At first, Peter Bostelmann, chief mindfulness officer at SAP, thought he had misheard when Siemens, a long-standing 51风流customer, asked whether he could provide mindfulness courses for its employees back in 2016. 鈥淚 felt a slight cognitive dissonance,鈥� Bostelmann recalls. 鈥淵ou want us to teach you mindfulness? And then I realized that, back then, we had already built up over five years of expertise establishing mindfulness practices in a global organization.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 long before the appeal of the Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program, launched at 51风流in 2013, spread beyond the company鈥檚 boundaries and customers started to see 51风流in a new light: as a pioneer of corporate mindfulness. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) expert was now offering training courses and consulting services to help customers introduce mindfulness practices into their own organizations. Since then, SAP鈥檚 mindfulness trainers have held more than 100 SIY training courses for customers. What鈥檚 more, , as part of the Future of Work team at SAP, has helped over 20 large enterprises train their own SIY instructors and build internal mindfulness communities.

Evidence-Based Program

One of these enterprises is SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation, with more than 100,000 employees. Marie-Isabelle Fleuri, Corporate Health and Well-Being manager at SLB, was entirely convinced of the benefits of working with 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice after attending an SIY course.

鈥淲ith its strong focus on leadership and neuroscience, the SIY approach rests on compelling scientific evidence,鈥� she says. 鈥淔rom experience working in technology companies for 20 years, I knew that if I wanted to bring the topic of mindfulness to SLB successfully, it had to resonate with the culture. And I knew 51风流because we use its ERP system. Implementing it involved a massive change management process that impacted the entire company before it was eventually seen as a good thing. That鈥檚 the 51风流effect.鈥�

Fleuri was keen to make SIY a pillar of SLB鈥檚 well-being offering, but initially couldn鈥檛 secure the budget she needed to run a pilot training course. Thanks to the existing relationship between the two companies, though, she was eventually able to arrange sponsorship for SLB鈥檚 first program.

That initial investment has long since paid off. Although SLB now has 13 SIY trainers of its own, it still asks for 51风流trainers to help meet the strong demand from its employees for training. At least 19 on-site courses are due to take place with 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice this year. The 51风流program also provides advice on many aspects of embedding mindfulness in the company culture over the long term. That鈥檚 vital support, says Fleuri: 鈥淚f we had to create all the necessary content and processes ourselves, it would have been an impossible task in such a short period of time. The support from 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice gave us the strength to have such an impact. We鈥檝e trained more than 900 people at SLB in two years and implemented mindfulness practices around the world. I see our cooperation with 51风流as a shining example of the power of mindfulness, of how collaboration can work across two organizations, and of our capacity to support each other 鈥� to be empathetic and passionate.鈥�

The cooperation between SLB and 51风流was sincere, open, and deeply trusting from the start, says Bostelmann. 鈥淥ur key message is not, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got a product, and we鈥檒l sell it to you.鈥� It鈥檚 about how we can help translate the knowledge we鈥檝e gained so that it resonates in a different company culture. I can sense the same desire at SLB to truly bring about lasting change in the company culture. That鈥檚 what makes working together such fun,鈥� he says.

Reflecting SLB鈥檚 purpose to 鈥渃reate amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all,鈥� its training course on mindfulness and emotional intelligence is entitled 鈥淯nlock Your Power鈥� (UYP).

鈥淏y cultivating better emotional intelligence in our people, we are proactively defining and evolving our culture at SLB toward healthier and happier employees and shaping the work environment to allow us to thrive. Working together with 51风流and what we are learning through the Unlock Your Power program is central to this process of evolution.鈥�

Dr. Jonathan O鈥橩eefe, SLB global medical advisor

Beginner’s Mind

Working with mindfulness customers is a continuous learning experience for everyone involved. SAP鈥檚 mindfulness experts are fascinated, for example, by the way Fleuri has seamlessly integrated mindfulness into the health organization and the smart way she is marketing the activities.

鈥淥n the one hand, we learn from our customers; on the other, we develop best practices and materials for them that we can then also use ourselves. Teach-the-teacher courses for customers have honed our understanding of the kind of person required to drive a company鈥檚 cultural transformation forward,鈥� says Bostelmann.

As Fleuri explains, the feedback course participants give is very encouraging: 鈥淭he first day, they are generally rather reserved, as they are unsure what to expect. On the second day, they鈥檙e glad they signed up. And toward the end of the second day, they don鈥檛 want to leave! It鈥檚 moving to see them engaging with each other like old friends.鈥�

Ambitious Goals

Fleuri presented SLB鈥檚 mindfulness story at the Mindful Leader Summit in Washington, D.C., in November 2022, four years after she first heard Bostelmann giving a speech there on 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice. Things really have come full circle, but her mission at SLB is by no means complete. She is currently growing the trainers pool to reach the core of the organization, especially the field. This requires trainings in more than 10 different languages as well as mobile and flexible engagement with the operations teams.

