To kick off UVA Batten’s Wellness Week, UVA’s Chief Mental Health Officer Nicole Ruzek, PhD., spoke with students at Monday’s Batten Hour event about fostering well-being in demanding career and leadership roles, and offered advice for how to choose a workplace that reciprocates that energy.

“When you're choosing an employer it's like choosing a person you're going to date,” Ruzek told the Batten students, many of whom are beginning the search for plans post-graduation. “You want to make sure that you're hopefully matching with someone who's going to be inspirational to you, someone who also can reflect back to you your own values and someone who has enough in common with you that you feel aligned.”

Watch the video here > 

Ruzek was immediately clear about distinguishing between wellness – the absence of sickness – and well-being, which refers to a whole-person-centered approach to thriving in different contexts including career, social, financial, physical, community, mental/emotional, spiritual, intellectual and interpersonal settings.

Eighty percent of Gen Z and millennials in the U.S. cite mental health support and policies as a top factor when considering a potential employer, according to 2024 data that Ruzek shared. Worldwide, there is a $322 billion cost in turnover, lost productivity and burnout. Nonetheless, workplace wellbeing in all its manifestations  -- productivity, engagement, retention, performance and recruitment – does appear to be increasing. In 2022, targeted employer programs comprised a $51 billion global market, mostly in North America and the United States. 

“But wellness programs aren’t enough,” Ruzek said.

The factors that give rise to overall well-being in the workplace are captured within the framework of the Social Determinants of Health: employee well-being is largely determined by physical and psychological safety, a sense of belonging and inclusion, healthy boundaries, feeling recognized, respected and liked, and feeling that your work efforts matter and that there are opportunities for growth.

“So, promoting well-being has more to do with the conditions of where you work,” Ruzek told students.

Those conditions are especially important for people who fill leadership roles, she said. In a straw poll at Monday’s event, 75% of the students said they hoped to be leaders  someday. And while leader well-being is crucial for setting the tone for the behavior and culture of their organization, leadership roles place unique demands on individuals, Ruzek said.

“(These) roles are demanding, they’re lonely, there’s a chance to feel like an imposter. “It’s ok to acknowledge you’re struggling.”

Reframing self-care as an investment and acknowledging “you and your team’s limits” is an integral piece of this; so is inviting vulnerability and maintaining healthy boundaries, soliciting feedback and normalizing asking for help, she said.

“Help is available for you if you ask for it, and I think that is huge,” Ruzek said. “And there's research on this actually showing that leaders who are vulnerable have a positive impact on their team, and that when they share things about their own struggle, then employees have an opportunity to talk about their struggle […] and so that they can get feedback and grow.”

Ruzek noted a few more key pieces for leaders to maintain well-being: 

• Stay connected to what matters and aligned with your values
• Stay engaged with the people you work with and serve
• Manage your energy levels
• Ask for feedback and help
• Set an intention each day
• Have a life outside of work
• Connect with other managers, peers or leaders
• Find a mentor
• Have fun

UVA Batten has an on-staff mental health specialist, Nicolo Porto (bio and contact info here). In addition to being available for appointments with students, he suggests these additional resources:  

UVA Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

• Serves all full-time UVA students
• Offers group therapy, brief individual therapy, psychiatric services and care management
• Emergency/Crisis Services

              At main CAPS office in the Student Health and Wellness Building

              Walk-ins available Monday - Friday, 8 am – 5 pm

              After business hours, call (434) 243-5150 to speak with an on-call clinician

• To make an initial phone assessment, call (434) 243-5150, or use the Health Hoos portal. 
• CAPS operates on a brief-therapy model and typically sees students for around 6 sessions. Referrals to community therapists can be provided as well.