Dear Board Member/NED,
The world outside office windows is shifting rapidly, and with it, the very foundation of business resilience. The organisations that will thrive in the coming years are those that grasp a fundamental truth: people challenges are no longer ‘soft’ HR concerns – they are strategic imperatives that require board-level attention.
Yet, too many boards are waiting for the C-suite to bring these issues to them. That is a mistake. The signs of crisis are everywhere – rising absenteeism, disengagement, talent shortages, and burnout at every level. Leaders are exhausted. Employees are disillusioned. Productivity is declining. The cracks in the system are not just visible; they are widening.
The skeletons are quite literally bursting out of the stationery cupboard, and many of them are already ransacking the office.
Why this must come from you
Many C-suite executives are operating under immense pressure, and when leaders are overwhelmed, their ability to think strategically and proactively diminishes. The dominance of the ‘chimp brain’ – our survival-focused, reactive mode – means they often default to avoidance and short-term firefighting rather than addressing systemic issues that are eroding human capital investment. This results in:
- The assumption that these challenges are inevitable and unsolvable.
- A belief that employee wellbeing, experience, and engagement are solely an HR responsibility.
- A reactive approach that prioritises immediate crises over long-term, preventative solutions.
This is precisely why board members must take the lead.
If you wait for the C-suite to escalate this issue, it may be too late – too late to prevent burnout among key talent, too late to avoid reputational damage from poor employee experience, and too late to retain a competitive edge in attracting and keeping the best people. Board members are uniquely positioned to break this cycle by asking the right questions before this becomes a business crises.
Why wait for a crisis?
Josh Bersin put it bluntly:
“Companies that excel in employee engagement often do so only after a near-death experience.”
The businesses that will succeed in the coming decade are those that prioritise sustainable leadership and a workplace culture where people can perform at their best without sacrificing their health. That change starts in the boardroom.
Failing to grasp the gravity of these challenges – and the financial and reputational risks they bring—would be reckless. This is no longer just a moral or ethical issue; it is a business-critical one. Shareholders, regulators, and the market will not accept complacency.
What the data tells us
A disengaged workforce doesn’t just impact morale; it directly affects profitability, innovation, and long-term viability.
- Employee disengagement costs companies millions – Gallup reports that disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.8 trillion annually in lost productivity.
- Turnover is an enormous financial drain – Replacing a single employee can cost up to 200% of their annual salary. Yet, most organisations treat turnover as an unavoidable expense rather than an addressable problem.
- Companies prioritising employee experience outperform their competitors – Research shows organisations with strong employee experience strategies achieve 21% higher profitability and 17% higher productivity than those without.
Appendix 1 (below) outlines actions you can take as a Board Member to put this on the agenda and hold business leaders accountable.
Will You Act Before It’s Too Late?
As a board member, you have the unique ability to elevate this conversation beyond rhetoric and into action. Don’t wait for rock bottom. The time to act is now.
Appendix 1:
Link people metrics to business performance
- Request a report detailing how employee experience metrics correlate with productivity, revenue, and profitability.
- Ensure that future board packs include key indicators of employee wellbeing and experience, not just financial performance.
- Make it clear that improving workplace culture is not an expense – it is an investment with a tangible ROI.
Challenge the status quo on leadership accountability
- Ask how leadership development is evolving to equip executives with the skills to manage people effectively.
- Question whether existing leadership structures incentivise behaviours that foster engagement and trust – or unintentionally drive burnout and disengagement.
- Ensure wellbeing and culture are embedded into strategic decision-making, not relegated to HR initiatives with no executive ownership.
Commission an organisational diagnostic
- Propose an in-depth diagnostic to assess the current state of workplace wellbeing, employee experience, and corporate culture.
- This will identify key risks, at-risk groups, and underlying causes of disengagement, burnout, and attrition.
- The data from this exercise can inform a people strategy that is measurable and accountable.
Don’t be surprised if, when raising these challenges, you are met with confused silence, glazed eyes, or awkward shuffling in seats. Josh Bersin explains that:
“There’s always two-thirds of companies that aren’t very good at this.”