We are delighted that Caroline will be speaking in Amsterdam as part of our European Summit. We caught up with her to find out how she’s feeling in the runup to the event.
Hi Caroline, We are thrilled that you will be speaking at the Wellbeing at Work Europe Summit in May. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m experiencing a good balance at the moment, which I need to actively manage due to care giving (‘mantelzorg’) activities, demanding job, mother of two adolescents and many social activities. I’m managing my energy and ‘load capacity’ by taking care of my physical health, exercising every day, and taking enough down-time. I have the privilege to work with highly dedicated and motivated teams, and interact with a lot of inspiring and smart people on a daily basis. I’m learning something new every day and that excites and energizes me.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
In The Netherlands we employ over 4500 professionals in various life phases and from diverse backgrounds. Every phase and individual may experience hardship or challenges that are unique. Our programs are aimed at building resilience and ‘load capacity’ to support longevity in both physical and mental health, but also spiritually. Our efforts are aimed at giving everyone a safe and inclusive environment. Especially in the current time frame in which our resilience is tested and tried, it is crucial we invest in wellbeing and mental health. KPMG has an extensive wellbeing program as well as psychological safety approach to address the specific needs of our people. E.g. a gym facility at our head office, working parents program for first time parents or care givers, health weeks and a coach for everyone through our online wellbeing platform.
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?
Through talks with CHROs I see an increased focus on psychological safety and a culture of ethics & integrity. This is a result from both external factors such as geopolitical developments, scarcity in the labor market and internal ones, such as restructurings, leading to insecurity and a need for a safe haven. Organizations need to rethink their retention and engagement strategies, and focus on their foundation: providing a safe and inclusive environment to create a sense of belonging and a great ‘smell of the place’.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
Focus on employee wellbeing fosters longevity and goes a long way. If our people feel well in their skin and safe in their environment, they have their ‘working memory’ free for full focus on their performance and can direct all their energy to their activities. I’m a true believer that happy and performing people go hand in hand, and lead to companies that lead in the market.
What impact is AI having in your organisation and how are you managing that?
AI is changing the landscape of how we do business significantly, both in assurance and in advisory. We have given AI in the hands of our people as fast as possible. In Assurance we have fully integrated AI in our audit process, which enables a full fledge automated and efficient process. In Advisory GenAI is facilitating our consultants to focus more on complex problem solving as AI is supporting more and more in data processing and analysis. We offer extensive training programs to all our people so they can maximize its potential to fullest.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
Sustainability, although not a first time challenge and here for quite a while now, is a major challenge that we see affecting businesses. Geopolitical developments change the landscape at high pace, and legislative changes in Europe around CSRD reporting (Omnibus) requires constant adaptation. Secondly, our GeoPulse survey shows that companies see a changing relationship between the USA and Europe, which they expect to further increase in the coming 12 months, especially in protectionistic measures. The majority of these companies is taking action to mitigate the risks.
Within KPMG our business continuity approach ensure we have mitigating actions for various scenarios in place so we can act promptly as changes occur. For our clients we offer support to navigate through these challenges and changes.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
A lot is happening in geopolitics. Many employers feel responsible for the resilience of their people and awareness thereof. We give our people a perspective for action by tending to their own wellbeing and resilience as well as that of the company. It is important for instance to give recognition to the tensions colleagues may feel at home because loved ones stayed behind in areas where there is conflict.
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?
In general we see investments in employee wellbeing increasing, and my expectations is that this will continue to increase in the coming time, influenced by many factors as mentioned above: geopolitical developments, generational differences, changing legislative landscape, etc. Investing in wellbeing just for the purpose of wellbeing will not generate the returns expected. Investments in wellbeing need to be directly linked to / need to be a translation of the purpose and business strategy. Fostering wellbeing will lead to higher performing organizations. It is not a nice to have anymore, it’s a need to have for companies nowadays. It is at the heart of the changing role of HR, not as instrumental department but as business transformation partner. That requires a fundamental rethink of the purpose and added value of HR for the organization.
How has your organisation been leading the way?
Invested in a psychological safe environment early on, integrated measurement and monitoring in our regular HR processes. Relentless unbiasing of our processes. It makes our culture robust so it can take a hit. Which all companies will experience some time in their existence. Investment in holistic wellbeing; our people are the heart of our company: investing in their wellbeing is core business.
Caroline will be speaking in Amsterdam at the Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe which takes place in Zurich on 13th May and in Amsterdam on 15th May. Further details on the Summit and tickets can be found here.
