Business

Global Study: C-Suite execs experienced more mental health challenges than their employees in wake of global pandemic

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

• The COVID-19 pandemic impacted workers differently depending on their seniority, generation, and location

• C-Suite execs had a harder time adapting to virtual work than their employees

• Gen Z and Millennials workers are feeling the most burned out

• Employees in India, UAE, China and US struggled the most with mental health at work

Mental health challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted workers differently depending on their seniority, generation, and location according to a new report by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, a HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders and C-Suite executive across 11 countries, found that

C-suite executives struggled to adapt more than their employees, younger generations experienced the most burnout, and that India, UAE, China and the U.S. had the most workers reporting the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health.

C-level executives have struggled the most with adapting to remote work realities and report they are suffering from mental health issues more than their employees, but they are also the most open to finding help in AI.

• C-Suite execs (53 percent) have struggled with mental health issues in the workplace more than their employees (45 percent).

• C-Suite execs also had the hardest time adapting to virtual lifestyles with 85 percent reporting significant remote work challenges including collaborating with teams virtually (39 percent), managing increased stress and anxiety (35 percent), and lacking workplace culture (34 percent).

• C-Suite execs were also 29 percent more likely to experience difficulties learning new technologies for remote work than employees; once they adjusted to the new normal, C-Suite execs were 26 percent more likely to find increased productivity than employees

• C-Suite execs are the most open to using AI for help with mental health: 73 percent would prefer to talk to a robot (i.e. chatbots and digital assistants) about their mental health over a human compared to 61 percent of employees.

• C-Suite execs are 23 percent more likely to see AI benefits than employees; 80 percent of C-Suite leaders noted AI has already helped their mental health at work.

Gen Z and Millennials are Hustlin’ Harder, Suffering More, and Seeking AI Relief

Younger workers are feeling the most burnout due to the mental health effects of the pandemic and are more open to asking AI for relief.

• Gen Z is more likely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic than any other generation. Nearly 90 percent of Gen Z workers said COVID-19 has negatively impacted their mental health and 94 percent noted workplace stress impacts their home life as well.

• Gen Z workers are 2X more likely than Baby Boomers to work extra hours during the pandemic, and Millennials are 130 percent more likely to have experienced burnout than Baby Boomers.

• Younger generations are the most likely to turn to robots for support: Gen Z workers are 105% more likely to talk to a robot over their manager about stress and anxiety at work than Baby Boomers. 84 percent of Gen Z and 77 percent of Millennials prefer robots over humans to help with their mental health.

• Gen Z workers are 73 percent more likely than Baby Boomers to benefit from AI at work: 90 percent of Gen Z say AI has helped their mental health at work and 93 percent want their companies to provide technology to support their mental health.

Just like COVID-19, the mental health crisis has impacted people differently across the world. People in India and China are being hit the hardest and are the most open to AI support, while workers in Italy, Germany, and Japan are seeing less of an impact.

• India (89 percent), UAE (86 percent), China (83 percent) and the U.S. (81 percent) had the most workers reporting the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health. Workers in China (43 percent) and India (32 percent) are also the most burned out from overwork as a result of COVID-19.

• Italy reported the lowest number of people experiencing a negative impact on their mental health from the pandemic (65 percent). Workers in Germany were the least likely to report that 2020 was the most stressful year at work ever (52 percent).

• 29 percent of people in Japan say they have not experienced many difficulties at all working remotely or collaborating with teams virtually. In contrast, 96 percent of people in India admit it has been challenging to keep up with the pace of technology at work.

• People in China (97 percent) and India (92 percent) are the most open to having a robot as a therapist or counselor. People in France (68 percent) and the UK (69 percent) were the most hesitant.

• People in India and China are 33 percent more likely to talk to a robot than their peers in other countries: 91 percent of Indian workers and 91 percent of Chinese workers would prefer a robot over their manager to talk about stress and anxiety at work.

Despite seniority, generation and geographic differences, people all over the world agree: The pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of the global workforce—and they want help.

• 78 percent of workers say the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health.

• 76 percent of people believe their company should be doing more to protect their mental health.

• 83 percent would like their company to provide technology to support their mental health.

