Noha is an Associate Director of Wellbeing at Concentrix. She leads the development and integration of wellbeing strategies across global client accounts. She brings together EDI principles, employee wellbeing, and business experience to help organizations create sustainable workplace strategies. Noha has led global initiatives and worked across diverse international environments, including Japan, the UAE, and Denmark. Her experience across different cultures and business contexts has shaped a culturally sensitive approach to workplace wellbeing. Through her work, Noha helps organizations move beyond standalone wellbeing initiatives toward a more integrated approach that connects employee experience, organizational culture, and business priorities.
We are delighted that Noha will be speaking at our Wellbeing at Work Summit in Toronto later this month where she will be discussing “The Joy Gap”, exploring: Why employees lose sight of the value in their benefits over time and what organizations can do to sustain that value, The gap between a wellbeing offering and what employees experience, How strategic communication design turns a strong benefits investment into a continuous driver of employee satisfaction and retention, and Moving beyond benefit announcements and keeping employees engaged.
We caught up with her to find out how she’s feeling in the runup to the summit:
Hi Noha, we are thrilled that you are joining us at the Wellbeing at Work Summit in Toronto this October. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m doing really well, thank you. In fact, I’m currently completing this from a little bistro in Paris, which is a pretty nice place to reflect on wellbeing.
I feel fortunate because I work with great people and I have close friends in the wellbeing field who understand the work we do and its impact. I always feel supported, and I’m grateful for that. Like many leaders, I’m balancing a lot of priorities and change, but having meaningful work and a sense of purpose makes a huge difference.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
We’ve made tremendous progress over the last several years. More organizations recognize that employee wellbeing isn’t a luxury, it’s a business necessity.
That said, we still have work to do. We continue to advocate for wellbeing because funding remains a challenge, stigma remains a challenge, and systemic barriers still affect many employees’ ability to access support and thrive at work.
I find that many individuals understand the importance of wellbeing and care about each other. Collectively, though, we’re not always prioritizing wellbeing at the level we should. The challenge now is moving wellbeing from being viewed as a program to being recognized as part of how organizations operate and make decisions.
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?
One of the most effective strategies I’ve seen is making wellbeing support more accessible and more human.
Employee Assistance Programs are a great example. Many people may never proactively reach out to an external provider, but when support is visible, approachable, and integrated into the workplace experience, engagement increases significantly. When support is right there, people are more likely to connect with a counsellor or access the resources they need.
I’ve also seen organizations focusing more on building relationships before there’s a crisis. You have to build rapport when things are going well, not just when someone is struggling. That’s where trust is built, and trust is what drives people to seek support when they need it.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
Because I’ve experienced both sides of it.
I’ve experienced what it’s like to be thriving in life and wake up happy, energized, and excited about the day ahead. It’s an incredible feeling, and it’s something I want other people to experience as well.
I’ve also seen the other side. I’ve seen how negative work experiences can affect a person’s confidence, mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Employee wellbeing matters because the impact of a workplace extends far beyond the workplace itself. It affects families, communities, and society as a whole. If we can address workplace stressors and create psychologically healthy environments, we have an opportunity to improve not only business outcomes but people’s lives.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
We’re embracing it and we’ve made great strides in AI, and personally, it’s helped me spend less time on administrative tasks and more time focusing on the aspects of my role that I enjoy most, such as strategy, policy, and solving complex problems.
I encourage my team to use AI, and our organization has been very supportive of responsible adoption. AI is moving quickly, but I think people sometimes forget that they have autonomy over how they use new technology. Like any tool, it’s there to support us, not replace our judgment.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
One challenge I’m seeing more frequently is the pressure people feel to navigate a rapidly changing world while making decisions in real time and worrying they might say the wrong thing.
Many employees and leaders want to do the right thing, but they’re operating in environments with constant change, increasing complexity, and heightened expectations.
We’re addressing that by fostering psychological safety. People need environments where they can ask questions, learn, make mistakes, and grow without fear. Psychological safety doesn’t mean avoiding accountability. It means creating conditions where people feel safe enough to contribute, innovate, and have honest conversations.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
First, adopting more evidence-based approaches to wellbeing that are grounded in clinical psychology and research rather than trends.
Second, improving efficiency. Employees are looking for ways to work smarter, not simply harder, and organizations need to remove unnecessary friction from work.
Third, ensuring resources are allocated strategically. Wellbeing investments need to be targeted toward the factors that have the greatest impact on employee experience and organizational outcomes.
And finally, wellbeing has to become everyone’s responsibility. The most successful organizations won’t treat wellbeing as an HR initiative. They’ll embed it across departments so leaders, managers, and employees all play a role in creating healthy workplaces.
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?
From my perspective, investment is increasing, although it’s becoming more intentional and more targeted.
In organizations like Concentrix, where many employees work in psychologically demanding environments, there is growing recognition that wellbeing directly impacts engagement, performance, retention, and client outcomes.
We’re also seeing stronger conversations around measurement. Wellbeing leaders are becoming better at demonstrating the value of wellbeing initiatives and connecting them to business outcomes. That’s helping move wellbeing from being seen as a “nice to have” to being viewed as a strategic business priority.
How has your organization been leading the way?
One area I’m particularly proud of is our commitment to understanding employee needs through research and targeted support.
We’ve invested in identifying specific wellbeing challenges and creating focused solutions rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether that’s initiatives supporting menopause, mental health, resilience, leadership capability, or other areas of employee wellbeing, we’re continuously adapting based on employee feedback and evidence.
What makes the biggest difference is that wellbeing isn’t treated as a standalone program. It’s becoming part of the broader employee experience, which allows us to better support our people while also helping our business succeed.
Noha will be speaking in Toronto this October as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit Canada which take place in both Toronto and Calgary. Click the links below to find out more and book your tickets:
Toronto Summit October 20: Find out more and Book Your Toronto Tickets Here
Calgary Summit October 22: Find out more and Book Your Calgary Tickets Here
