Supporting mental wellbeing in the hybrid world of work



How do organizations create diverse and focused offerings that support the mental health of their employees?  

That is what Certified Top Employer Discovery discussed in a recent Top Employers Connect webinar about mental wellbeing.  

In the latest of our ‘For a Better World of Work’ series, we were joined by Jabulile Nosi, Head of Employee Wellbeing at Discovery, Zonke Mashile, Business Executive at Discovery, and Ammara Naeem, Head of Client Success at Top Employers Institute, to explore how Discovery uses personalization, data-centricity, and leadership storytelling to unlock a meaningful wellbeing strategy.  

Read ahead to get a snapshot at some of the highlights from Zonke, Jabulile, and Ammara’s engaging discussion, and fill in the form (on the right-hand side of the page) to get the recording of the webinar to watch whenever you have a moment. 

Discovery’s wellness is derived from its purpose – which is to make people healthier and enhance and protect their lives. And that’s where insights are drawn from.  

Although Discovery has a plethora of wellness resources (including bank rewards, an integrated rewards platform, webinars, corporate wellness), they were still challenged with what is missing around how they support their employee’s mental wellbeing.  

Concerns were grouped into four key themes:  

• Languishing – Adam Grant refers to languishing as the «neglected middle child of mental health.» It is the  void between depression and flourishing, in other words, the feeling of being «stuck.» 
• Grief – Not just the grief of the loss of loved ones, but also the grief of losing the last few years of being home and the grief of experiences. The loss of opportunities and experiences and social interactions. 
• Burnout – The feeling of being overwhelmed and your body telling you, «I can’t do this anymore.» 
• Anxiety – A sense of anxiety among employees given the uncertainty and stress in the environment. 

Prioritizing employee mental well-being through a series of experiments 

As a result of the four key themes identified, Discovery ran a series of experiments to see what was working and what was not working. Some of the experiments conducted were:  

• A five-part mental well-being series covering several topics (including the importance, stigma, burnout, screen fatigue, and even wellbeing for kids!) 
• Team initiatives – Power Hours, Meeting Free Afternoons, Brown bag sessions, Resilience toolkits, and bereavement and will support.  
• Measuring success – dipstick surveys, employee engagement surveys, clarity in accountability, fully leverage data science, and then ideate based on data.  

Employees and managers were also already equipped with resilience tools, mental health platforms along with leadership buy-in. 

But how does this translate to the employee experience?  

Discovery ensured to equip all employees with the necessary tools and programs, irrespective of where they are in their own well-being journey.  

Zonke explains that Discovery has an active approach to wellbeing:  “Prevention is seen as the yardstick for success -, we really don’t wait for things to completely fall apart, but we journey with the employee in understanding where potential issues may arise, and proactively we seek to manage those.»  

To ensure the active approach is delivered, employees have access to something called «Healthy Company.»  

Healthy company – a holistic wellbeing approach 

A healthy company is Discovery’s program with an aspirational outlook on all four pillars of wellbeing (mental, physical, financial, and emotional). It is focused on a comprehensive understanding of employee wellbeing. It is both diagnostic and proactive, which sets it apart from other tools in the industry.  

How does a healthy company work?  

Everyone that interacts with a healthy company undergoes screening. This may include, for example, biometric data of employees that may be collected at a wellness expo or a wellness day. This gives an in-depth understanding of an employee’s well-being and picks up any risk factors. Immediately if any risk is picked up, there is an intervention.  

The use of Coaching 

A coach navigates an employee through their entire well-being journey. The assessment is based on an algorithm – which then, with consent, a healthy company coach reaches out to guide the employee through whichever issue they may be affected with.  

The use of data 

The consolidation of the assessment results gives Discovery powerful data points for them to design proactive interventions, so interventions do not reside in a vacuum. Interventions are tailored on the back of the new one’s understanding of the complete complexion of the workforce that you are dealing with. Results can be aggregated across the organization and filtered down.  