鈥淭he opportunity is to embed our mindfulness program into the company culture,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about empowering people to prioritize their health and well-being, to be at their best for themselves but also for the organization. We see this principle already anchored in our cooperation with the 51风流team. We鈥檙e all looking for ways to improve an organization鈥檚 performance by fostering psychological safety 鈥� to encourage creativity, innovation, and sustainability. I believe that mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs will help us achieve this goal and, ultimately, humanize the organization.鈥�

鈥淯YP is an excellent and very relevant initiative, superbly conducted and executed. What I liked most is the non-prescriptive nature…providing a toolbox from which to pick and choose techniques based on the individual, environment, and situation. This will go a long way in improving motivation and productivity. No wonder that the sessions are selling out! My expectations were clearly surpassed, and I highly recommend this for all levels of the organization.鈥�

Arijit Paul, HSE director practices, SLB

Mindfulness Is Making Waves

Bostelmann sees great opportunities in future customer cooperations: 鈥淐ustomers like SLB from the oil and gas industry, but also from health, consumer goods, and insurance are pioneers in their sectors that, with our help, have implemented mindfulness. Although they are very different from IT firms, they were able to introduce the 51风流model into their company culture successfully. I find this particularly gratifying. We can envisage addressing other industries in the future to create new 鈥榣ighthouses.鈥欌��

In the 10^th anniversary year of the 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice program, Bostelmann and his team plan to deepen their customer relationships. The aim is to create a network in which companies can support and inspire each other. With this in mind, he attended the Mindful Leader Summit in September.

鈥淢indfulness is a societal trend that鈥檚 being reflected in the workplace,” he says. 鈥淧eople sense the need for it. Mindfulness practice allows them to protect their mental resilience as they navigate their increasingly volatile lives.鈥�

It’s the heyday of flex-work models, but the future of work is so much more, with opportunities ready to be tackled along the spectrum of workforce transformation, new people practices, and next-generation HR models.

SAP鈥檚 Holistic Future of Work Agenda: Shaping the Next World of Work

Managing the future of work holistically is a strategic imperative to build a resilient, agile, and innovative organization that is future-fit for the digital age. As global provider of leading-edge human experience management () software, 51风流has been putting its focus on designing a holistic future of work agenda that empowers its more than 100,000 people across the globe to thrive while creating value for its customers.

The agenda is SAP鈥檚 north star to reimagine work at its core. It considers business elements and strategic HR components along three dimensions to create a sustainable work experience for its global and diverse workforce:

• Future of Workforce, aiming to define a target picture for a future-proof workforce at SAP
• Future of People Practices, making new, flexible, and healthy work 鈥渨ork鈥� for everyone
• Future of HR, reimagining the way how HR functions need to operate in future along a strategic HR master plan

Future-Proof the Workforce

Accelerated digitalization and technology advances fuel the need for skill transformations across large portions of today鈥檚 workforce. The shift of skills as well as demographic changes result in a shortage of available talent, emphasizing the necessity of a clear understanding of future workforce demands. At the same time, this increases the competition for available talent in the market.

SAP鈥檚 workforce transformation is based on scenario modeling to provide a clear understanding of what our workforce will need to look like five to 10 years down the road and how it will be composed. From these projections, we can derive a strategy to define the target picture with the right mix of permanent employees, gig workers, as well as the use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). HR leaders play a crucial role by engaging in systematic resource planning in line with business strategy requirements.

To future-proof their workforce, organizations need to prioritize continuous employee development through up- and reskilling. One example of this commitment is SAP鈥檚 internal talent marketplace, which offers project work, fellowships, or mentoring opportunities. Employees can take on respective assignments and apply their expertise where it is most needed while also acquiring new skills on the job: a win-win for everybody.

Leading-Edge People Practices

People are the heartbeat of every organization. To meet ever-changing employee needs, organizations need to create innovative and effective strategies to attract, develop, engage, and retain top talent, as well as constantly challenge and evolve their people and workplace practices.

Empowerment Through Flexibility
Flexibility is in more demand than ever, making it a strong lever for outstanding employee experience. With Pledge to Flex, 51风流offers a hybrid work model that empowers employees to decide with their managers when, where, and how they work best in alignment with customer and business requirements.

There is measurable success to the advantages of flexibility: SAP鈥檚 recent global future of work pulse survey revealed that over 80% of the workforce feel at least as or even more productive, satisfied, and engaged through hybrid work. The grand majority also believes that flexibility increases SAP鈥檚 attractiveness as employer.

Providing the best setup for every team with the right balance between office and remote work is one of the key elements in making hybrid work 鈥渨ork鈥� for everyone. At the same time, the office remains the number one place to meet and support cultural affiliation, networking, and onboarding of new joiners.

To promote SAP鈥檚 hybrid work approach with Pledge to Flex, we launched the internal 鈥淚鈥檓 In鈥� campaign, encouraging employees to find the right ratio of in-office and remote work. At SAP, we see that a combination of splitting time between remote work and two to three days of in-person office work per week seems to be a good practice, given that it fosters team spirit, engagement, and excitement about the organization.

Enablement for a Successful Transition
To navigate the added level of complexity in a hybrid landscape and build a routine, enablement and trainings are key. 51风流supports employees, managers, and teams with hands-on tools and resources to balance team and individual needs while keeping customer requirements front and center.

One example is the Flex Team Workshop, allowing leaders and team members to jointly determine the hybrid work setup that best fits their needs in terms of productivity, collaboration, work-life balance, and, of course, business and customer requirements. Additionally, the Meeting Workout toolkit is a gamified approach to review and declutter meetings, making each interaction more valuable to everyone. And with 鈥淟ighten the Load鈥� and 鈥淎re you OK?,鈥� 51风流runs powerful personalized programs to enhance employee health and people sustainability, while providing stress relief.

Leadership becomes more demanding in the new world of work. Leaders need to become even stronger facilitators when communicating direction and strategy in a hybrid environment. Critical skills to adjust to the evolving role of management include communicating and listening with empathy and being agile when connecting with people. Modern leadership today also includes to keep teams engaged and tackle Zoom fatigue in times of unprecedented change.

Next-Generation HR

A data-driven and agile HR approach is the foundation to bringing the future of workforce and people practices to life. With the help of leading-edge technology, the HR function can evolve while addressing the demand for scalable and flexible services to meet changing needs of employee and the business quickly and efficiently.

