Well-being Takes Priority in a Time of Turbulence

Bernie C. Knobbe, Sr. Vice President, Global Benefits & Well-being, AECOM

From a global pandemic to the great reshuffle, it’s undeniable that employee well-being has perhaps never mattered more. Look no further than the Future Workplace2021 HR Sentiment survey, where 68 percent of senior HR leaders rated employee well-being and mental health as a top priority or recent research conducted by Paychex and Future Workplace, where 62 percent of full-time workers surveyed reported well-being as a key factor when looking for a new job.

The fact that employee well-being is top priority for so many in the HR community, at a time when employees are expecting and asking for more, is a great start. At AECOM, our well-being journey is a multi-year effort providing a strong foundation to build on as we continue adapting to new ways of working.

Going global

We are now in year five of our global well-being program – expanding from a focus on U.S. to a true global effort. What started as one week in 2018, expanded to one month in 2019, and now I’m proud to say we have a comprehensive year-round global well-being program. In light of the global pandemic, over the past two years we have prioritized greater access to resources for mental, social and emotional well-being to help our managers and employees stay connected and better cope.

We have not just focused on the ‘what’, but the ‘how’ as well. From the start of our program, we adopted a digital first mindset— a choice that made evolving during the pandemic that much easier. Today, new technology continues to appear across so many aspects of our work life, and employee well-being is no exception. Think about how many employees have started new jobs remotely, relying on digital experiences to help them adapt and connect with their new teams.

Embracing a digital mindset

When we set out to create our global well-being program, we started with a global website as our foundation. With nearly 50,000 employees across the globe, we wanted to deliver a consistent well-being experience for everyone. Our website gives employees real-time access to the resources they need and provides a global community where employees can connect and cheer each other on.

“What the pandemic, great reshuffle, and so many other lessons of the past two years have taught us— we need to continue adapting and evolving at speeds like never before and at every step of the way, technology will help shape the way our teams connect, adapt, perform, succeed and unwind."

Since launching our program, we have implemented several global challenges to help our employees prioritize their well-being. Most recently, in 2021, we ran a six-month challenge encouraging employees to share stories about their personal well-being journeys. There were nearly 140 inspiring stories shared and over 1,200 interactions across the global community. At a time when face-to-face is challenging, we’re finding new ways to help our global colleagues connect in more personal and meaningful ways.

The road ahead

In 2021 alone, we had more than 176,000 views on our global well-being website from around the world – and we are not slowing down. From the early days, employee feedback has shaped our program’s growth. In 2022, we are continuing to make our website experience more meaningful and relevant. New social features will allow employees, spouses and domestic partners to share information and resources with one another to support their collective well-being. We are integrating exciting features like activity tracking to help motivate employees and their families to make daily investments in their well-being. We’ve introduced “Mood Boosters” to share uplifting content, helping increase happiness and provide joyful moments throughout the week to our global community.

It has been said before but bears repeating, life after the pandemic will never be the same. Even before COVID-19, many of us in HR could see the unquestionable impact that a strong culture of well-being can have on a company’s performance. What the pandemic, great reshuffle, and so many other lessons of the past two years have taught us— we need to continue adapting and evolving at speeds like never before and at every step of the way, technology will help shape the way our teams connect, adapt, perform, succeed and unwind.

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