Bien-être World

22/11/2023

With a very difficult 2023 mostly behind us and Thanksgiving celebrated, 3 ways suggested by Harvard Business Review to make your employees connect more deeply to your company's purpose - articulating the ripple effect, framing non-tangible metrics and celebrating your external impact. There are ways to motivate and connect with your team and give purpose to our daily grind! # workplacementalhealth
https://hbr.org/2023/11/dont-let-your-corporate-purpose-get-lost-in-the-daily-grind

11/09/2023

Maturity as time goes by, especially the last one!

01/03/2023

“Gender equality at the Asian workplace”

On this World Women's Day 8 March 2023, we would like to share with you some of our views about Asia in terms of gender equality at the workplace. Despite decades of acknowledging females are under-represented in senior positions and company boards at work and politics, different Asian countries have progressed in different paces accepting and promoting women at the workplace according to differing attitudes/ beliefs, urbanization and economic development, social support and infrastructure for women, education levels for females, government and legal protection measures, market forces and activism. While many economies are facing aging, labor pools eroding and skills shortages, increasing women representation at work will help relieve many of these pressing issues.
According to a report by the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department, women in Hong Kong earn, on average, 22.2% less than men in full-time employment. Furthermore, only 18.2% of board members in Hong Kong's top 50 listed companies are female, which is below the global average of 20.6%.

A McKinsey study from 2018, in Asia Pacific alone, advancing women’s equality could add US$4.5 trillion to Asia’s total GDP by 2025, a 12% increase. So how shall we approach and achieve gender equality, so that female workers will remain productive and stay in the workforce? Here are some suggestions:

Key areas to prioritize gender equality by policy makers at government and company levels are:
1. Focus on higher female workforce participation by providing support to women’s caregiver roles. To have the right work life balance is the key. Women shall not be forced to choose between having children or quitting their demanding jobs; or vice versa, keeping their demanding jobs and not having children.
2. Addressing the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions and provide equal promotion opportunities. Women leaders are overworked and under-recognized. According to McKinsey 2022 report, 43% of women leaders are burned out compared to 31% of men leaders.
3. Using digital technology to increase work flexibilities to women. Providing remote and hybrid work and giving women flexibility. Women also tend to get less microaggressions when working remotely according to McKinsey.
4. Changing attitudes towards women’s role in society and workplace by education, open discussions, putting Diversity and Inclusion guidelines into company policies, setting examples by senior management and training managers.

27/02/2023

With the upcoming World Women's day on 8 March, it is time to do more than just ticking the box and really changing the culture in companies to have DEI Diversity and Inclusion.

Corporate America is at a crossroads. The choices companies make today will impact women in the workplace for decades to come.

10/02/2023

2023 will be a race for OpenAI between combining the power of ChatGPT with Microsoft's Bing and Google's Bard. Sharing an interview with Microsoft's Satya Nadella here.

Our columnist got an early look at the software giant’s addition of ChatGPT powers to its search engine.

15/01/2023

Thank you WSJ for sharing this Harvard 85-year study for lifelong happiness. What matter for physical and mental health is actually a satisfying relationship, and this could be spouses and friendships. Contrary to what we focus on - career, wealth, nutrition, exercise...

However, in this digital age, we are constantly competing with the social media and our smart devices, instead of spending more meaningful in-person time with our loved ones.

In its 85 years and counting, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has found that personal connections are the most important factor in long-term health and happiness.

03/12/2022

Congrats to all winners -Tech World awards!!

15/11/2022

A great tip for improving your sleep only if implementing it is that easy...

The biggest "sleep killer" isn't scrolling on social media or a bad mattress, says cognitive behavioral psychologist Aric Prather — it's rumination. He shares two easy ways to fix it and start improving your sleep.

10/11/2022

Among the 1,000 Hong Kong people surveyed in 2022 Cigna 360 Global Wellbeing Survey, nearly nine in 10 (87%) respondents said they feel stressed, and 19% find this stress unmanageable, topping all surveyed markets in APAC and ranking the third highest amongst 15 global markets. 22% of respondents in Hong Kong said they prefer virtual engagements for therapy and counselling. The great debate is around wellness support vs. therapy for actually bringing the relief that our employees need. we focus on delivering the best in therapy

The top stressors are uncertainty about the future (40%), concern about their personal financial situation (34%), and heavy workload (22%).

07/09/2022

This is very unfortunate and sad news, but could this be avoided? Life is precious and a company's reputation also takes years to build and nurture.

While there are many posts relating to this news, and associating overworking with mental health, the truth is that we will never know the real cause of this young working woman's death. Unless employers take their employee mental wellbeing seriously, start to engage in long term mental health programs, not just bringing awareness by talking about the topic; this is like a ticking time bomb. but is not enough. Actions need to be taken now.

Insurance companies as stakeholders are trying to figure out how to tackle and offer packages that cover . Interests of all stakeholders especially that of employees need to be of prime importance. Then there are obstacles of pricing, budgeting, and most importantly how to 'prove' and 'measure' the benefits for employers to invest in their employees wellbeing

We are in this with all the conscious corporates and insurers who put as their forefront mission. We seek to combat taboo and stigma through partnerships.

WARNING: Confronting

01/09/2022

Nearly 3 years living with Covid-19 has a toll on all our mental health. The statistics say that in US 36% of adults experience anxiety and depression in August 2020, jumping to 42% in February 2021. Yet, in the workplace, with more openness to "talk" about mental wellbeing, those seeking help are still stubbornly low at single digits of the workforce.

This gap could be explained by stigma and self imposed shame. Access to mental health help also needs to be completely independent from the employer and private.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220819-is-workplace-stigma-around-mental-health-struggles-changing

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220819-is-workplace-stigma-around-mental-health-struggles-changing

Employers are saying they’re more open than ever to helping employees with mental-health issues. But are workers happier speaking up?