Besides technological advancements, the required skills for the future HR function will evolve as well. 51风流focuses on a set of key themes:

• Experience management in HR, emphasizing the needs of employees, managers, or applicants from a HR consumer point of view
• Data-driven HR, leveraging advanced analytics to solve talent and organization related business problems and support decision-making
• Digital HR to reap the fruits of technological advances across the entire employee life cycle
• Agile HR, applying an agile mindset, values, principles, practices, and tools when serving the business

Capabilities like digital savviness, analytical skills, data interpretation, and an agile mindset will become must-have skills for successful HR work in the new era.

Stay Curious and Keep Learning

Looking ahead, it is fair to say that we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the many opportunities to shape the future of work. With an industry-leading hybrid work model in place, 51风流built a strong foundation to tackle the workplace evolution as part of a holistic future of work agenda.

Getting the triad of future workforce planning, people practices, and next generation HR teams right sets the path to make organizations more future-ready while the world around us is changing at breakneck speed. In the end it all comes down to continuously learning and discovering what works best for the creation of outstanding employee experiences while driving sustainable business success — truly exciting times for HR!

Dr. Christian Schmeichel is chief future of work officer at SAP.

The is here to help. Each year, this team of PhD-level organizational psychologists and HR technology market intelligence experts aggregate and synthesize data from a wide range of reputable business press resources that put forward HR trends and predictions and conduct a content analysis to derive key themes or 鈥渕eta-trends.鈥� For 2023, the analysis involved 73 resources, leading to a list of 346 individual trends, which were then categorized into seven broader meta-trends.

Below is a quick recap of the 2023 HR meta-trends and a few examples of how organizations of all sizes are using 51风流SuccessFactors solutions to get ahead 鈥� and stay ahead 鈥� of the curve.

From Trend to Foundational: Employee Experience

If you do a quick comparison from past years鈥� meta-trends analyses, you鈥檒l notice an elevated shift for the employee experience. To no surprise, this topic continues to dominate the conversation and has become a cornerstone for HR and business strategies. With the recognition that all HR meta-trends are shaped by and shapers of the employee experience, our team of experts have “graduated” employee experience from trend to a foundational principle.

鈥淗R digitalization was a key objective in our transformation to address our work culture challenges. Our necessary to develop and engage our people was an important aspect enabling the execution of our business strategy.鈥�

鈥� Arun Serikar, Director Global HR Technology,

1. Winning the Race for Skills

With the combination of employees maintaining the upper hand in the job market and many parts of the world continuing to face relatively tight labor markets, the focus on skills-based hiring and employer brand has skyrocketed the race for skills into the number one slot for 2023.

鈥淲e knew that to continue to be an employer of choice, we wanted to satisfy the needs of our employees and applicants who were demanding an enhanced experience.鈥�

鈥� Cherilyn Nobleza, Executive Director HR Transformation and Analytics,

2. Mobilizing the Workforce for the Future

Organizations are continuing to lean into learning and development to keep employees engaged and properly skilled 鈥� and with economic uncertainty likely leading to a shift between external hiring and internal mobility, this topic remains top of mind.

鈥淭hanks to , we have transformed into an organization that prioritizes learning and growth and our employee engagement has significantly increased. We are now composed of people with a habit of learning not once a month but a little bit every day.鈥�

鈥� Adela Giral Lopez, CHRO,

3. Adopting Emerging Technologies with Purpose

As artificial intelligence (AI) use cases within HR begin to span across the employee journey, employees are beginning to see the added value for help in completing basic tasks and receiving personalized recommendations. But for that comfort level to grow, it鈥檚 imperative that HR teams remain vigilant in ensuring the use of intelligent technology is fair and transparent.

鈥淲ith support from SAP, we have been able to extend the functionality in 51风流SuccessFactors solutions to create an innovative solution that helps employees identify and develop the skills that will be vital in the digital world and the future of our company.鈥�

鈥� Gabriel de Diego, HR Strategy and Transformation Director,

4. Making Flexible Work, Work

Who wouldn鈥檛 love a four-day work week? This is just one of the many options being considered 鈥� and, in some cases, implemented 鈥� as organizations continue to experiment with new flexible work options designed for where, when, and how work happens.

鈥� is helping us truly empower and engage our employees by creating one space where employees can find everything they need and get virtual support to get their work done 鈥� no matter where they are.鈥�

鈥� Yoav Ventura, Cofounder and Managing Partner,

5. Embedding Holistic Well-Being Everywhere

Although many have settled into the 鈥渘ext normal鈥� from a working perspective, there are still a significant number of stressors at play that emphasize the need for organizations to continue their understanding, support, and prioritization of employees鈥� holistic well-being 鈥� including their mental, physical, emotional, and financial health.

鈥淩egularly engaging with employees is critical to ensure everyone鈥檚 voice is heard, their needs are addressed, and there is a positive work environment that makes people want to stay with us.鈥�

鈥� Tennyson Devoe, Senior Director of Safety and Organizational Excellence,

6. Embracing the Complexity of DEI&B

In 2023 we鈥檒l begin to see organizations take a 鈥渓ifecycle approach,鈥� meaning diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) will be embedded across all people-related activities, with particular focus on practices related to talent acquisition and retention.

鈥�51风流solutions are helping us achieve our diversity and inclusion goals. Greater visibility into the total workforce and transparent, improved reporting capabilities allow us to set recruitment and succession targets around race, gender, and disability.鈥�

鈥� Jeanett Modise, Group HR Director,

7. Preparing People Leaders for Today and Tomorrow

Your next generation of leaders will play a significant role in the success of your organization and in 2023, it鈥檚 all about developing leadership and management skills across the workforce. Keep in mind 鈥� not every high-performing individual is a good fit for managing a team so alternative paths outside of the traditional career ladder should be made available.

