Leaders who give their teams autonomy by "unbossing" their culture have seen productivity, engagement and well-being rise, writes Jenn Lim, the CEO of Delivering Happiness, who says it's a result of creating a sense of "what's in it for me," in their employees, which allows them to be authentic in their work. "If we want to sustain ourselves as companies, we need to sustain ourselves as human beings first," Lim notes.

Put it into practice: Boost well-being and a sense of belonging in your teams through training and conversations to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, Lim writes. "Support open communication and feedback with psychological safety in place so employees feel heard, valued, and comfortable with speaking up and speaking out."

Companies can use "hyper-flex" to boost engagement among remote and hybrid workers, writes Al Kingsley, who outlines the necessary steps for IT infrastructure to support working at odd hours and from any location. "The new hyper-flex reality is placing a heavy burden on already burdened IT teams, though, impacting IT teams like nothing else since the pandemic," Kingsley writes.

Put it into practice: Companies should focus on server bandwidth, remote device management and robust tech support to help support hyper-flex workers. "The good news is that the companies that get hyper-flex right will be unconstrained, now and into the future," Kingsley writes.

If a team member or leader dies by suicide, managers shouldn't offer unnecessary details, but they shouldn't avoid the topic altogether, writes Justin Joffe, who recommends managers provide resources for employees struggling with mental health. "During manager onboarding, this means training them to take protective measures during one-on-ones that acknowledge and show genuine concern for their report's mental health," Joffe writes.

Put it into practice: Managers should take the time to get to know their employees, Joffe writes, as well as assessing the level of support available from family and friends. Managers should also offer Employee Assistance Program resources to help "destigmatize outreach," Joffe writes.

Graduating high school in a class of 39 students taught Jane Elliott, chief human resources officer at NCR Voyix, the value of treating employees as a community, and working for a lousy manager taught her the importance of learning about your blind spots as a leader. "As a manager now, I make sure that everybody understands why we need to do XYZ because somebody might tell me why that's a bad idea or point out why it might not work," Elliot says.

If cats appear to be both a liquid and a solid, a new study suggests that cats' flexible bodies allow them to navigate tight spaces easily. Researchers explored body size awareness in cats and found that while felines hesitate at low openings, they confidently squeeze through narrow spaces, unlike dogs, which show awareness of both height and width.

Leaders need to prioritize the mental health of their team members. Not only does it boost engagement, productivity and retention, it creates a healthy and open work environment where team members feel they can be who they are, which fosters a sense of belonging.

Jenn Lim, the CEO of Delivering Happiness, suggests "unbossing" your culture by giving employees more autonomy so they don't feel micromanaged or that they must send every decision up the chain of command. Unbossing means creating an environment where it's safe for employees to speak up when they have concerns. Team members should be clear on their duties, have the flexibility needed in their schedule and feel supported by their managers.

Leaders must also provide resources for team members who may experience a mental health crisis, including offering employee assistance programs or referrals to professionals. Adjusting their workload and providing flexible leave policies can also be helpful.

If the worst occurs, and someone dies by suicide, Justin Joffe recommends offering all the support available to those affected by the loss without dwelling on details.

"Empowering all leaders to prioritize compassionate communication is one of the ways that our work helps change, and save, the lives of those around us," Joffe notes.

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