The Burdens of Leadership During a Pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic wearily marches on, much has been written about the pandemic’s impact on employee mental health. And for good reason. Receiving less attention is the impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of managers, and especially those in senior leadership roles.

You may be surprised to learn that c-suite executives have experienced mental health issues even more than their employees, according to a global study. In the article, “Bosses Share Burdens of Leadership During a Pandemic and it’s Effect on Their Mental Health,” Tony Case, writing for the The Future of Work Briefing relates how managers are handling pandemic-driven stress and offers some of the solutions they’ve found to address the challenges they’re facing. The article, reproduced in its entirety, follows.

After the pandemic first hit, Devin Johnson remembers standing in the middle of his empty office in Indianapolis on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Nobody else, it seemed, understood what was happening in his world or the challenges he faced.

It was at that moment, said Johnson, cofounder and CEO of the lead generation firm Kennected, that he experienced clarity and made the decision to channel his energies into confronting those struggles, pushing harder and coming out even better on the other side of this crisis, for himself and his company.

“What was very important was that I and the c-suite of the company remained positive and focused,” said Johnson, whose clients include Walmart and Merrill Lynch. “That’s what being a leader is all about — you need to set the mood and clear the path for the rest to follow with confidence.”

Last year, c-suite executives dealt with some intense additional burdens: debating payroll reductions, layoffs, furloughs. CEOs were expected to have the answers on when offices would reopen, whether staff would need to be vaccinated before they return and have a ready answer on what would be different once they do.

“The answers to these questions are so uncertain for many leaders, it leaves them feeling unable to address their teams’ needs,” said Drew Train, cofounder and president, Oberland, New York creative agency whose clients include Uber and Blue Man Group.

“Leaders have to make it seem like things are always great…”

And yet, management, in the eyes of employees, is somehow supposed to be inoculated against stress and mental health concerns. “Leaders have to make it seem like things are always great — they aren’t, and there is a stigma and a real cost to that kind of honesty in business. So keeping that bottled up inside can also have a negative impact,” added Train.

A recent survey of 12,000 people from 11 countries by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence found that c-suite executives have experienced mental health issues more than their employees. Management has also had the hardest time collaborating with teams virtually, managing increased stress and anxiety, and being removed from the workplace culture.

“Executives are perhaps even more susceptible to burnout culture than their employees,” said Dan Schwabel, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence. “The kind of drive and dedication that helped them get to the top in the first place is also part of what is driving them to work longer hours and neglect work-life balance.”

Case goes on to add, “CEOs are meeting the challenge head-on, finding solutions and leading their teams not only through this global crisis but in spite of their own difficulties. The Oracle study found, for example, that management was most open to using AI for help with mental health, with 73% preferring to communicate with chatbots and digital assistants to get better versus 61% of employees. The c-suite was also more likely to see the benefits of AI, with 80% saying it had helped their mental health at work.”

At Espyr, we too have found that AI can be a valuable mental health tool. Our AI powered chatbot, TESS, delivers proven cognitive-based therapy (CBT) 24/7 via text messaging in both English and Spanish. It’s proven to be a great tool for those who aren’t quite ready for face-to-face therapy or who can’t get to a therapist.

Case goes on to describe Mike Popowski, CEO of the Atlanta-based creative agency Dagger, whose clients include Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, said, “When you get down to brass tacks, a company can only be as healthy as the people in it.”

“As CEOs, we have had to think about everyone else without forgetting to also take care of ourselves,” said Cathy Butler, CEO of the San Francisco creative agency Organic, whose clients include National Instruments and American Family Insurance.

She said that in the beginning of the pandemic, her focus was on making sure everybody else in the organization was doing OK, reminding employees to take breaks and take advantage of the agency’s medical benefits. Those solutions proved beneficial not only to staffers but to management as well.

Kashif Naqshbandi, CMO of Tenth Revolution Group, a London-based global tech recruitment firm, said his company established a work tool it has dubbed Buddy Up With the Board, wherein employees can book video calls with members of the c-suite. No agenda, just an informal chat about whatever employees want, be it career advice or talking about their worries in this challenging time.

As with Organic’s outreach, the idea turned out to benefit executives every bit as much as employees. Naqshbandi explains, “We’re a big company. We don’t always get to know all our people as well as we’d like, and these one-on-one chats have brought a sense of closeness that many of us have been missing out on the last few months.”

Craig Zevin, COO of the Los Angeles-based healthcare tech company Uberdoc, said the biggest positive he has made during the pandemic has been leveraging WFH to reclaim time in his day. He has permanently scheduled two 15-minute breaks each workday. He also uses what would be his typical commuting hours for mental wellness, as well as physical health and personal development.

“Being vulnerable is important, but you have an obligation to present confidence and stability to your employees and investors,” he said. “You need to find ways outside of your company to connect and share your experiences if you want to stay healthy mentally.”

About Espyr

For over 30 years Espyr, has provided innovative mental health solutions – solutions like our AI powered chatbot, TESS – to organizations operating under some of the most challenging conditions. Espyr’s portfolio of customized counseling, coaching and consulting solutions help people and organizations achieve their full potential by providing mental health support and driving positive behavioral change.  For more information on how Espyr can help your organization, call Espyr at 888-570-3479 or click here.