We are delighted that Mikael will be speaking in Stockholm this May as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe.
We caught up with him to find out how he’s feeling in the run up to the summit.
Hi Mikael, we are thrilled you will be speaking at our Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe in May. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m great thank you, couldn’t be better. Spring is here, things are moving forward at work, and we are getting better and better every day, and I happen to work for a great company doing great things.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing?
How we as an employer can support our people in the best way, what type of support and when and how can we work preventively? I think in society at large mental health and the stigma around it is still something we need to work on and how we can create an atmosphere that’s accepting.
What strategies have you seen developing over the past 6 months, both internally and externally, that is moving the dial on wellbeing in the workplace?
Going from an ad-hoc events approach to a more strategic sustainable approach where we have plans in place and activities to support those plans. Giving people support through changes, at work, with family and friends and in society at large. The pendulum goes back and forth sometimes, especially when it comes to understanding and accepting, we are different as human beings, and we need to accept and embrace that as we have more things in common than the things that separate us.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
It’s all about creating a workplace where people can perform their very best, their ideas and views are taken into consideration and they feel appreciated not just for what they do but also how it’s done, and everyone feels included. For me it’s all about contributing to a better world at the end and drive change towards the better. Small things in a workplace or big things in the society, I want to do things that makes an impact.
What are you most looking forward to about the Summit in May?
Networking, listen to ideas and best practices.
Tell us, what is your vision for the future workplace, in terms of engagement, health and wellbeing?
As we as a company envision a world where everyone can communicate, I hope that we are a workplace that can really figure out how we can help more people and are a fairly good at communicating ourselves 😉. To be able to help more people faster, we need to be a workplace where everyone contributes and feel included and everyone are able to grow in some way together with the company.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
Put a plan together, set sustainable goals and figure out what activities you need to do to get there, wellbeing is about a lot of things; growth, leadership, colleagues, being stimulated, having enough structure and guard rails, being listened to, sharing, collaborating and how to lead self and do your best, taking care of your self physically and mentally and so much more – it’s all tied together so make sure everything is tied in on your end as well so it doesn’t feel like things are done in silos.
How has your organization been leading the way?
From my perspective we are giving a voice to the people that haven’t been included in the same way in society, so our purpose as a company is very clear and what values we stand on, so we also know how we do things. Internally we have this year kicked of our wellbeing program which includes a new global provider for our EAP that also support with mental support, financial advice and we are launching an activity plan globally to get people to focus on taking care of themselves, that together with a leadership program for everyone as it includes leading self.
Mikael will be speaking in Stockholm at the Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe which takes place live and in-person in Zurich, Amsterdam and Stockholm. Further details on the Summit can be found here.
