We are delighted to announce that Myrna will be speaking in Cairo this February as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit Middle East. We caught up with her to find out how she’s feeling in the run up to the summit.
Hi Myrna, we are thrilled you will be speaking at our Wellbeing at Work Summit Middle East in February. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m doing great, thank you! It’s exciting to be a part of such an important conversation about wellbeing, especially in our region.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
One major challenges that still exists today, no matter how progressive we’ve become on the topic, would be changing the stigma surrounding mental health due to the cultural hesitations in openly discussing this topic, which means organizations address it with cosmetic rather than systemic changes (it’s still perceived by some as a luxury).
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?
Organizations have become more proactive with the support and tools they provide their employees. It’s become about making our trainings, programs, and initiatives more inclusive, accessible, and data-driven. This is also more apparent through the increased collaboration that we’ve seen between wellbeing and tech.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
I’ve personally witnessed the impact of being part of an organization that truly prioritizes your wellbeing and cares about its people as humans before caring about them as professionals, and I’ve seen how this has built a foundation for success for me personally and for the value/impact I was able to add to my role. At Orange, our priority is to create an environment and design a culture where people can bring their best selves to work.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
AI has been transformative in changing the face of how organizations operate today (streamlining workflows, automating repetitive tasks, enhancing data-driven decisions, and so on). However, we’re mindful of the potential stress caused by the pace of technological change. To manage this, we prioritize upskilling employees, creating awareness and understanding of AI’s impact, and using AI tools to complement human efforts.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
I would have to say it’s managing the “wellbeing generation” that are currently part of our workforce. As we welcome Gen Z, companies need to acknowledge that this generation comes with very different expectations, needs and demands regarding wellbeing, work-life balance, etc. With a much higher level of awareness than previous working generations, they value wellbeing very much and will evaluate you as an employer based on this factor. At Orange Egypt, we take pride that there are four different generations in our workforce, which makes us aware of the importance of tailoring our benefits to meet the unique and individual needs to ensure everyone is supported.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
Companies today are busy creating programs that just treat the symptoms of employee ill-being in the workplace, but that’s just prescribing numbing pills that won’t last long. To find sustainable cures that address the root causes, we need to start focusing on our culture, leadership style and practices, values, workplace behaviors, policies, and ways of working. Addressing how healthy/unhealthy they really are is what will create this shift and drive positive change.
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 would say investments are increasing, and this is mainly driven by a growing recognition of the link between wellbeing and productivity, retention, etc. HR leaders are becoming more aware of the importance of quantifying the impact of wellbeing initiatives, and by tying them to more tangible outcomes like reduced absenteeism and improved engagement, it can easily secure leadership buy-in and continue to push forward this topic.
How has your organization been leading the way?
Our commitment to wellbeing remains core to Orange Egypt, and is the foundation of our positive workplace culture. We have dedicated our efforts to fostering a positive wellbeing culture that supports healthier work practices and a better work-life balance for our people. We’ve redefined wellbeing across five dimensions (physical, mental, financial, social, and professional) to support our people comprehensively, and have provided different opportunities, initiatives, and enhanced policies to increase our people’s engagement and productivity.
Myrna will be speaking in Cairo at the Wellbeing at Work Summit Middle East which takes place in Riyadh, Dubai, Cairo and virtually. Further details on the Summit can be found here.