鈥淥ur talent strategy brings stronger engagement through clear objective setting, , and development conversations. We have the opportunity to improve internal mobility through succession planning capability, creating a diverse talent pipeline at all levels.鈥�

鈥� Fiona Brunskill, Director of People and Cultural Change,

For additional insights on the meta-trends and how you can prepare for what鈥檚 next, read the full report, .

Carrie Klauss is global director of Solution Marketing at 51风流SuccessFactors.

When Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun openly shared his cancer journey he learnt that one in two people were afraid to tell their employers for fear of their jobs, which impelled him to establish the Working with Cancer Pledge. As a cancer survivor, I can fully relate to the emotional roller coaster of coming to terms with the diagnosis, treatment, and returning to work. Like Arthur, I chose to share my journey publicly, as I was lucky to have supportive managers and an employer who provided me with the support and flexibility I needed to recover. But I had to go through the fear of stigma, my professional future, and the feeling of letting my team down.

will be affected by cancer during their work life.

Health and illness are very personal matters, but dealing with it in the workplace does not and should not need to be a private issue. When someone is scared for their health or even their life, they should not be worrying about stigma or negative consequences of sharing with their employers. On the contrary, it is essential to recovery to manage their energy, feel comfortable to express their needs in the workplace, and find the support they need at any stage of their journey.

Leaders feel unprepared to support chronically ill employees.

础听 revealed that 60% believe their leaders are unprepared to support employees with a serious and/or chronic medical condition, and nearly 90% are concerned about their own听abilities to offer support.听Much of this unpreparedness comes from a lack of awareness, understanding, and effective tools.听As a result, a behavior that is rooted in discomfort and helplessness can easily be perceived as stigma.

Break the Stigma

Destigmatizing health and disease have been at the core of health management at 51风流for decades. Three years ago, we launched the Are Uou OK? mental health initiative to put a spotlight on mental health conditions and encourage people to share how they are and seek support when needed. This notion should be just as true for serious and chronic diseases, like cancer.

I am proud that Christian Klein signed the pledge to provide a more supportive and recovery-forward culture at work for people with cancer, specifically to:

• Create awareness through regular internal campaigns for cancer prevention and screening, as well as a healthy lifestyle
• Break the stigma through showcasing employee stories to help others speak up
• Provide comprehensive support through access to medical coverage, emotional counseling, flexible working conditions, practical support for day-to-day life, and a supporting return-to-work program when the time is right for them

We want our people to do what鈥檚 best for them — because what鈥檚 best for our people is best for our business.

It is a journey, and we have come a long way. It is my personal mission that at 51风流everyone affected with a serious condition is comfortable to express what they need, and that the affected individual, their manager, and colleagues get the support they need to make the best out of the situation — offering the time and support for recovery while ensuring a structured and supported return-to-work process once they are ready to come back.

Based on SAP鈥檚 leadership principles, 鈥渂e ethical鈥� and 鈥渄o what鈥檚 right,鈥� together we can fight stigma and help make workplaces inclusive and supportive for all.

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann is chief medical officer of 51风流SE and global head of Health, Safety & Well-Being, powered by 51风流Future of Work.

What does this new world of work look like for the more than 110,000 51风流employees across the globe?

Hybrid Work: Our Way Forward

As part of our in the future, the Pledge to Flex program is SAP鈥檚 strategic response听 to the changing demands of today鈥檚 — and tomorrow鈥檚 — workforce.

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51风流has practiced remote work for decades and flexibility is part of the company鈥檚 DNA, but the pledge addresses the increased desire for more flexibility at work, which is a trend that 51风流and many other companies see in the labor market. Aiming for the creation of a leading-edge working environment where employees can thrive, Pledge to Flex is based on empowerment and self-organization driving world-class innovation and productivity while meeting individual requirements.

Dr. Christian Schmeichel is senior vice president and chief future of work officer at SAP. He leads the global Future of Work organization, which designs innovative strategies how SAP鈥檚 employees work today and in the future. 鈥淔lexible work is a key differentiator for attracting and retaining world-class talent in a highly competitive labor market,鈥� he says. 鈥淕etting it right sets the foundation for a successful journey into the future of work.鈥�

True flexibility comes to life when employees get to choose from where they do their best work — whether that is in the office, remote, or at home. We see this as a hybrid approach, giving employees greater autonomy in line with business and customer requirements.

Hybrid work is not a new concept. What is new is the strategic imperative and the degree of participation, alongside an increased level of remote work.

51风流is making a purposeful investment in supporting everyone to run at their personal best; all people get to participate and have conversations about what, when, how, and where they are working, as well as what options are available to them.

The transition to this new world of work is well underway at SAP, with the model implemented across 75 countries. Results of our latest employee survey suggest that Pledge to Flex is widely appreciated, with positive effects of hybrid work on employer attractiveness, empowerment, and productivity

Connecting Teams in the Age of Hybrid

Clear communication, continuous listening, and a focus on health and well-being are cornerstones of SAP鈥檚 success in this regard. But what does the right balance of working from the office and in remote locations look like?

Dan Barton, User Experience lead and co-founder of Bluestonex UK, a member of the 51风流AppHaus Network, proposes: 鈥淲hy should people return to the office if they can work remotely? [Companies must ] create a compelling reason for people to be in the office, and use the location as an opportunity to build a team culture.鈥�

Building a strong team culture with both onsite and remote working opportunities is key to success. As such, 51风流places focus on the creation of easy-to-use tools to build relationships, foster collaboration, and focus on health in any work environment.