“Diving deep into the differences between demographic and regional groups highlights the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health for employees in various age groups, roles and regions,” said Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner, Workplace Intelligence. “Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, companies can use this moment as a catalyst for positive change in their organizations. While the pandemic raised the urgency for companies to start protecting the mental health of their employees, the efforts they put in now will continue to create happier, healthier and more engaged workforces in the decades to come.”

“The pandemic put employee mental health in the global spotlight, but these findings also showed that it created growing support for solutions from employers including technologies like AI,” said Emily He, senior vice president, Oracle Cloud HCM. “The way the pandemic changed our work routines makes burnout, stress and other mental health issues all too easy. Everyone has been affected in different ways and the solutions each company puts in place need to reflect the unique challenges of employees. But overall, these findings demonstrate that implementing technology to improve the mental health of employees needs to be a priority for every business.”

•Research findings are based on a survey conducted by Savanta, Inc. between July 16 – August 4, 2020. For this survey, 12,347 global respondents (from the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, France, Italy, Germany, India, Japan, China, Brazil, and Korea) were asked general questions to explore leadership and employee attitudes around mental health, artificial intelligence technology, digital assistants, chatbots and robots in the workplace. The study targeted people between the ages of 22-years-old and 74-years-old. Respondents were recruited through a number of different mechanisms, via different sources to join the panels and participate in market research surveys. All panellists passed a double opt-in process and completed on average 300 profiling data points prior to taking part in surveys. Respondents were invited to take part via email and were provided with a small monetary incentive for doing so. Results of any sample were subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 0.9 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

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Business

Sri Lanka educates women but keeps many out of work, ADB warns

Published

22 hours ago

2026/06/5

Thilina Walpola

Shannon Cowlin - ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has one of the most educated female populations in South Asia, yet only about one in three women participates in the labour force, making female workforce participation among the lowest in the region and leaving a significant source of economic growth untapped.

That paradox took centre stage at a knowledge forum organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Colombo on June 3, where government officials, labour authorities, academics and private-sector leaders examined the deep-rooted barriers preventing women from fully participating in the economy and explored reforms needed to unlock their economic potential.

Opening the event, ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka Shannon Cowlin said the issue extends beyond gender equality and has become a critical economic challenge for a country seeking sustained growth and inclusive development.

“Empowering women to participate fully in the labour force is not only a matter of equality; it is essential for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in Sri Lanka,” she said.

The forum, held under ADB’s Serendipity Knowledge Programme (SKOP), focused on findings from a recent ADB-supported study exploring the factors behind Sri Lanka’s persistently low female labour force participation.

Cowlin noted that despite notable progress in education and human development, Sri Lanka continues to lag behind on measures of gender equality and women’s economic participation. She said multiple studies have shown that the factors shaping women’s labour force participation are layered, interconnected and multidimensional.

According to the study, many women remain concentrated in informal, low-paid and insecure employment with limited access to social protection and few opportunities for career advancement. Social and cultural expectations continue to place primary caregiving responsibilities on women, often restricting their ability to pursue careers or remain in full-time employment.

The lack of affordable childcare services, unequal access to digital skills and technology, concerns over workplace safety, sexual harassment and inadequate transport options were identified as major obstacles preventing women from entering or remaining in the workforce.

“These are complex challenges that require action from all stakeholders – government, development partners, the private sector, civil society and academia,” Cowlin said.

She stressed that improving women’s labour force participation would require more than isolated policy interventions, calling instead for structural transformation, stronger infrastructure and care services, progressive workplace practices and broader societal changes that improve women’s mobility, safety and economic agency.

The event featured a presentation by Professor Dileni Gunawardena of the University of Peradeniya, who shared findings from ADB’s study on female labour force participation, followed by a panel discussion involving representatives from the International Labour Organisation, the Department of Labour, MAS Holdings and John Keells Holdings.

Panelists discussed measures to improve the enabling environment for women, including greater investment in the care economy, expanded childcare facilities, enhanced skills development, creating safe, supportive workplaces and career pathways for upward mobility.

Participants agreed that increasing women’s participation in the workforce is not merely ‘a nice to have’ but an economic necessity, particularly as Sri Lanka seeks to accelerate recovery, boost productivity and achieve more inclusive growth.

