We are delighted that Dr. Bernhard will be speaking in Zurich as part of our European summit. We caught up with him to find out how he’s feeling in the runup to the event.
Hi Bernhard, 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?
Hi Chris, thank you, I am doing well. And I am excited being here and many thanks for the opportunity.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
The biggest challenge is consistency in progressing towards wellbeing at work and healthy performance in companies. It’s not the lack of initiatives; it’s the lack of strategic planning how to shift leadership culture towards healthy performance.
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?
AI enabled tools bring new opportunities for transparency and prediction. This can empower HR teams and Wellbeing Officers to show the effects of corporate health, not only the classical sick-leave and attrition KPIs but also bottom-line effects.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
I want to be part of the movement towards healthier work and performance. I have seen the difference in my own teams what fun it is to work with highly motivated teams. And I’m concerned the growing numbers of mental and physical health issues at and through work. We need to change this.
What impact is AI having in your organisation and how are you managing that?
AI can bridge services by 24/7 availability also outside hours for example with mental health avatars.
But the biggest gain for me is the AI enabled prediction models so we can better focus our resources for health and wellbeing initiatives.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
The over-proportional and increasing number of young employees with mental health issues is a huge problem. And we haven’t solved this problem. But seeing the issues is the start of addressing it and this is what we do.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
- Include corporate health KPIs into the executive goal set
- Address health at work issues and strategies in the board room
- Top leaders must live and lead by example.
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?
I wish this would be the case as the new normal. But it’s only just starting to grow. We have a way to go to prove and enable HR executives to make the case on ROI and EBITDA return of corporate health strategies. But it’s the way to go!
How has your organisation been leading the way?
We focus 100% of our time on enabling and supporting companies on their way to become healthier high performing companies, on the long run.
Without the proving numbers that health at work is profitable, strategies will fail, and initiatives will not last. This shall not happen anymore.
Dr. Bernhard Kaumanns will be speaking in Zurich at the Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe which takes place in Zurich on 13th May, virtually on 14th May and in Amsterdam on 15th May. Further details on the Summit and tickets can be found here.