Flex Team Workshop

There is no 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥� approach to hybrid work, so managers and teams must define new ways of working that best meet business requirements while supporting individual needs. To facilitate the process, 51风流AppHaus and the global Future of Work team co-created the so called as an innovative methodology for team development. The approach helps managers and employees jointly determine a setup that drives collaboration and productivity while putting business and customer requirements front and center and supporting the work-life balance of team members.

“Who would have thought that a simple new work breakfast series that started in the 51风流AppHaus became an integral part of 51风流Human Resources,” shares Andreas Hauser, senior vice president and head of 51风流AppHaus Network. “We co-created the new Flex Team Workshop with the Future of Work organization, and the workshop format was so successful within 51风流that we decided to also make it . This effort contributes to our vision of hybrid work and lets teams successfully create their own next way of working.鈥�

In 2022, Flex Team Workshop has been introduced globally at 51风流and has over 850 trained facilitators. It was listed among the finalists of the and the German , a testament to the importance of how teams organize themselves in a hybrid world.

Enablement material is available to all 51风流customers and partners as a free resource within .

Key elements of the Flex Team Workshop format include:

• Running the 90-minute workshop as self-service tool
• Understanding business needs and each team member’s requirements
• Aligning on key activities and social interactions in the office as well as when working remotely
• Building consensus on a tangible hybrid work plan

FlexConnect App

The FlexConnect App is the digital counterpart that brings flex work to life when working in the office. It supports employees to organize their work week and book work spaces and meeting rooms.

A social component allows people to connect with team members and colleagues by showing who else is in the office and where to find them. Together with the so-called “moments together onsite,” which are ideas for creating compelling reasons to return to the office, the experience of togetherness strengthens social coherence, which is particularly important in the age of hybrid.

Health as Imperative

A changing work model requires state-of-the-art health and well-being offerings acknowledging that happy and healthy employees drive the greatest value to customers and communities. Hence the health, safety, and well-being of our people is a business imperative, with a holistic focus on mental and physical health. Further underlining our commitment, we are proud to be among the first global corporations to have signed the .

Health offerings for 51风流employees include:

• Are You OK?, a company-wide
• Employee Assistance Program with 24/7 confidential support and psychological counseling
• Healthy leadership training for managers
• 51风流Global Mindfulness Practice program with trainings on mindfulness and emotional intelligence
• On-demand trainings for employees in physical health

In the End, It鈥檚 All About People

Making an organization future-proof must be top of mind for every leader. It requires organizations to be more resilient, adapt to strategic changes, and have flexible organizational models along with a culture that embraces disruption and change.

In the end, it is people creating, executing, and running all of this to be successful in the new world of work. People are therefore front and center in everything we do.

With the the fourth quarter rally ahead and the holidays nearing, workplace stress levels are climbing as employees return from fall business conferences, strive to meet year-end deadlines, balance family commitments, cope with economic uncertainty and endure an unending health crisis. For global knowledge workers, distributed teams across time zones can mean long hours of emails and video conferences, further compounding stress.

Research and people stories are gaining attention, like Rachel Feintzeig鈥檚 , which suggests more rest may be the key to better health and improved productivity in the future of work.

SAP鈥檚 Take

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann, chief medical officer and global head of Health, Safety and Well-Being at SAP, believes that creating a healthy, caring culture in which people can thrive and live a fulfilling life in spite of a highly competitive environment ensures that our people run at their best. She counsels employees and people managers and promotes the value of healthy habits like preserving restorative rest.

What rest and recovery look like can vary from individual to individual. According to Lotzmann, recovery can be active, like playing sports, or passive, like sitting in the park. What is more important, she said, is that the person has a regular rhythm that involves periods of task-related concentration, offset by experiences that require a shift in focus to something that has a calming effect, like a walk outdoors, time with a pet or a yoga session.

鈥淓verything that is in a healthy living balance has an underlying rhythm,鈥� Lotzmann said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not important exactly what it is that you do. The most important thing is that there is a healthy rhythm.鈥�

Micro-breaks are very short breaks that employees can take throughout the work day. As an example of a micro-break, Lotzmann said, 鈥淭he easiest thing is just to stop, take a deep breath, and look out the window at something in nature. Consciously watch the trees bending in the wind or the birds flying by. Continue breathing and let your mind float. Reflect on what really matters to you in life. Be grateful for what you have. For most people, this is the perfect way to get distance, calm down and reset your brain.鈥�

Research suggests that taking micro-breaks of 10 minutes can improve engagement and motivation. The longer the break, the greater the increase in performance. may include stretching, nutritional intake like coffee — in moderation! — and a snack, or a social activity not centered on work-related topics. Less beneficial are cognitive activities like reading the news, surfing the web, online shopping or banking, which can leave people more depleted, especially under demanding workloads.

Benefits of Rest for Productivity

At SAP, the health management team champions rest as the key to supporting healthy distance. 鈥淩est enables you to have healthy distance, to keep things into perspective and to reflect and recharge. You need healthy distance to make the best decisions possible,鈥� Lotzmann said. 鈥淭he more you are drawn into a stressful situation without that healthy distance to reflect, the higher the possibility that you will act toward a win-lose or even lose-lose outcome. In a state of healthy distance, you are in a position to realize what really matters, what it takes to resolve the situation toward a win-win outcome or how to turn the challenge into an opportunity.鈥�

An unspectacular example of where healthy distance is useful — and that is likely to be familiar to knowledge workers — is the email chain conversation with many people on copy that takes a sharply negative turn. Lotzmann said that without healthy distance, an automated reflexive reaction of cause and effect leading to escalation is more likely to happen. However, after a moment of restorative rest to gain healthy distance,听 people are more likely to respond thoughtfully and achieve better outcomes for all. The distance allows us to realize the big picture, to step into the shoes of a participant or to think about the right person to talk to before taking reflected action.

