Sophie Bretag

Workplace wellbeing and mental health. Everybody is talking about it and trying to find solutions, but how many organisations have practical solutions for what can be done to assist and support the mental wellbeing of their teams in a meaningful way? According to a study undertaken by the University of SA, ‘…the economic cost of workplaces with poor psychosocial climates is $6 billion annually.’ The study also found that ‘…employees with psychological distress take 4 times more sick days per month, have high performance loss and cost around $6300 per annum in increased sick leave.’ As an antidote to the increasing workplace mental health crisis, I will explain how Kind Leadership can be used as a leadership superpower. We will discuss what kind leadership is and why its fast becoming one of the most discussed and celebrated leadership traits across the Globe.

With mass layoffs and cost-of-living pressures mounting, it’s no wonder employers are concerned about the wellbeing and engagement of their staff. Burnout rates are rising in workplaces across the world, according to the 2023 State of Workplace Burnout report. The survey of people across 40 countries found that over 38 per cent of participants were experiencing all three of the dimensions of burnout defined by the World Health Organisation: exhaustion, cynicism and reduced efficacy. So how can mindfulness and meditation assist in what could potentially become our next worldwide pandemic - burnt out and disengaged humans? This presentation explains what burn out is, why it is becoming so prevalent and some of the ways in which individuals and organisations can implement preventative and supportive modalities to enhance workplace wellbeing and productivity.