Focusing on emotional health, a key factor in attracting talent

This article is part of the State of the Spanish job market 2024 report by InfoJobs and Esade.

The main factors people look for in a job are a positive culture (46%), mental health and well-being (42%), purpose (40%), and work flexibility (38%). This explains why 63% of HR professionals consider preserving employees’ health and well-being their top priority. In fact, 49% of workers prefer to work for a company that cares about their health and well-being, and three out of four expect their company to do so. These are some of the findings from different studies we analyzed in the report From ESG to the E.ESG model: placing workers at the center of corporate sustainability, recently published by Esade. 

In this context, companies need to respond to the growing expectation of emotional health support—a factor that is becoming a differentiator in attracting talent—with an effective response that can be summarized in six key ideas or actions: 

1. Practice active listening to team needs 

   Centering people is a statement that must be backed by action to be coherent and not just inspiring. Companies should create well-being programs based on the needs and concerns openly expressed by their teams. Climate surveys are a good tool—but not enough. Employee voices must be present in decision-making and management through mechanisms such as dialogue tables and focus groups. This means involving people in creating solutions and actively participating in HR policy development. When employees are given a voice, belief in a people-centered organization and trust increase eightfold, and the sense of community increases fivefold. 

2. Promote responsible leadership 

   Team leaders play a crucial role in emotional well-being. However, half of leaders struggle to recognize when their teams are overwhelmed or burned out. Their team members are not more optimistic—67% believe their leaders don’t know how to care for mental health. Leaders need to be able to manage both their emotions and those of their teams, as well as navigate conflict and stress. Yet only a quarter have received any training in mental health. And it’s not for lack of awareness: 91% know their actions affect the team. In fact, the impact of a leader on an employee’s mental health is greater than that of doctors (51%) or therapists (41%), and equivalent to that of a life partner (69%). 

3. Build a culture of well-being 

   This is not about launching flashy one-off initiatives. Creating a culture of well-being means integrating healthy relational behaviors like recognition, normalizing conflict, embracing mistakes, and celebrating wins. These behaviors enhance psychological safety and emotional well-being. Leadership performance metrics can include goals that promote organizational health. In Europe and North America, over 70% of companies include at least one human capital metric in their executive incentive plans, with European prevalence the highest at 83%. Implementing a conflict management system will help provide a clear framework to handle difficult situations. This should be paired with training team leaders in how to normalize conflict within work teams. 

4. Normalize emotional health 

   Although 87% of employees have access to mental and emotional wellness programs, only 23% use them. The reasons include fear of stigma, lack of leadership support (only 49% believe their managers understand this need), and lack of time (38%). Leaders must set the tone by normalizing conversations about emotional health—this will make well-intentioned programs more effective. 

5. Support social health 

   Social health refers to a sense of belonging and inclusion at work. It means having a healthy work climate and positive relationships with others in the company. In hybrid work environments, we’ve seen a “trust retreat.” Creating informal spaces—both physical and temporal—for connection contributes to well-being. Team cohesion can also be strengthened through group workshops that focus on relationships. 

6. Tailor approaches by generation 

   Teams are increasingly diverse. Never before have so many generations worked together. Gen Z reports significantly lower levels of emotional and social well-being compared to Millennials and Gen X. It’s important to take generational differences into account when designing team-building activities: reverse mentoring programs, training in recognizing intergenerational biases (your own and others’), or in-person onboarding for remote-dominant teams are all helpful. 

Awareness followed by action. This process starts with truly listening to what teams need. Then, by involving them directly, we implement simple and effective actions. If we truly place people at the center, we should start there. Taking care of people means taking care of the organization—and of ourselves.