A healthy and balanced mindset allows targeted action toward the best possible outcome for all.

Micro-Breaks, Supported by Technology

To support and business agility, an organization has a responsibility to empower employees and enable them to take care of themselves. Workplace culture plays an important role in encouraging people to create balance in their lives. However, people will not take time for rest if they believe they will be punished, consciously or unconsciously.

A new crop of workplace technologies is helping employees, many of whom work remotely, to integrate micro-breaks into their day in a way that encourages building healthy habits. 51风流recently launched a global pilot project to introduce micro-breaks supported by technology that integrates into its online collaboration platform. For those preferring mindfulness, guided meditations by SAP鈥檚 own mindfulness trainers are available both as regular sessions as well as via a well-known app on demand.

鈥淢y advice is to try it out and decide if it is helpful for you,鈥� suggested Lotzmann, who understands that technology-based prompts may not appeal to some employees. She also has another food for thought, 鈥淎s we are human beings — and social beings — the most powerful reminders for breaks are other people.” She said that if you can include family, friends or colleagues into your taking-a-break-habits like going for a walk together, participating in a virtual yoga class together or simply reminding each other to take a break and have a chat — most people can build healthy habits more easily in togetherness.

鈥淔or many people, this is a great key to do it right,鈥� she added. 鈥淭he more we talk about taking meaningful breaks and share how we take them, the more likely it is that it really becomes a personal healthy habit in an overall healthy corporate culture.鈥�

Contact:
Ilaina Jonas, Senior Director of Global Public Relations, SAP
+1 (646) 923-2834, ilaina.jonas@sap.com

Operating in a socially responsible way strengthens an organization鈥檚 brand reputation. Job seekers and consumers today want to support organizations that stand for something important and that are making positive impacts on society at large. Investors are putting more emphasis on sustainable development goals with a significant increase of focus on social impact. Human rights and environmental regulations are increasing rapidly. All of this demands a more sustainable approach from CEOs and business leaders.

People, Planet, and Prosperity

When you hear the word sustainability, the first thing you may think of is recycling or environmental sustainability, but sustainability is about so much more than eliminating single-use water bottles and reducing fossil fuel consumption. A holistic approach to sustainability incorporates social, environmental, and economic sustainability 鈥� or people, planet, and prosperity.

Organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to be as focused on social, or people, sustainability as they have been on economic and environmental sustainability 鈥� all three together support and drive business sustainability. People make up society, impact the environment, and power the economy. People are at the heart of any strategy to make progress on sustainability goals. In today鈥檚 workplace, HR has both the opportunity and responsibility to ensure that people are at the center of work by creating an environment in which the workforce, and the organization, can thrive.

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Defining People Sustainability

People sustainability focuses on treating people 鈥� those within an organization鈥檚 workforce, across their supply chains, and in the communities in which they operate 鈥� ethically and fairly.

Just as environmental and economic sustainability require careful preservation and use of natural and financial resources, people sustainability requires treating people and human potential as precious resources that must be supported and valued to drive resilience, agility, and achievement of sustainability goals.

Companies that prioritize people sustainability, by creating social impact and building a more diverse and inclusive culture, are able to boost employee engagement and productivity. They鈥檙e also better positioned to attract and retain talent. Penny Stoker, global talent leader at EY, unpacks how .

Unpacking the Six People Sustainability Pillars

The 51风流SuccessFactors HR Research team has identified six distinct areas, or pillars, that comprise people sustainability. Although the areas are distinct, it is also clear that there is overlap between these pillars. At the center of them all, of course, is culture 鈥� as it drives so much behavior both within and outside an organization. Let鈥檚 unpack these areas a bit in the context of HR and people processes.

Health and Safety
At a minimum, you need to ensure the workforce is safe from physical health and safety hazards and has access to basic necessities. Does your onboarding process provide new hires with appropriate safety training and equipment from day one? Do you have visibility into your total workforce, including their locations? Knowing who and where your workforce is at all times allows you to react quickly in times of crisis and provide support where needed.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Here the focus is on treating each individual, regardless of social identity group or belief system, fairly and equitably and ensuring they feel a sense of true belonging. Are you able to attract and engage job seekers from diverse backgrounds? Do you have a standardized selection and interview process? Do you provide pay transparency? Are you measuring and tracking diversity, equity, and inclusion goals?

Well-Being and Balance
Beyond basic health and safety, this area focuses on ensuring employees鈥� holistic well-being 鈥� psychological, social, financial, and career 鈥� is prioritized and supported with the necessary tools and resources. Do you offer a comprehensive benefits package with compelling options? Do your employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work? Have you fostered a culture of continuous dialogue between managers and their reports?

Trust and Transparency
The focus here is on employees having a voice, understanding how key decisions impacting them are made, and trusting their organization to act in ethical ways. Do you regularly listen to your employees and act on the feedback they provide? Have you established policies and processes for the ethical use of intelligent technologies and data privacy and protection? Do you publicly publish diversity metrics?

Empowerment and Growth
Here employees are provided the clarity, support, and tools needed to grow their skills and are empowered to influence their career trajectory. Are you offering inclusive learning options to meet the needs and learning preferences of a diverse workforce? Do you ensure managers provide equitable and actionable feedback to their teams? Are you providing equitable access to development opportunities?

Organizational Purpose and CSR
In this final pillar, the organization is actively working towards giving back and making a positive impact on the world; employees are encouraged to participate and feel energized by the organization鈥檚 mission and values. Do you ensure individual goals are aligned to company objectives to increase sense of purpose and meaning in work? Are you providing your workforce the space to pursue their passions?

