Written by: Nikolett Huszák, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Five strategic priorities
Based on the HR Sentiment Survey in 2021 five strategic priorities have been revealed which became critical in the organization’s life and actions need to be taken in the short term.
Figure 1: Five Strategic Priorities For the Future of HR
Comparing the survey results in 2020 and 2021 a big shift can be identified. While in 2020 key priorities were marked: employee experience, leadership development and learning transformation; in 2021 employee well-being and mental health, diversity, equity, & inclusion, and employee experience and leadership development.
However, all five priorities are essential, and the organizations need to take all priorities into account, in this article I would like to focus on employee well-being & mental health.
The survey said that the first priority is to make Well-being & Mental Health a Business Mandate.
I know it’s a process and does not just happen in a minute. However, it’s time to start taking the first steps and creating the elements by establishing a company culture where employees feel cared for.
I was curious about some experts’ views on this topic so I asked them and highlighted their thoughts on it.
Victoria Bethlehem is a seasoned global HR leader and professional, with over 20 years experience in multi-national companies and more recently, the start-up world. She’s held Global Chief HR Officer and Chief Talent Roles, worked in 7 countries and is a recognised keynote speaker.
Victoria commenced by recognising how much Covid-19 has brought the topic of wellness to the foreground within and across organisations. As the world, and workplaces, have had to deal with much uncertainty and unknown, leaders have had to double down on their efforts in relation to looking out for their people’s wellbeing, in a largely virtual manner.
Wellbeing used to be seen by a lot of organisation as HR’s responsibility and she highlighted that COVID19 has made many realise it’s EVERYONE’s responsibility across the entire organisation. Wellbeing is a key contributing factor to a company’s culture and DNA. How people are looked after from an emotional, social and financial perspective has been proven to have a huge impact on their attitude, performance and delivery. Wellbeing affects the entire organization on many levels and as such, it needs to be included within any company’s attraction and retention strategy.
Victoria went on to say that with our reduced capacity to meet face2face and the increased usage of online mediums to connect with colleagues and clients, there is now a greater need for people to be able to understand and correctly interpret body language across the screen. Without an awareness for such, many non-verbal communications are likely to be missed, especially those relating to fatigue, disengagement, anxiety and so on. Victoria mentioned she had found the book “Digital Body Language” by Erica Dhawan to be extremely helpful in this area.
Lastly, Victoria spoke of how governments and companies can work together in the area of wellbeing by highlighting a great example of such from her home country. The Australian Government have launched a global initiative called “R U Ok Day”. This dedicated day is hosted across the country, with participation from companies, education institutions, community groups and so on all get involved. The program centres on having real check-in conversations with one another and creating a space for them to share how they are really feeling. https://www.ruok.org.au/
Nora Teglasi is an experienced HR professional with experience in entertainment, tech and fintech startups and hypergrowth businesses. Currently looking after People & Culture at Banxa, one of Australia's fastest-growing fintechs with offices around the Globe. Nora's passion lies in setting up international teams for success, contributing to business success by creating outstanding employee experiences and authentic, positive company cultures.
When I asked her what are the first words, expressions came to her mind when hearing Well-being at the workplace, she immediately said: work-life balance. Sometimes juggling with free time, me time and work-related time is essential. When they realized its importance they already started to take actions to create an environment where employees can feel the balance. The company created a new culture included:
Flexible working hours
Allow time off when people need it
Take international team members into consideration – allow family time, working remotely from anywhere
Employee Assistance Program
Plenty of team bonding and activities to stay connected
When I asked her what she sees as priorities for the future of HR in terms of Well-being &Health at the workplace she said that being an accommodating and caring employer is key. Second, supporting work-life balance by implementing programs for parental support, passion projects and also sabbaticals would mean an additional advantage in the corporate world. She definitely claimed that people need TIME OFF! as they’ve all worked way too hard during COVID. Besides she mentioned career progression and creating perspective is key for team members. Last but not least providing mental health support program will be a must and not extra.
As employee well-being contains seven pillars including physical, emotional, financial, social, carrier, community, and purpose, a holistic view is necessary to understand the employees better and create a holistic well-being culture in the organization.
7 Pillars of Holistic Employee Well-being
Create a Culture of Workplace Flexibility - FUTURE WORKPLACE
What to win if you make Well-being & Mental Health a Business Mandate?
Company’s retention rate would be stable.
Employee’s engagement would be stronger.
Overall employee satisfaction would be stable or increase.
Life-work balance would automatically evolve.
Productivity would increase.
Less fluctuation.
Effectiveness which would help to achieve better results.
Creating new employee well-being benefits would be a solution for supporting the employees’ mental and behavioral health. Well, it sounds easy however it’s not that easy at all.
To know what the employees need, they have to be asked and new benefits have to be fit to the needs.
As a first step, you may think that the survey is the best version, as it’s fast and gives immediate answers. In my opinion, a survey could help however, a personal discussion would be also needed to get verbal and non-verbal answers as well. At this point, I do believe in the power of coaching so people can talk about their fears, emotions, ’behind the curtain’ mental state which is not always can be visible from a survey.
Workplace Well-being would refer to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the working environment, to how employees feel about their job, the climate at work, and the work environment. Employees’ well-being is a key factor in determining the long-term effectiveness of an organization.
The world, people, and everything around us are in the move, changing and we need to be flexible, adapt, and be resilient with these changes. Covid-19 pandemic period created an environment where there was no choice just to act immediately and adopt the changes which affected all of the life and professional areas. Just to name a few, home-office, remote working, life-work balance, meaning & purpose at the workplace, well-being & mental health. Both on a corporate and employee level is inevitable.
Many studies and researches show a direct link between productivity levels and the general well-being & mental health of the employees.
If you’re just at the doorstep of creating your New Well-being Culture, let’s get in touch and see how I can help you to find the tailor-made well-being culture within your organization.
Further related links:
Nikolett Huszák, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nikolett HUSZÁK ACC is an ICF Accredited Business Coach and Human Marketing Developer. She has 16+ years of professional experience in Airline, Retail, and Property marketing. This knowledge gives her a Helicopter view of how the business runs. She is currently in a change as she just left the multinational company she worked for 16 years and give herself a break to have deeper knowledge and a clear view on her future. She holds a Bachelors's degree in Economics, a Masters's degree in Marketing, an ACC credential, Business coach certification. Nikolett is passionate about coaching, and it is one of her great passions besides traveling and sports. She loves to support people when they have dilemmas or challenges in their business. Through coaching, she is in charge of inspiring people. Nikolett used to be a professional handball player, and she accomplished several half-marathons.
