The CEO of your own wellbeing: Empowering employees through accountability and resilience

Rising stress levels, economic volatility, and rapid technological disruption are reshaping the way organisations think about employee wellbeing. For HR leaders, the question is no longer simply how to support mental health, but how to build a workforce capable of navigating sustained uncertainty.

During a recent session in the Asia HR Leaders Live Series organised by AsiaHRM and supported by HRM Asia, Simon Thuc, Deputy General Director and Vice-President of Human Resources at Indo-Trans Logistics Corporation (ITL), argued that organisations must move beyond treating mental health as a problem to be managed and instead view it as a capability to be developed.

Speaking with Rita Tsui, Founder of AsiaHRM, Thuc described how organisations can transform workforce resilience by reframing mental health through the lens of “mental toughness”.

The workforce caught in a “perfect storm”

According to Thuc, many organisations are currently facing a convergence of pressures that have intensified workforce fatigue.

Geopolitical instability, economic volatility, AI-driven disruption, and post-pandemic workplace shifts have created what he described as a “perfect storm”. In such environments, employees often shift into survival mode—becoming risk-averse, anxious about job security, and reluctant to make decisions.

“Many employees today are operating under hyper-fatigue,” said Thuc. “They face constant uncertainty, AI anxiety, economic pressure, and increasing job demands.”

These pressures can lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and heightened emotional strain. In sectors such as logistics—where operational decisions must often be made under tight timelines and unpredictable conditions—the consequences can be especially significant.

However, Thuc cautioned that traditional corporate wellbeing programmes may not be sufficient to address these challenges.

Rethinking mental health as a capability

For many organisations, workplace mental health initiatives have historically focused on support mechanisms such as counselling services, wellness programmes, or stress-relief activities.

While these remain important, Thuc believes they should not be the sole focus. “If we treat mental health only as an issue to heal, employees may become dependent on external support,” he explained. “But if we treat it as a capability, we empower people to strengthen their resilience.”

This shift requires a change in organisational mindset. Instead of viewing employees as individuals who need protection from stress, organisations should equip them with the skills to manage pressure and uncertainty more effectively. In this approach, resilience becomes a trainable skill rather than a fixed personal trait.

Building resilience through everyday habits

At the individual level, Thuc emphasised the importance of self-awareness as the starting point for resilience. Employees must first understand the sources of their stress—whether related to workload, personal circumstances, or lifestyle factors—before they can address them effectively.

“People often blame external factors such as the organisation or the environment,” he said. “But the first step is looking inward.”

Developing small daily habits can also strengthen mental resilience. These might include short mindfulness practices, reflective journaling, regular exercise, or periods of digital detox. Such micro-habits, he noted, can help employees regulate emotions, maintain perspective, and avoid reactive decision-making during stressful situations.

Another critical factor is accountability. “You are the CEO of your own mental health,” Thuc said. “Employees must take ownership of their wellbeing rather than relying entirely on the organisation.”

The 4C model of mental toughness

To help organisations build resilient workforces, Thuc highlighted the “4C model” of mental toughness, which focuses on four key traits: control, challenge, commitment, and confidence.

Control refers to an individual’s ability to manage emotions and responses under pressure. According to Thuc, this is often the most difficult skill to develop, as many people instinctively react with fight-or-flight or freeze responses in stressful situations.

Challenge involves reframing difficulties as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles.

Commitment reflects the discipline to persist with goals despite setbacks or uncertainty—an area Thuc believes young professionals sometimes struggle with in fast-changing environments.

Finally, confidence enables employees to trust their own judgment and interact effectively with others.

When these four elements are strengthened, employees are better equipped to remain focused, make sound decisions, and maintain stability even during turbulent periods.

Moving beyond wellness programmes

Thuc believes organisations should gradually shift their investments from purely wellbeing-focused initiatives towards capability-building programmes. Traditional activities such as wellness days or yoga sessions still have value, he said, but should be complemented by training in areas such as emotional regulation, decision-making under uncertainty, and conflict resolution.

Leadership development also plays a crucial role. Managers must learn to remain calm during crisis and avoid reactive behaviour that can amplify stress within teams. “Leaders must first develop their own inner maturity,” he explained. “If leaders panic, the whole organisation feels the pressure.”

Navigating the AI era

Another factor shaping employee anxiety is the rapid adoption of AI in the workplace. While some employees fear AI-driven job displacement, Thuc encouraged organisations to position AI as a supportive tool rather than a threat.

“AI should be seen as an assistant,” he said. “It can process data and provide insights, but human judgment, emotional intelligence, and sense-making remain essential.”

READ MORE: AI fluency and human judgment: The twin pillars of sustainable talent strategy

He also highlighted the growing importance of decision-making skills in uncertain environments—what he described as the ability to navigate “foggy” situations where data may be incomplete. These capabilities, he argued, will become increasingly valuable as organisations operate in complex and unpredictable global markets.

Ultimately, Thuc believes HR leaders must rethink their approach to resilience in order to prepare organisations for a more volatile future. “Mental health protects people,” he said. “But mental toughness equips people.” Rather than shielding employees from pressure entirely, organisations should help them develop the skills to manage it constructively.

For HR leaders, this means embedding resilience-building into leadership development, organisational culture, and workforce capability programmes.

In a world defined by constant change, the ability to remain focused, adaptable, and resilient may prove to be one of the most valuable workforce competencies of all.