The remarkable thing is that the program is not only open to Discovery employees, but it is open to the market.  

It is also enabled with an app with your own personalized health dashboard – you will have a massive repository of educational content across all the four dimensions of wellbeing that you can leverage.  

Employer Branding – How to stand out from the crowd



Sofia Merlo, CHRO at BNP Paribas, caught up with David Plink, our CEO, on the 23^rd of March 2022 in our first virtual fireside chat of 2022: Employer Branding – How to stand out from the crowd.

As the struggle for top talent continues, employer branding is more important than ever. For an organisation to attract and retain the best talent, their brand needs to be clear and understandable. In 2022, employer branding remains a top priority for organisations and as a result, finding the right mix between the vision, mission, organisational culture, personality, and marketing messaging is key! 

Read ahead to get a snapshot at some of the highlights from Sofia and David’s engaging discussion and fill in the form (on the right-hand side of the page) to get the complete fireside chat to watch whenever you have a moment.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of banking to the world. This was not always the case, as the financial crisis tarnished the image of the banking industry. Organisations had to slowly rebuild their brand . At the centre of this work is aligning the purpose of an organisation to each employee.

The power of purpose for employer branding

 Serving their clients is at the core of BNP Paribas. That was the first thing that they kept in mind when they began developing   their employer branding strategy . That’s because the actions of employees are there to express the purpose of the organisation.

Employer branding is first what you are really doing on the ground – and this is then translated to a communication and marketing plan. In the end, authenticity always shines through. When you want to attract newcomers, the best attraction is your current employees.

Collaboration between HR and marketing

Sofia emphasised that employer branding is not the sole responsibility of HR or marketing. Ultimately, it is a collaborative effort between both departments. HR is there to ensure that the correct organisational culture is in place. This translates to the best form of employer branding, which is having employee ambassadors. The end responsibility of employer branding cannot be alone with HR and marketing. They work with managers and employees to ensure that what they communicate externally is applied internally.

What makes an employer brand stand out from the crowd?

There are various elements to make your employer brand stand out. In particular, Sofia mentioned three elements that make BNP Paribas stand out:

• Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals: At the core of BNP Paribas’s purpose is the pursuit of positive environmental impacts. In line with this, they’ve joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) to fight climate change to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
• Diversity: BNP Paribas were one of the first big companies, in 2004, in France to hire someone to specifically look at all areas of diversity. This is managed with strategic KPIs and action plans. Diversity is a key strategic pillar in positioning themselves as an employer of choice.
• Internal mobility: Part of the DNA of BNP Paribas is internal mobility. This enables employees to move across business lines and in different positions. Many employees remain with BNP Paribas for a long time for this very reason. Just last year, they had over 20 000+ internal mobility moves.

How to build your own brand and career

Sofia has had a long and diverse career with BNP Paribas, with opportunities in business, HR, wealth management and career management at various levels. At the core of this is her «willingness to take risks». Furthermore, she advises everyone to build a strong network, not only those within your department but across business lines and diversity groups. Sofia poignantly ended the webinar with the best pieces of advice she has received from her carer»

• “Dare to take risks, dare to speak, dare to ask for what you expect.»
• “Have a good balance between your work and personal life. “

How BNP Paribas uses the Top Employers Certification

BNP Paribas is proud to be certified in 15 countries and ranked in the top 10 Employers in France. This proud achievement is shared with all employees and managers and is part of the attraction and retention strategy. For countries that are not yet certified, they are looking at ways in which their practices can be improved. The objectivity and the value of external feedback received cannot be understated.

Informe de Tendencias World of Work 2022



El Informe de tendencias World of Work 2022 del Top Employers Institute examina las últimas tendencias en estrategias y prácticas de personal de las organizaciones líderes a nivel mundial.

El informe analizó datos de 1 857 Top Employers Certificados para brindar una visión más amplia de la forma como los desarrollos globales afectarán a la fuerza laboral en el próximo año.

¿Qué contiene?

