control and express emotions
This represents psychological assessments of 23,000 senior leaders globally over the past 25 years.
Consider introducing servant leadership:
Leaders need new styles of leadership to deal with changing cultures. Being comfortable with not having the answer and owning failure can create an environment of trust and openness.
Collectively, these behaviours form ‘servant leadership’. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) defines servant leadership as emphasising behaviours and values such as:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Leading by example
These are instead of opting for a more authoritative, ‘command-and-control’ leadership style. Leaders create the conditions for team members to excel by displaying vulnerability. But given the stigma around servant leadership, how can organisations encourage it?
How to combat stigma surrounding servant leadership:
Alsu Polyakova, HR Leader for GE Healthcare, says reducing stigma around servant leadership will take a specific strategy. Most importantly frequent performance appraisals for leaders.
“We give leaders lots of opportunities for self-reflection, so they understand how they behave,” she says. GE Healthcare’s most successful leaders help to encourage behavioural change, Polyakova says. The company measures success by how well employees rate leaders on achieving GE Healthcare’s ‘cultural pillars’. These pillars include inspiring trust and empowering employees.
3. Create a culture of trust in the workplace
Gaining workers’ trust is more important than ever. One way to build trust is for leaders to take action on issues such as climate change. 71 percent of employees consider their CEOs’ social awareness as critically important, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.
Social awareness may yield rich rewards. The Edelman poll shows that workers who trust their employers are far more engaged and remain more loyal than their more sceptical peers.
Leadership styles are clearly changing. The most effective leaders will need to tailor their styles to suit different scenarios, says Professor Sattar Bawany. “Leaders need a broad repertoire of management styles and the wisdom to know when each style should be used,” he says. “In crisis scenarios like cybersecurity breaches, for example, leadership should be authoritarian because the scenario is unstructured.”
4. Adapt your leadership style for different generations
Managers must also balance leadership styles to suit different generations. Modern workplaces will soon house up to five generations under one roof. Therefore, there will be many people with differing preferences on leadership style.
As of 2023, millennials are the biggest group in the UK workforce, at 35 percent. Modern leaders must mix old and new leadership styles that meet the needs of younger generations. Doing so will future proof organisations. However, new leadership approaches cannot come at the expense of alienating older workers.
5. Commit to lifelong learning
With the workplace evolving so rapidly, leaders cannot rely on past experience alone to get by. Ben Farmer, Head of HR at Amazon UK agrees: “Experience is not always synonymous with wisdom and judgement. And naivety doesn’t always engender novel thinking and openness to change.”
Organisations should look for leaders who understand the future as well as those with experience. “Success comes from the ability to combine understanding of exciting, new trends with the experience required to put that knowledge into action,” says Farmer.
But what is the right balance? There is no one-size-fits-all approach when balancing experience with adaptability. Achieving the right balance will mostly depend on the organisation and the sector it operates in.
6. Be conscious of culture
Organisational culture is an important factor. Risk-averse firms may prefer experience over novel thinking. Leaders may be fearful of a backlash from stakeholders should novel thinking fail. To lower risk, companies should seek leaders who use both scientific evidence and intuition when making decisions.
Ultimately, there’s no single blueprint for an effective modern leader. Each organisation must tailor their approach to leadership development. There must be a focus on organisational culture, industry nuances and employee mix.
But above all, leaders should recognise that today’s reality may be old news tomorrow.
For more expert advice, take a look at the following articles:
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MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK – WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
According to our Hays Barometer Report, less than half of professionals rate their mental health and wellbeing as positive.
There is a mismatch between the level of support that employers say they’ve offered and employees say they’ve received. 72% of employers say their organisation’s focus on mental health and wellbeing has increased. However, just 26% of professionals agree.
Either way, the recent increase in mental health problems shows someone needs to take action and turn this situation around. But this begs the question, who is responsible for caring for the mental health and wellbeing of staff at work?
The wider context of mental health in the workplace
Growing uncertainty surrounding rising inflation and ongoing geopolitical instability is having a significant impact on employee health and wellbeing. Research from the UK indicates that money worries are a significant concern, with 33 % of employees stating that these worries have affected their ability to do their job.
These issues come after several years of turmoil for most organisations, following the COVID-19 pandemic. As employees have switched to flexible working and learnt to build resilience, is it any wonder that many feel stressed?
The case for employer responsibility
Today, many people expect their leaders to support and take responsibility for mental health in the workplace. A Mind Share Partners study found that 91% of respondents believe that employers have a responsibility to support the mental health of their workers.
Interestingly, almost all (94%) of employers in our Barometer study agreed. The majority of employers believe they should shoulder either ‘significant’ or ‘moderate’ responsibility for employee wellbeing.
Happy, healthy employees benefit the organisation overall
Clearly, employers have a critical role to play in fostering and maintaining mental health and wellness in the workplace. There are, after all, many benefits for employers.
Employees who feel supported and happy at work tend to:
- Stay in a role for longer.
- Take less unplanned time off.
- Be more productive and creative.
A resilient and productive workforce that is able to cope with stress can perform at their best no matter what.
Employers have an ethical duty of care to their employees
According to the Australian Department of Health, 1 in 2 adults will face mental ill-health at some point in their lives. Employers should support mental health in the workplace to help those struggling with any mental health issue. It is an important ethical responsibility to create a supportive environment for all employees.
Legally, employers must support their employees
There are, of course, also legal obligations for employers to provide a mentally and physically safe working environment. Employers have to create a working environment that does not cause harm to the mental health of their staff through work related stress.
Wellbeing initiatives can attract top talent
What’s more, mental health and wellbeing support remains an important benefit consideration that will resonate with employees.
Therefore, attracting and retaining top talent will involve more than a traditional benefits package. Professionals have reassessed what’s really important in their personal life. Now, physical and mental health priorities have come to the fore. Being honest about the mental health support you offer is crucial if you are to attract and retain your staff.
The case for employee responsibility
Meanwhile, employees also have a role to play in fostering a happy, healthy workplace. Ultimately, as an employee, you need to take care of your own physical as well as mental health and safety. After all, our work constitutes a huge part of our lives. But sometimes it can also cause us stress or impact our work-life balance.
To supplement employer’s mental health initiatives, individual employees should:
- Recognise how to care for their own mental health at work.
- Actively practise stress management habits.
- Inform your line manager if you feel overwhelmed.
As an employee, you also have a responsibility to follow health and safety guidance from your employer. This could include taking breaks during working hours, or participating in physical activity, such as walking meetings. It is a good idea to participate in practices aimed at managing stress at work and caring for your mental health.
Looking after yourself at work is vital to support your career progress, and your work-life balance.
How should we all manage mental health at work?
Employers and employees share some responsibility when it comes to maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Employers should establish policies, procedures and initiatives. On the other hand, employees need to put up their hand and get involved in the programmes offered. For employers, this means that the mental health and wellbeing of employees must remain a top priority. Acting to improve mental health and wellbeing, and encouraging employee engagement, must be front and centre of every decision.
For employees, this means cooperating with your employer and taking steps to care for your own mental health in the workplace.
Read more guidance for promoting wellness at work
The Hays Salary Guide offers insights into the key drivers shaping the world of work, including where employees’ mental health and wellbeing currently stands. Download your local copy for more information.
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