Programmes

Singaporeans are battle-weary after a gruelling roller-coaster ride with Covid-19 that has now stretched into its second year. More so now than ever, corporate leaders need to step up to play a more decisive role in creating an inclusive and empathetic work environment that takes into account the mental well-being of their employees.

Recognising this challenge and their unique roles as decision makers and change agents in their respective organisations, close to 60 CEOs and key leaders from both the private and public sectors, including Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng, came together virtually this Friday, 30 July 2021 for a closed-door dialogue session to learn with, and from each other, strategic and practical insights on addressing employee mental health issues and how to foster greater empathy at the workplace.

“Coming to terms with shifting economic and social uncertainties and grappling with unprecedented changes at the workplace has become part of the new norm for many Singaporeans. Creating a Singapore workplace that engenders greater care and empathy amongst co-workers as a strategic priority at the workplace not only promotes mental wellbeing but also enhances productivity and growth as businesses find their footing amidst these new realities,” says Ms Anthea Ong, founder and spokesperson of the WorkWell Leaders Workgroup.

Through the open sharing of real work examples where they or their employees may have felt unsafe to share about their mental health, this meeting, the fourth in a series of CEO Breakfast Dialogues and hosted by IHH Healthcare Singapore, focused on how leaders can create safe spaces to openly discuss mental health wellbeing in the workplace, an area many leaders had prioritised as a goal for 2021 at the previous dialogue session held in December 2020. Leaders also explored how they can cultivate empathy for their employees given the pandemic and how important it is for them to feel equipped to manage the mental health challenges faced by employees, so that they can continue to grow as leaders while taking care of themselves and others.

Designed as a safe space based on Chatham House Rules, the dialogue sessions allow participants to openly share and learn from each other their personal experiences – and struggles – with mental health and how these insights may be translated into creating more conducive workspaces at their respective organisations. At the end of the session, CEOs signed the Pledge for Mental Wellbeing, a collective commitment that underpins the community of practice amongst these leaders in their responsibility to mental wellbeing.

“Culture change is absolutely critical in addressing stigma and discrimination of mental health at the workplace. Such transformations cannot happen without the attention and commitment of the highest level of leadership,” says Dr Prem Kumar Nair, Chief Executive Officer, IHH Healthcare Singapore, who attended the dialogue for the first time. “Dialogues like these provide an integral platform for meaningful conversations to take place, form an important part of each CEO’s mental health journey, and seed tangible progress toward mental wellbeing in our workplace culture.”