Si bien nuestro informe de 2021 reflejó la turbulencia de un mundo laboral tambaleándose por los efectos de la pandemia de Covid-19, el Informe de Tendencias World of Work 2022 de este año ofrece más claridad sobre las formas en que estos desafíos han evolucionado y permitido el surgimiento de nuevas tendencias.

Nuestra investigación muestra que la prioridad número uno para las empresas, y en particular para los departamentos de recursos humanos en 2022 será apoyar el cambio organizacional y cultural. Esto presentará una gran oportunidad estratégica para que RRHH se destaque, aunque nuestro informe también comparte muchos de los nuevos desafíos que deberán superarse a medida que las empresas continúen trabajando en entornos afectados por las incertidumbres relacionadas con la pandemia.

Nuestros investigadores, colaboradores y auditores de recursos humanos exploran los cambios que están ocurriendo en el mundo del trabajo, enfocándose en tres tendencias principales que están dando forma a las prácticas globales de personal:

• Liberar el poder del empleado «involucrado»
• Brindar agilidad a las personas a través de la «capacidad digital»
• Domar el «salvaje oeste” del trabajo

Las organizaciones más exitosas en 2022 crearán un entorno de trabajo en el que los empleados estén profundamente involucrados, donde la capacidad de las personas habilitada por la tecnología sea un hecho, con las libertades creadas por los nuevos entornos de trabajo. Estas son tendencias en el lugar de trabajo que permitirán a las empresas ofrecer un mejor mundo laboral.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Not Just a Numbers Game



In our For A Better World of Work webinar series: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Not just a numbers game, Sherlonda Martin, Head of Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion for GMSGQ Division, Takeda and Chantal Sanglier, an HR Auditor from Top Employers Institute, discussed several approaches for creating an inclusive work environment, that allows for employees  to have open conversations while give all employees a voice.

Around 94% of Top Employers consider Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) a strategic and key business imperative, but only 74% of them have a DE&I strategy in place. And only 60% hold business leaders accountable for DE&I related goals. The challenge for organizations lies in shifting conversations about DE&I from just a ‘tick box’ exercise, and not just centring it around a moment, but, rather, a movement.

Watch the full webinar by filling the form on the right-hand side of your screen.

Building a comprehensive DE&I strategy

For a DE&I strategies to truly move beyond just a numbers game, a holistic strategy must be in place. As a Japanese based pharmaceutical company, the patients and employees are at the centre of everything that Takeda does. Furthermore, Takeda’s comprehensive DE&I strategy include:

• Data analytics and metrics as a foundation – this provides perspective of where they are currently, and where they are going to. This includes looking at demographic numbers, but also looking at data around belonging (through employee experience surveys).
• Patients, health care professional’s, employees, suppliers & community – meaning that DE&I is not only valued in the organization, but also those that they associate with. A major project ‘TakedaCares’ allows employees reach back to organizations and the community.
• Culture, employee engagement, learning and development and communications as key pillars of the strategy.

Key DE&I initiatives

Takeda has developed several initiatives that underpin its strategic approach to DE&I. Some of the initiatives include:

• Takeda resources groups – these employee resources groups unite employees with shared backgrounds and life experiences, as well as supporting allies, to advance business goals and foster an inclusive work environment. Some examples of their resource groups include the Black leadership council, gender parity, building Asian leaders, building disability groups etc.
• Elevating DE&I globally: Takeda hosts annual Global DE&I Week with internal and external speakers to raise awareness and spark pertinent and important conversations.
• Expanding DE&I leadership: they hired their first ever Global Head of DE&I and added expert roles in Switzerland, GMSGQ and more!
• Launching a rich Learning & Development curriculum to broaden language knowledge, demonstrate inclusive leadership and better understand what it means to be an ally.

Other initiatives included the introduction of technology to manage purchasing decisions (ensuring equity), continuous focus on succession planning, interview best practices and also the growth of a talent pipeline for future needs.

