Business Roundtable announces new mental health initiative for employee well-being

Good morning.

Mental health is both a personal and a professional issue for leaders. In addition to doing what they can to operate at the top of their mental game, leaders have to create conditions for employees to thrive.

In 2022, Gallup estimated that workers’ mental health issues cost the U.S. economy $47.6 billion annually in lost productivity alone, and four in 10 U.S. workers said their jobs had a somewhat negative or extremely negative impact on their mental health. That’s, in part, why the Business Roundtable today launched its Mental Health Initiative aimed at identifying the best practices for companies to promote mental well-being in the workplace. The initiative also includes resources, training programs, peer forums, and tools for managers.

The issue isn’t that effective strategies don’t exist. It’s that leaders need to create a culture and practices that encourage the awareness and adoption of mental health benefits and remove the stigma around discussing mental well-being at work.

Business Roundtable member and Cigna CEO David Cordani sees the initiative “as an opportunity to supercharge, through a variety of means, the curation of best practices.” One is finding opportunities to connect. “You can see higher levels of vitality and mental well-being for individuals who are physically at a worksite versus those who are not,” Cordani says.

Cordani, for one, has learned what matters for his mental health.

“I essentially get about an hour of exercise in every day to start my day. I find that I get centered when I do that,” he says. Volunteerism (“givers get”) and managing his calendar to take an active role in his children’s lives are also key. So as a leader, he tries to make it possible for his employees to do the same.

Meanwhile, CEOs have been sharing with us what Fortune means to them. Today, I want to share what Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) wrote:

“While I’m not a business leader, I was in business before I was in politics, and I’ve always trusted the CEO Daily to give me a good snapshot of the state of business. I’ve always appreciated (its) objective view of how leaders can steer businesses that create value for shareholders, but also for employees and their communities.”

That’s a value proposition we intend to now build upon. Let me know how we’re doing.

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Diane Brady
@dianebrady
diane.brady@fortune.com

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com