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Creating a
Symphonic
C-Suite
According to Deloitte’s 2018 Human Capital Trends report,
the next iteration of the
business model will be the
social enterprise.
Experts and respondents
agree that businesses moving
to a social-enterprise model—
one that is attuned to societal
trends and practices good
citizenship—requires leaders
who collaborate.
“Companies have, over
many years, set up C-suites
as independent, functional,
operational owners, but
they need to be engaged
and integrated,” says Josh
Bersin, principal with Deloitte
Consulting LLP.
Deloitte surveyed more
than 11,000 business and HR
leaders,
85 percent
of whom
rated C-suite
collaboration
“important”
or “very
important.”
However, nearly three-quarters
said their executives don’t
regularly collaborate.
Research indicates that
companies with symphonic
C-suites are more likely than
those operating in silos to
anticipate organizational
growth by 10 percent or more
( 34 percent versus 22 percent,
respectively).
Ravin Jesuthasan, a
managing director and global
practice leader at Willis
Towers Watson, says CHROs
can take the lead on rethinking
organizational design and
leadership competencies.
CHROs should also examine
the demographics of the
C-suite, Bersin adds.
“Most people—including
customers, employees and
even stakeholders—don’t
feel well-represented when
the C-suite comprises all
white males from similar
backgrounds,” he says.
A study published in the
Journal of Corporate Finance
found that CEOs with strong,
diversified connections create
higher firm value. “[O]ur
findings suggest that the more
diverse the social networks
of the CEO … the greater the
growth opportunities are for
the firm,” the authors wrote.
Jesuthasan notes that
leaders need to understand
why it’s important to address
the issue of siloed executives.
“Why do we need to
change? What’s the business
value? Why is it beneficial to
me as an individual? [Without
knowing that], they’ll tolerate
your conclusions but act
on their own beliefs and
intuitions,” he says. “It will be
difficult to get people to have
real behavior change if you
don’t address the why first.”
—Danielle Westermann King
Leveling the
Playing Field for
Older Workers
More than half a century after the nactment of the
Age Discrimination in
Employment Act, evidence
suggests its goal has still
not been fulfilled.
Recent research by AARP
found six out of 10 workers
age 45 and older have seen or
experienced age discrimination
in the workplace, with
90 percent of employees
saying age discrimination is
common. Still, just 3 percent
of respondents reported
discrimination.
Susan Weinstock, vice
president of financial resilience
programming at AARP,
attributes these findings to
myths that persist around
experienced workers, such as
older workers lack technology
experience, or that they’re
“coasting toward retirement.”
Weinstock notes that baby
boomers invented the Internet,
the personal computer and
the Intel processor, adding
that AARP research shows
employees in the 55-and-up
age cohort are both the most
engaged and motivated age
group in the labor force. Older
workers also often have better
“applied skills, often called
soft or baseline skills, such as
professionalism, calm under
pressure, relationship building
and emotional intelligence,”
she says.
HR can level the playing
field by examining company
job postings, she says, as older
candidates might “shy away
from applying for jobs that
emphasize a ‘young culture,’ or
that they are looking for ‘digital
natives.’ ”
Weinstock adds companies
can recruit former employees
as consultants and build
multi-generational teams,
which have been shown to
reduce turnover and increase
productivity.
HR leaders should reject
ageism in the same way they
reject sexism and racism, says
Cathy Ventrell-Monsees, special
assistant to EEOC Acting
Chair Victoria Lipnic. Age-diverse hiring panels, cross-generational mentoring and
other practices that “recognize
the value of age and experience
can help promote more positive
attitudes,” she adds.
—Mark McGraw
Addressing Suicide with Your Employees
Aspate of recent celebrity suicides represents the public face of a growing national public-health crisis. According to a report released in June by the Centers
for Disease Control, suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death
in the U.S., claiming nearly 45,000 lives in 2016, double the number
of homicides. In more than 25 states across the country, the suicide
rate has increased by more than 30 percent since 1999.
While only 291 of those 45,000 deaths occurred in the workplace,
suicide is most common among people between the ages of 45 and
65—prime work years. Alarmingly, 54 percent of people who died by
suicide did not have a known mental-health condition.
Ellyson Stout, director of Suicide Prevention Resource Center,
a part of the Education Development Center in Waltham, Mass.,
says that while suicide may not be an epidemic in the workplace
itself, HR leaders should have a plan in place to help employees
and managers who are at
risk for suicide, including
making sure they know
about employee-assistance
programs. They can also
help managers and/or
employees be more aware
of signs a co-worker may
be struggling—such as
someone talking about
wanting to die, asking about
access to pills or looking
online for how to buy a gun.
Other red flags could be a change or loss event, the person talking
about feeling trapped or being a burden to others, increased use
of alcohol or drugs, anxiety or agitation, changes in sleep patterns,
the person withdrawing from things he or she typically likes to do
or displaying rage or extreme mood swings.
“Remember, the signs don’t necessarily mean that the person
is thinking about suicide, but these are some indicators of
concern,” Stout says. “The big thing is, if you feel concerned
about someone and their behavior has changed and you’re seeing
some of these things, to ask. Don’t hesitate.”
Asking simple questions such as, “Are you thinking about
ending your life?” and listening without judgment to what the
person is experiencing can make a difference, she says, adding
studies show that those questions do not put the idea into a
person’s head. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [800-273-
TALK] is also a key resource, Stout says.
Apart from acting in the moment, it’s also important for the
organization to plan ahead. The strategy should answer questions
including: What happens if someone is in suicidal crisis? Who
can that co-worker go to for help? Do we have HR staff trained on
having an initial conversation with a person considering suicide?
Do we know which mental-health resources in the community are
available?
Employers can consult the National Action Alliance for
Suicide Prevention’s comprehensive blueprint for suicide in the
workplace and guidebook on suicide prevention for managers.
Stout’s organization, the SPRC, offers suicide-prevention guides
for both managers and co-workers.
The key is making it as easy as possible for employees to
come for ward if they’re struggling with mental-health issues or
thoughts of suicide, Stout says.
“What we’re talking about here is setting up a comprehensive
workplace suicide-prevention program, where you’re thinking
ahead about what to do in a crisis.”
—Tom Starner