What Can Organizations Do to Drive People Sustainability?

In most organizations today, different parts of the business lead these efforts with minimal awareness of or collaboration with each other鈥檚 strategies. However, we have to start somewhere. The most logical first step is to understand where you are today. Do you have a unified strategy 鈥� at least across some of these pillars? Start the conversations and begin to break down organizational silos.

Prioritize people, and planet and prosperity will follow. This is what it means to be a resilient, results-driven, and people-first organization. One that鈥檚 not only equipped to meet the business needs of today, but one that adapts to the business needs of tomorrow.

To learn more, watch a replay of the SuccessConnect keynote, .

Kim Lessley is global director of Solution Marketing at 51风流SuccessFactors.

Over 200 years later, we still face issues with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In fact, many of the most critical challenges we face today are actually evolutions of the same challenges we faced over the last few years. Human resources (HR) leaders must understand how these challenges are creating the next normal, but also assess and determine how technology can accelerate HR transformation.

The Hybrid Era

2022 is the year to construct policies, practices, and norms around the permanent hybrid workplace moving forward. HR leaders must expand their conversations around hybrid work to consider reconfiguring job roles, modifying schedules and locations, and determining when an external workforce is the best route to take for staffing.

51风流provides the components needed for a successful total workforce management strategy. With 51风流solutions, organizations can source, engage, and actively manage external workers. In addition, can surface key tasks and insights, providing an intuitive experience that is personalized for each role and individual.

Learning and Internal Mobility

Organizations continue to struggle to get employees to own their development. It is critical for HR leaders to widely communicate what skills and roles are important priorities for the business, provide content and experiences to address these areas, and reward and recognize employee learning and development.

can offer everyone 鈥� whether they are in an office, at home, or deskless 鈥� visibility into development opportunities that are meaningful and relevant to the individual and important to the business. The can help you identify gaps and future needs and then align the right workforce learning and development to address those gaps.

Intelligent Technologies

Concerns are growing with the rise of newer, more intelligent employee monitoring technologies for hybrid and remote work, but intelligent technologies for data-driven decision-making are still considered fundamental. HR leaders will need to effectively communicate to help employees understand these tools: their purpose, their value, and how and where personal data is used.

With intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning embedded across 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, you can offer prescriptive guidance on a wide range of strategic areas. For example, personalized learning recommendations use machine learning algorithms based on employee profile information, learning activity, history, and more. 听By connecting this unique learning experience to personal development and growth, you can help everyone understand the benefit of using these intelligent technologies.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

DEI continues to remain important in 2022, but with the rise of hybrid and remote work organizations must monitor how flexible work models impact DEI efforts. Involving DEI leadership in the creation and evaluation of hybrid work policies will be critical to ensure such opportunities are equitable.

With calibration decisions, you can analyze historical data and surface important information to managers that may have been overlooked in hybrid and remote settings. This guidance helps managers make informed talent decisions and ensure equitable treatment. Also, the writing assistant in can guide performance feedback that is equitable and actionable, regardless of employee demographic characteristics.

Employee Experience

Organizations are improving employee experiences by balancing policies that benefit the entire workforce with practices that meet each employee鈥檚 unique needs. Personalizing the employee experience can include linking learning and development with personal career goals, matching employees with internal jobs or gigs based on their interests or areas of expertise, and assessing the working style compatibility of team members.

Employee experience management solutions help organizations continuously listen to employees and take insight-based action to improve employee experiences and engagement. Organizations can capture employee sentiment directly within the flow of work by triggering embedded feedback opportunities in moments that matter.

Well-Being

Supporting holistic well-being will be foundational to people sustainability efforts. New policies and practices that emphasize employee well-being 鈥� such as four-day work weeks, comprehensive benefits, competitive wages, and development support 鈥� will become more widespread and serve as a tool for engagement, attraction, and retention.

can provide the first touch point with a potential employee. Articulating how your organization prioritizes well-being on your career site is key to attracting and retaining key talent.

The Race for Talent

The workforce is demanding more of their current organization and, if they don鈥檛 receive it, is increasingly proving they will find it elsewhere. Organizations must develop strategies to reengage their employees who are unhappy and disengaged with individualized development plans and internal mobility opportunities.

With unified talent solutions, you can enable everyone to share more about who they are 鈥� their strengths, aspirations, and preferences 鈥� so you can match people with meaningful work and build stronger, more dynamic teams. With this whole self approach and intelligent recommendations for employee development and growth, you can align people with purpose and drive the adaptability needed for better business outcomes.

Leadership

People management now requires leading hybrid and remote teams, which comprises setting expectations for flexible work, assessing performance virtually, and creating and maintaining a positive culture in a dispersed team, to name a few. Regardless of team member location, management is becoming more 鈥渉uman-centered鈥� and emotionally supportive. These new skills will require organizations to rethink how they select, promote, and retain people managers.

With , you can automate repeatable tasks to give managers more time for employee development, coaching and giving feedback to team members, and interacting with the team. You can identify new required competencies for performance assessments and selection of new managers.

For the complete insights and recommendations, read the . .

Susie Thomas, PHR is global director of Solution Marketing at 51风流SuccessFactors.
Lauren Park is a research scientist for Growth and Insights at 51风流SuccessFactors.

The phone call came on a Friday night, Schmeichel remembers: 鈥淒id I want to go to Japan as HR director? I was given time to decide until Monday.鈥�

At the time, Schmeichel already had a track record of various HR executive roles at SAP. Born in Cologne, Germany, he acquired a PhD in Business Administration and went on to work in corporate finance and as a strategy consultant with a McKinsey spin-off. In 2005, he joined 51风流where his roles included, among others, head of HR strategy, COO for HR, and HR business partner lead for four 51风流Executive Board members.