Responding in the moment

Moving the conversation about DE&I requires action from creating a moment to implementing a movement. In response to various social injustices that occurred in the United States in 2020, Takeda responded quickly through the establishment of the Black Leadership Council. Under this, a few key workstreams were developed:

• A Minority Careers Network was launched to introduce professionals from diverse backgrounds to Takeda and highlight the latest vacancies within the organisation
• A Campaign for Continued Involvement enabled Takeda team members to showcase their support and to encourage solidarity.
• An Employee Voice Session conducted by the HR team provided a unique platform for team members from all demographics to share personal perspectives and reflections on recent events.
• Discussion forums, a book club and guest speakers/authors were opportunities for Takeda employees to learn about topics including unconscious bias, courageous conversations, race literacy and wellness
• Engagement opportunities included connecting Black Leadership Council members with third-party organisations to address the unique experiences and needs of people of colour in corporate America.
• An Education and Training team drove ongoing communication on collaboration platforms, frequent workshops, a dedicated intranet page, a tool for social feedback, and a newsletter on cultural diversity

The webinar ended with a reflection: We should not rest until we see teams and organizations that mirror the customers we serve. With this in mind, how can you help drive equity within your sphere of influence?

Watch the complete webinar by filling the form on the right-hand side of your screen.

Key takeaways | Why diversity is not enough: the importance of inclusion

The Top Employers 2021 Certificate Celebration held on 28 January 2021 brought together HR industry experts from around the world to celebrate the work done in HR and knowledge share the best people practices.

One of the breakout sessions called “Why diversity is not enough: the importance of inclusion”, focused on how to create a sense of belonging in the workplace.

The session was hosted by Jonas Van Wees, HR Auditor at Top Employers Institute,  with guest speakers Mechell Chetty (Unilever SA), Anne-Sophie Chauveau-Galas (Alstom) and Raj Verma (Sanofi). The session highlights the importance of inclusion in the workplace and emphasised it as a competitive advantage for employers. Organisations that prioritise diversity and inclusion in their teams far outperform competitors. Furthermore, an inclusive workplace also drives higher levels of productivity and retention, and positively affects employee engagement.

Takeaway # 1: Leaders need to create psychological safety

During the session, Mechell Chetty (Uniliver SA) aptly noted that inclusion is about providing employees with a sense of comfort. An organisation’s priority is to harnesses each employee’s uniqueness and potential by creating psychological safety. This is an environment where employees can truly express themselves, innovate, take risks, and be part of solutions that are born from employees unique characteristics.

To create a psychologically safe environment, leaders have to shift away from blaming ‘unconscious bias’ but instead work towards being consciously competent.  Thus, the conversation must shift to how leaders can create competence, whether it is on matters of gender, disabilities, or race.

Takeaway #2: Diversity and inclusion is a vital part of employee experience

To create an inclusive culture is to create great employee experiences that people will relate to  and remember. As an example of this, Raj Verma holds the title of Chief Diversity and Experience Officer at Sanofi – a clear indication of how important the two fields are related to each other. Employee experience starts at the pre-hire stage, up until the point of resignation or retirement. Inclusion involves creating a great employee experience at all these vital touchpoints in an employee’s lifecycle.

Verma explained diversity and inclusion with a simple process, where the input is a great employee experience, and the output is to maintain and grow diverse talent at every level. Inclusion and creating a sense of belonging is what brings the two points together.

Takeaway #3: Raise awareness of inclusion in the workplace

One of the most important aspects of inclusion is creating purposeful communication and awareness in the workplace. As an example of this, Anne-Sophie Chauveau-Galas shared some initiatives that Alstom created. To raise awareness of inclusiveness in the workplace, Alstom collects all the best practices from their teams around the world. An award is given to the best initiative, which creates positive momentum and spreads the best diversity and inclusion practices across the organisation. Another example is that Alstom created an ‘All-abilities toolkit’, which is a series of tips to help people with different workplace abilities.