We are delighted that Andrew will be speaking in Singapore on Thursday as part of our Asia summit. We caught up with him to see how he’s feeling in the runup to the event.
Hi Andrew, we are thrilled that you will be speaking at the Wellbeing at Work Asia Summit. As a leader based in the region, we would like to ask, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
A high % of the workforces we see and work with are at a moderate to high risk of mental health issues, with stress, anxiety and burnout being especially prevalent. Mental health carries a stigma culturally and so access to support is in short supply.
Workplace Culture – ‘Always on’ work cultures exacerbate wellbeing challenges.
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?
- Flexible work arrangements – ongoing and evolving, including ‘work from anywhere’ type programs
- Mental health support & training for managers
- Professional development on things like AI
- Wellbeing Days – some firms have implemented these
- Wellbeing reimbursement programs
- Sabbatical programs
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
As the saying so often goes “Our most important asset is our people” and so ensuring they are able to operate and deliver at their best, we need to look out for them as best we can, within the constraints of one’s particular organisation.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
Aon is in the business of better decisions and we use data & analytics to help our clients do that. It stands to reason that we do the same internally. We are very cautious about the use of AI and are working on a number of projects using AI tools, machine learning, LLMs etc.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
It varies by market but generally ……
- Geopolitical posturing – not the first time but rather ongoing
- Talent – always there but now a lot of change fatigue too, and evolving managerial roles demanding new strategies for workforce readiness and retention
- Fraud and cybercrime and the pressure that places on the business and its people (AI enabled fraud for example)
- Continuous learning demands in order to stay ‘relevant’
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
- Flexible work arrangements – evolving
- Employee Wellbeing
- Sustainable High-Performance Culture and Leadership
- Genuine inclusivity and diversity – equal opportunity
- Skills Development – Continuous Learning
- Sustainability generally
- Keeping your employer brand and culture strong
- Leveraging technology wherever possible, including AI/ML etc
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?
Increasing – Data isn’t quite there yet i.t.o measuring real ROI but it’s close
How has your organisation been leading the way?
- Colleague Empowerment group
- Walking the talk on equal opportunity
- Townhall Open Q&A = transparency as much as possible
Andrew will be speaking in Singapore at the Wellbeing at Work Summit Asia. Further details on the Summit can be found here.
