Wellbeing Isn’t Just a Frontline Issue – Leaders Are Struggling Too

2 mins
Published on August 14th, 2025By Gary Cattermole

There’s growing awareness around the importance of mental health in the workplace. Flexible working, wellbeing champions, employee assistance programmes, many organisations are stepping up to support their people.

But there’s one group that often slips through the cracks: senior leaders.

The Priory Group describes a “perfect storm” of mental health challenges affecting executives and business leaders. It’s a timely reminder that leadership wellbeing isn’t a soft issue; it’s a structural one.

The Hidden Pressures of Leadership

Leaders face a unique blend of pressures:

  • Constant decision-making under uncertainty
  • Responsibility for the wellbeing of others
  • Isolation at the top, with few people to confide in
  • An unspoken expectation to “stay strong” and hide struggle

These conditions, sustained over time, can lead to burnout, disconnection, and poor role modelling, all of which have a downstream effect on employee engagement.

Why This Matters for Engagement

Engagement doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It flows from the top.

  • Trust, openness, and energy are contagious  but so are stress, fatigue, and fear
  • A leader who feels safe, well-supported, and able to be authentic will create the conditions for others to thrive
  • If wellbeing support stops at middle management, it sends a clear (if unspoken) message: “This isn’t for people like us.”

That’s why leadership wellbeing isn’t just about duty of care, it’s a strategic investment in culture.

Five Practical Tips for Leaders

Tips for staying mentally well as a business leader:

  • Stick to a sleep routine
  • Set boundaries between work and personal life
  • Avoid escapism or numbing habits
  • Practice mindfulness or gratitude daily
  • Seek support early… don’t wait for a crisis

Above all, we’d encourage making wellbeing conversations a natural part of leadership. Let vulnerability become part of strong leadership, not something separate from it.

Our Take

At The Survey Initiative, we work closely with leadership teams on culture, engagement, and employee experience.

Increasingly, we’re seeing the signs of stress at the top.  It’s often silent, often unspoken, but very real.

If you’re serious about creating an engaging, human workplace, start with the humans leading it.

Because when leaders are well, they lead well.