Perceived effect of mental wellness initiatives of C-suite executives on organization performance of listed companies in Kenya

Abstract

Organizations have prioritized health and well-being for a number of years. With all of the challenges and barriers people faced during the pandemic, it is no longer "optional" to promote workplace mental health; rather, it should be considered a fundamental occupational necessity. One aspect of mental health that is sometimes disregarded is providing support for the mental health and well-being of leadership teams and C-suite executives. Therefore, the primary objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of executive-level management mental wellness programs on organizational performance. Specifically, the research only examined job enrichment programs, leisure centers, mental health risk assessment, and mental health medical services. The social exchange theory, psychological capital theory and the balance scorecard were adopted as anchors for this study. The study was grounded in the positivist philosophical paradigm, which is associated with the quantitative research approach. In addition, this study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research approach. The target audience was the chief executive officers of the 62 listed companies at the NSE. With 186 respondents in the sample, the poll explicitly targeted three C-suite executives in each organization. The study employed a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data and census sampling was used to choose study participants from the entire target population. To ensure a high-quality study, the researcher tested the research instruments in advance. Once the field survey was finished, quantitative methods such as descriptive and inferential analysis were used to analyze the data for this study. The statistical software for social science (SPSS v.28) provided support for the analysis. Correlation analysis tests revealed that there was a strong positive and significant correlation between organization performance and job enrichment programs, organization performance and recreational facilities programs, organization performance and mental health risk assessment, and organization performance and mental medical care. The findings from the regression analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between mental wellness programmes for c-suite executives on organizational performance. The findings also revealed that mental health risk assessment programs had a positive and significant effect on the organizational performance of NSE-listed companies. The findings also revealed that mental medical care programs had an insignificant effect on the organizational performance of NSE-listed companies. Recreational facilities programs were also found to have a positive and significant effect on the organizational performance of NSE-listed companies. Lastly, the study found that job enrichment programs had a positive and significant effect on the organizational performance of NSE-listed companies. The study recommends that organizations regularly conduct comprehensive mental health risk assessments to identify potential stressors, hazards, and risk factors in the workplace that could impact employee mental well-being. The study also suggests that organizations should encourage employee participation and feedback to continuously improve and tailor the mental wellness programs offerings.