*3.2. Self*

About one-third of the time, leaders spoke about workplace health, safety, and well-being from their own perspective. In order from most to least frequently mentioned, included leading by example, demonstrating individual consideration, helpful strategies for engaging employees, outcomes they perceive by personally engaging in TWH-focused leadership practices, and value for health. Leading by example was most commonly expressed as the leader participating in health and wellness initiatives or activities. Notably, "participate" was a grandchild code of "lead by example" and represented 15% of the "lead by example" codes. Individual consideration was denoted when a leader gave an example of how they paid special attention to individual employee to check-in or to help them. Some leaders specifically mentioned having an open-door policy to provide a safe place for employees to talk about both work and non-related work issues. Others also stressed the importance of connecting with employees on an individual level.

"You can't expect people to pull away from their desks and come participate in something if it's not important enough for you to do it yourself".

"I hope that my actions positively affect the behaviors of my employees ... if I come into the office in a bad mood, others are also in a bad mood. If I come into the office psyched and engaged, others are psyched and engaged. As a leader, I get that people mirror and model my behavior".

"One thing that I tried to do over the years able to listen to my coworkers and just, you know be willing to hear them and how they're doing and be able to help in any way that I can".

" ... we have an open-door policy ... if you're struggling whether or not it's work-related or outside of work ... you know we are here for you. We get life ... we [upper management] tried to take our own personal experiences and reach out with regards to how we can involve our employees".

"But there are tremendous opportunities when you do connect with someone ... they know you understand what they're doing and that you have their best interest in mind. You can make a really meaningful change by simply helping someone do something the right way so they don't get hurt, or helping them achieve a professional development goal that they've always wanted to do, whether it's a training, or a certification . . . "

Of the few times leaders mentioned their health values, they spoke from a couple of perspectives. For example, some mentioned it terms of a personal value while others mentioned it in relation to their work team.

"And another thing I'd add is that I truly care about the well-being of the people that I work with and that are my co-workers. From a human perspective, it just matters to me that they feel as good as they can".

"I think it's important from a personal perspective not only for ourselves, but also for our employees and that they conduct themselves in a safe manner so that they return to their families safely and be healthy and be able to provide for their families".

On several occasions, leaders mentioned strategies they found to be helpful as they personally worked to promote employee health, safety, and well-being.

"First and foremost, it's building a trust level".

"We have an advantage because we are small, and I think it's critical in a small business environment that you need to develop a structure that tunes it for each individual employee".

When leaders spoke about perceived outcomes of their personal efforts to engage in TWH, they most commonly referred to better employee/leader relationship and employee engagement.

"I think that I have so many people that want to work with us and with me, and with my partners just because they see us doing what we're doing".