The ADB said Sri Lanka’s economic recovery presents a unique opportunity to address long-standing structural barriers facing women and to build a more inclusive labour market that fully utilises the country’s human capital.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Business

ComBank offers exclusive financial solutions to the ‘Guardians of the Skies’

Published

22 hours ago

2026/06/5

Thilina Walpola

Hasrath Munasinghe, Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Bank and Air Vice Marshal Rajinth Jayawardena, Director General Welfare of the SLAF exchange the agreement in the presence of representatives of the two organisations.

Reinforcing its commitment to those who serve the nation, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) to introduce a comprehensive suite of concessionary financial facilities for its officers and other ranks.

The partnership, unveiled in a year that marks the 75th anniversary of the Air Force, which was founded in March 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force, reflects a shared recognition of the critical role played by the SLAF as the steadfast ‘Guardians of the skies,’ entrusted with safeguarding the country’s security and sovereignty.

Under the terms of the agreement, Commercial Bank will extend a range of specially tailored financial products to SLAF personnel, including personal loans, leasing facilities, housing loans and credit cards. These facilities will be offered at concessionary interest rates, alongside concessions on documentation charges, enabling Air Force personnel to access financial support on more favourable terms.

The Bank said the initiative is part of its continuing efforts to deliver best-in-class lending solutions that are both accessible and responsive to the diverse needs of its customers. By offering attractive and affordable repayment structures, the scheme is designed to empower SLAF officers and other ranks to meet their personal financial requirements with greater ease and flexibility.

A key feature of the programme is the ability for beneficiaries to align repayments with their income patterns, ensuring that the facilities remain practical and sustainable over the long term. This flexibility, combined with preferential pricing, is expected to make a meaningful difference to the financial wellbeing of Air Force personnel and their families.

Business

Treasury Bill rate hike compounds stock market volatility

Published

22 hours ago

2026/06/5

Thilina Walpola

The CSE was extremely volatile yesterday mainly due to external and internal negative factors.

‘The escalation of the war situation in West Asia and the proposed tariff hike on Sri Lanka’s exports to the US by the Trump administration are worsening Sri Lanka’s economic woes. Further, the government’s decision to increase the Treasury Bill rate has also created some uncertainty in the market, stock analysts said.

The All Share Price Index was up by 249.83 points, while the S and P SL20 rose by 67.61 points. Turnover stood at Rs 2.79 billion with 11 crossings.

Companies that mainly contributed to the turnover by way of crossings were: Chevron Lubricants 1.5 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 294 million and its shares traded at Rs 196, TJ Lanka 2.9 million shares crossed for Rs 90.8 million; its shares traded at Rs 31, Citizens Development Business Finance 2.5 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 80.2 million; its shares traded at Rs 32.50.

ACL Cables 634,248 shares crossed for Rs 60.9 million; its shares traded at Rs 96, CCS 438,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 57.4 million; its shares traded at Rs 131, Overseas Realties 991,500 shares crossed for Rs 49.6 million; its shares traded at Rs 50 and Access Engineering 653,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 49.3 million; its shares sold at Rs 75.50.

In the retail market companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; Dialog Rs 133 million (3.2 million shares traded), Seylan Bank (Non-Voting) Rs 110 million (1.7 million shares traded), Colombo Dockyard Rs 96.8 million (751,548 shares traded), Ceylinco Holdings (Non-Voting) Rs 77.5 million (516,000 shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs 74.2 million (530,000 shares traded), JKH Rs 74 million (3.7 million shares traded) and LMF Rs 65 million (781,000 shares traded). During the day 123 million share volumes changed hands in 26272 transactions.

It is said that the manufacturing sector, especially Chevron Lubricants and several other firms performed well, while the banking and financial sector performed too.

Yesterday the rupee was quoted flat at Rs 334.50/335.50 to the US dollar in the spot market on, unchanged from the previous day’s close, dealers said, while bond yields were broadly steady.

The telegraphic transfer rate for Sri Lanka’s rupee against the US dollar was Rs 330.50 buying, Rs 339.50 selling; euro was Rs 381.1884 selling, Rs 395.1054 buying; and the pound Rs 442.6620 buying Rs 456.7076 selling.

A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 was quoted at 12.12/20 percent, down from 12.15.25 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.06.2034 was quoted at 13.12/20 percent, down from 13.15/25 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.03.2035 was quoted flat at 13.15/25 percent.

By Hiran H Senewiratne