Though CEOs often want to be perceived as stable and in charge, they should not be afraid to acknowledge mental health struggles and should make employees feel comfortable sharing their own experiences, wrote Michael Held, CEO of the well-being consulting firm LifeSpeak, in an op-ed for.
Mr. Held writes it is the CEO's responsibility to control the narrative of mental health within their organizations and establish a culture that allows employees to feel comfortable sharing their mental health experiences. It is also important for these leaders to establish resources that their employees can take advantage of if necessary.
"Have we, as CEOs, made it as easy for an employee to request time off to treat depression as it is for them to take leave for a broken leg?" Mr. Held writes. "I get that mental health is amorphous — anxiety and depression are harder to understand and nearly impossible to visualize compared to a condition that requires a surgical procedure — but CEOs must create a culture that recognizes the fact that such invisible illnesses are no less valid than visible ones."
Mr. Held also argues untreated mental illnesses are very costly for companies, and he adds that normalizing mental health and encouraging treatment is organizationally efficient.