Leader’s Angle • The cost of silence: Harassment, workplace culture and mental health • World Mental Health Day
The true cost of silence is seldom measured - until it’s too late.
In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure work environment, silence can feel like the safer choice. But when harassment, discrimination, and toxic workplace cultures are left unchallenged, they quietly erode individual wellbeing and organisational health. The impact? Increased absenteeism, presenteeism, staff turnover, reputational harm, and mental health decline.
This World Mental Health Day, book now to join a full-day Leader’s Angle event: The Cost of Silence. Together, we will explore how courageous leadership, progressive HR practices, and psychologically safe workplaces can challenge the status quo and foster dignity-led cultures.
Prof Renata Schoeman, Head: MBA Healthcare Leadership at Stellenbosch Business School, will lead a team of expert voices and industry leaders on mental health issues within the workplace. Your voice matters in shaping workplaces where people don’t just survive, but thrive. We look forward to hosting you
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Darren Green (Corporate Events Manager: Mediclinic)
TOPICS AND SPEAKERS
Understanding workplace harassment: more than just a legal issue
Hanlie Lizette Wessels (CEO: Impact Business Development)
The mental health toll of a toxic workplace
Daniëlle Malan (Director: AboutMind)
The hidden cost: productivity loss and talent attrition
Nicolette Jacobs (PwC Africa: Asset & Wealth Management Leader)
Danger in the corridor – toxic leaders (narcissism, queen bees, etc.)
Prof Renata Schoeman (Head: MBA Health Care Leadership at Stellenbosch Business School)
Leadership’s role in creating a safe and supportive work culture
Prof Arnold Smit (Associate Professor Extraordinaire: Stellenbosch Business School)
Harassment in the digital workplace: the new frontier of workplace toxicity
Dr Ngao Motsei (GIBS Business School)
From bystanders to upstanders: empowering employees to address harassment
Dr Adrian Parsadh (Head: Career Leadership at Stellenbosch Business School)
Student research presentations
Josephine Petlele (MBA: Stellenbosch Business School)
Byron Morgan-Smith (MBA Project Management: Stellenbosch Business School)
Panel discussion
Jo-Anne da Silva (Head: People Business Partnering)
Beraldine Minnaar (Legal & Compliance Manager: The Logistics Group)
Legal frameworks and organizational policies: what’s working and what’s not?
Debbie Collier-Reed
Healing after harassment: supporting mental health recovery
Lynn Witten (Owner: Witten Consulting)