Well-Being

Finding comfort, health and happiness in the compliance & risk professions.

GOING BEYOND KPIs

First, Do No Harm: The Hidden Mental Health Cost of Ethics & Compliance Investigations

Workplace probes into reported ethics and compliance lapses can (and do) spill over the borders of the investigation, often leading to anxiety and stress for everyone involved. Organizations that prioritize the mental well-being of all participants of an internal investigation may find they have better outcomes.

workplace investigation hand holding magnifying glass
giving flowers

FINDING JOY & PURPOSE

Lisa Beth Lentini Walker

Giving Thanks in a Thankless Profession

In a season of counting blessings, compliance professionals can harness the transformative power of gratitude to thaw workplace resistance and cultivate lasting partnerships.

brain recharging concept

SHARPEN SKILLS THROUGH REST

Lisa Beth Lentini Walker

Hardest Pill to Swallow: Rest?

Risk doesn’t rest, but you need to — or you increase the chances of burnout and negative physical and mental health consequences. But not all attempts at rest are actually restful.

hands letting go

HOW TO AVOID MICROMANAGEMENT

Lisa Beth Lentini Walker

Breaking Free: A Compliance Professional’s Guide to Letting Go

Like a parent, a compliance officer’s job often involves establishing processes and systems to ensure the program is self-sustaining. But letting go is easier said than done.

Leadership & Career

Well-Being

workplace autonomy

How Autonomy Can Improve Workplace Well-Being

Letting employees take control of their own careers can make them happier, more engaged and more productive. Just be sure to build a culture of trust before you hand them the keys. “I do it myself.” This is a phrase that parents everywhere hear uttered by 2-year-olds as they start asserting independence. Every toddler knows...

red umbrella blocking rain

Psychological Safety: An Essential Workplace Guide

A record 50 million U.S. workers quit their jobs in 2022, and the Great Resignation has prompted organizations to reassess their approach to the employee experience. As FDM Group’s Sheila Flavell explains, a research-backed practice known as psychological safety may help leaders boost retention and overall team effectiveness. Employees should feel valued by their organization...

workplace wellness

Building a Workplace Well-Being Strategy? Start With Appreciation & Gratitude.

The Covid pandemic has given us all a lesson in how our physical and emotional well-being can be affected by workplace stress, and employers are increasingly building workplace well-being strategies. Author and consultant Anna Eliatamby shares her recommendations for a humanity-centered strategy discussion. Well-being strategies have become a popular organizational intervention because of Covid and...

pause

Harnessing the Power of the Pause

In our hyper-connected world, it’s easy to push our human need for peace to the back-burner. But a well-being practice isn’t just about active mindfulness; it’s also about embracing stillness. It seems like 2023 began with a burst of energy. There are taxes to be filed, programs to be assessed, momentum and lift achieved. In...

tiny steps big impact_n

Tiny Steps Can Have a Big Impact

We know change doesn’t come easy, which is why making sweeping declarations doesn’t usually work. But where big changes often prove too challenging, bite-sized ones can have a big impact. Last column we spoke about setting themes for the year ahead rather than resolutions. While it is important to have a general guide to what...

well being intentions

New Beginnings & New Understandings

As the calendar rolls into February, the percentage of us who have kept our New Year’s resolutions is likely pretty small. CCI’s Well-Being Editor Lisa Beth Lentini Walker explores a better way of setting resolutions — or better yet, setting intentions. Each year, people focus on setting new year’s resolutions and without fail, the vast...

gift of nothing

The Best Gifts Are Often Free

One of the challenges for the mindfully ethical leader is finding ways to connect during the holiday season without violating gifts and entertainment limits or making the other person uncomfortable. How can you give this season without running afoul of ethics policies? Both at work and at home, we often give gifts to establish or...

budgeting compliance_n

How to De-Stress Budgeting for Your Compliance Program

Strong compliance programs don’t just happen. They require planning — and budgeting. Being thoughtful and proactive will help drive appropriate budgeting that supports and promotes program effectiveness, while reducing your stress both now and throughout the next fiscal year. ’Tis the season of budget management. Every year, around the time fall beverages show up at...

inner voice

How to Make Friends With Your Inner Voice

Most of us have an inner voice running through our heads constantly, spewing upwards of 4,000 words per minute. Because they’re with us all the time, these inescapable voices can systematically undermine our mental health, even causing us to make foolish career decisions. Have you ever heard yourself talk in your head? If you have,...

workplace self assessment

Stress Happens. Have You Checked on Your Well-Being?

Regular fare for compliance professionals includes threats of regulatory enforcement, loss of resources, businesspeople who are intent on undermining the program, investigations into challenging areas, audits, ongoing remediations and many other situations. Ensuring that we are emotionally well and aligned with our purpose is important in an era of dwindling resources. Just as we conduct...

‘Secondhand Trauma’ a Risk for Professionals Who Handle Sensitive Investigations

‘Secondhand Trauma’ a Risk for Professionals Who Handle Sensitive Investigations

First responders, teachers and others who regularly are exposed to cases of violent or sexual crimes generally have dedicated resources to support their mental health and well-being—and rightly so. But what about compliance, ethics, legal, HR, security, privacy, audit and risk professionals? These guardians of integrity within an organization experience the emotional impact of interacting...

blue banner for subscribing to CCI