Rawle is the Executive Director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). He also is two-term president of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia (BADC). Founded in 1844, the APA is the oldest medical association in the United States and the largest psychiatric association in the world. Before joining the APA Foundation, Rawle held several progressively responsible management positions with AARP over 15 years, including most recently as a vice president and a member of the AARP national leadership team.
We are delighted to announce that Rawle will be speaking in New York this March as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit US. We caught up with him to find out how he’s feeling in the run up to the summit.
Hi Rawle, we are thrilled you will be speaking at our Wellbeing at Work Summit US in March. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m feeling motivated, energized and focused.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
- It’s the post covid, hybrid work styles. They are all very different leading to inconsistent outputs and outcomes, despite unity around the mission.
- The pace of change externally has significant impact on internal operations. The tendency is to be more tactical than strategic.
- The term “capacity” is losing its definition. The motivation to do something sometimes lags behind the North Star.
What strategies have you seen developing over the past 6 months, both internally and externally, that are moving the dial on wellbeing in the workplace?
- More organizations are moving beyond EAP to find additional tools and resources to promote wellbeing and peak performance, like the APAF Notice Talk Act at Work platform.
- The c-suite is being much more vocal about personal stories about mental wellness.
- The greater awareness about mental health in society is touching business organizations in way never before seen or imagined.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
As we are, so is our organization. If we are driven by purpose, focus, and strategy our ability to deliver consistently and at a high level is greater than the alternative. On the other hand, if we are burned out, or in a poor mental state, individual and organizational performance will wane.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
Curiosity around AI gets higher every day. At this point, because we support the medical field, we have taken a go slow, to go fast, test and learn approach.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
- Maintaining the cohesion and clear communication can be challenging.
- Every manager in our organization is required to take APAF’s NTA at Work training.
- The CEO Board Chair hosts quarterly all staff meetings and issues monthly e-updates to all staff.
- There are several operating work groups or committees with membership at all levels of the organization to come together to help us figure out how to do the right work the right way.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
- Presenteeism
- Protocols around the proper use of AI
- Navigating the DEI backlash
Do you feel that investment in employee wellbeing in the region is increasing or decreasing and is that a direct reflection on HR leaders’ increasing ability to demonstrate effective returns of their strategies to leadership?
Yes, I do. We also are seeing that organizations that have a “people strategy” department versus a “HR department” seem to be delivering better value to the staff.
How has your organization been leading the way?
- We are increasing internal communication up, down and across the enterprise.
- We try to limit substantially all meetings to 30 minutes or less with an agenda.
- Every manager in our organization is required to take APAF’s NTA at Work training
- The CEO Board Chair hosts quarterly all staff meetings and issues monthly e-updates to all staff.
- There are several operating work groups or committees with membership at all levels of the organization to come together to help us figure out how to do the right work the right way.
Rawle will be speaking in New York at the Wellbeing at Work Summit US which takes place in New York, Austin Texas and virtually. Further details on the Summit can be found here.
