Role of Culture and Leadership in Employee Well-Being

culled from:switchandshift.com

The recently reported domestic violence incidents involving two NFL players (Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson) sparked a lot of talk about the link between these kinds of violent acts and the league’s warrior culture, where athletes are perpetually “primed” for combat and are taught to maintain stoic in the face of injuries that would make it hard for lesser men to get out of bed in the morning. Nate Jackson vividly documents this in his superb memoir, “Slow Getting Up,” in which he catalogues the many injuries that dogged his 6 year NFL career. His matter-of-fact tone indicating his casual acceptance of the league’s underlying ethos: “Decide what you’re going to do and do it violently.” Regarding one’s injuries before taking the field, he says, “Every game a needle.” Pain, according to Jackson, is something you “shake off” — to do otherwise is to betray weakness, which is clearly not an option if you want to continue collecting paychecks in the NFL.

Admittedly, there are more differences between corporate America and NFL culture than there are similarities — and it’s safe to say that work related stress in the office is not as likely to lead to the violent extremes that you’d see from a professional football player for whom aggression is his stock-in-trade. But both cultures operate in a broader culture where seeking out or receiving help is largely verboten — in the NFL because it betrays weakness, on the corporate side because of the fear of exposure and the possibility of negative career consequences. That said, there are valuable lessons to be learned — and applied — on the corporate side from these recent incidents, and the way the league, teams and players handle them.

    Both cultures operate in a broader culture where seeking out or receiving help is largely verboten

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) in the corporate world frequently operate under a “stigma,” which limits their utilization. Providing mental health services to employees around the world has made us acutely aware of the need to offer them in a “culturally attuned” context, as the key to engagement/utilization is an understanding of the nuances of each culture’ in order to overcome deeply ingrained barriers and the overarching stigma. Similarly, player counseling and support services can only be effective to the degree that they’re tailored to the NFL’s unique subculture. Only then would these services stand a chance of being even nominally engaged.
Culture + Leadership = A Winning Game Plan

If the NFL is to see attitudes change with respect to players seeking out help, the mental health professionals it engages need to get a full understanding of its warrior ethos. The NFL is also a rigidly hierarchical culture, where power flows from the owner to the coach, to the star players to the staff. It’s a culture of authority, systems but, most importantly, a culture that is animated by leadership — the respected voices in the locker room that players gravitate towards and respond to. If several were to step up and lend their voice to the issue of mental health, it’s safe to assume attitudes would begin to evolve. If such a player needed inspiration, he doesn’t have to look any further than Cris Carter’s excellent 2013 Hall of Fame speech, particularly this part:

“The Minnesota Vikings, we have one of the best employee assistance programs…, when the Vikings acquired me from Philadelphia…(they) hooked me up with….Betty Trilegi, (who) happens to be one of the best friends a person could ever have. The reason why, she didn’t teach me how to catch or run routes, but she taught me how I could live a life and have power over my life. And my demons didn’t have to always haunt me. She asked me on September 19, she said, Cris, can you just not have a drink for one week? And since September 19, 1990, because of Betty Trilegi, and Wheelock Whitney, I’ve been able to keep that program together. And if not for them, I would not be going into the hall, and I greatly appreciate and I honor them tonight.”

    Employee assistance programs (EAPs) in the corporate world frequently operate under a “stigma,” which limits their utilization.

On the corporate side, employee assistance and wellness services are generally viewed as tools to improve employee readiness, resilience and productivity. However, utilization of these programs has remained low, which is why so much focus has been placed on employee engagement, gamification and, most recently, on mobile health apps to track everything from quality of sleep to mood. Still, a persistent stigma attaches to mental health, no matter how “culturally sensitive” the program or how discreetly support can be accessed. This is where leadership can play a key role in raising awareness of the value of such services, and, as importantly, in overcoming resistance.

These days, employee assistance goes well beyond counseling for alcohol or substance abuse, and extends to fatigue/sleep management, strategies and resources to mitigate stress, treating early signs of depression — and a host of other mental and behavioral health issues that many of us grapple. Typically, employee assistance and wellness falls within the purview of HR who is tasked with communicating these programs. This is where senior management can play a role in visibly championing employee assistance and wellness and setting an example by promoting their use of the company’s sleep management or stress relief program — where the C-level exec or manager frankly shares his experiences/treatment via the company newsletter, or via a securely accessed video. Such leadership would go a long way in easing the stigma long associated with mental health, and give employees the confidence to seek the support and resources they need to attain balance and peace of mind.