Moving to Tokyo in 2013, Schmeichel encountered a country undergoing fundamental change after the Fukushima earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes. 鈥淚t was fascinating to see this huge country gearing up to be prepared for potentially disruptive events of the future,鈥� Schmeichel says. There was a deep business transformation underway with a focus on rebuilding things as some regions of Japan had been completely destroyed.

鈥淏ut it also left a lasting impression with me how strongly people鈥檚 safety featured in all those considerations. With the catastrophe being so fresh in everybody鈥檚 mind, there was a fundamental focus on health and well-being 鈥� on what鈥檚 really important in our lives.鈥�

Schmeichel鈥檚 years in Japan certainly provided a learning experience for turbulent times such as a few years later and his new role as chief future of work officer.

SAP鈥檚 Holistic Future of Work Agenda

With the creation of the chief future of work officer position in 2021, 51风流became one of just a few other companies to have someone managing this topic holistically at the C-suite level. Given Schmeichel鈥檚 more than 20 years in HR executive roles, this was a perfect opportunity for him to bring together all his expertise and knowledge to make sure that 51风流is a front-runner in this important area.

鈥淗istorically, 51风流has a track record of creating state-of-the-art, leading-edge working environments,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut with the world changing at breakneck speed and the war for talent becoming even more intense, we at 51风流鈥� just like any other corporation 鈥� have to get one thing right and that is continuously being an attractive employer moving forward.鈥�

Schmeichel considers the global pandemic as a catalyst for workplace change that was already underway. 鈥淲hat started out as crisis management in March 2020 evolved into our innovative flagship program Pledge to Flex, among other things,鈥� he says.

He regards SAP鈥檚 workplace flexibility as an advantage over competitors that have announced that they will mandate their employees come into the office again several days per week. With its Pledge to Flex program, 51风流chose a more flexible approach. The hybrid working model is a frame in which everyone 鈥� in line with business requirements 鈥� is empowered to find the best balance between working regularly in the office and remotely.

鈥淭he combination of flex time, flex location, and flex workspace opens doors for talent that we otherwise couldn鈥檛 tap into,鈥� Schmeichel explains. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to miss out on an awesome developer, just because they are also taking care of young children or elderly relatives.鈥�

A mix of data-driven insights and feedback from 51风流employees enables Schmeichel and his team to learn how their initiatives are being received. 鈥淎lmost 90% of our employees confirm that Pledge to Flex is the right way to go,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are currently making sure that the program becomes a reality for all our 105,000 employees across all of our 75 countries.鈥�

For employees, more flexibility also means more responsibility and self-organization though, while managers need to come up with new and modern ways of holding the team together and checking in on team members. Schmeichel and the Future of Work team understand this can lead to additional strain, but also great opportunity for enhanced performance.

鈥淗ealth 鈥� and mental health in particular 鈥� are important parts of the holistic Future of Work team鈥檚 agenda,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have to make sure that people are able to work in a sustainable way.鈥� With initiatives such as , 51风流Mental Health Day, or SAP鈥檚 mindfulness practice, the company encourages its employees to self-reflect on what is important in life for them and also take a particular look on their mental health and well-being.

A Deep Glimpse into the Crystal Ball: Creating a Target Picture for the Future-Proof SAP

But the future of work at 51风流encompasses much more than adjusting to the new post-pandemic normal. One of the most important steps to undertake when gearing up for the future is to create a strategic target picture. Taking an evolutionary approach for SAP鈥檚 workforce planning, Schmeichel鈥檚 team develops a vision of what 51风流could look like five to 10 years from now.

鈥淚f we know, for example, the future ratio between permanent and temporary labor, the future skills demand, or the mix of locations people will work from, we can derive from that how our people strategy and our workplace practices will need to evolve,鈥� he says. 鈥淗iring practices, location strategy, learning strategy 鈥� all that needs to be part of an evolving future of work agenda.鈥�

With a clear picture of the current and future workforce and the anticipated changes in work practices and environment, it becomes obvious that HR has to evolve as well.

鈥淚f we want to serve our 51风流workforce to the best extent as an HR organization over the upcoming years, we will need to leverage our digital capabilities much more. We need to simplify topics wherever it makes sense to free up time and capacity for value-adding services such as talent management or personal conversations,鈥� Schmeichel says.

The strategic workforce planning part of the Future of Work team is closely collaborating with 51风流business leaders, HR business partners, as well as controlling and corporate strategy. Key figures such as headcounts and financials are going into the target picture, but also information on the skills the workforce will need to develop.

Schmeichel explains: 鈥淲e still cannot predict the future, but we can maybe ask the right questions to come up with good answers and scenario planning to have a better grasp of what may happen.鈥�

Leading the Way for Customers and Partners

As chief future of work officer, the overall vision and mission of Schmeichel and his team is to support SAP鈥檚 own business transformation while also positioning 51风流to drive other companies to become .

鈥淩ight now is probably a once-in-a-generation opportunity that might bring us as a society to the next level, rethinking the way how we live and work for the better,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are laying the strategic groundwork today and it’s important that we don’t lose the momentum the global pandemic gave us in this regard.鈥�

Other companies are looking to 51风流for inspiration on how to manage the future of work topic holistically, including the ways in which 51风流is leveraging its own technology.

鈥淲e share with our customers how we are doing it,鈥� Schmeichel says. 鈥淎 question I often get is how SAP鈥檚 Future of Work team is organized. In fact, we have set up ourselves in agile topic clusters that cover all our important subject matters such as strategy, innovation, workforce planning, Pledge to Flex, future of work insights, health and well-being, people technology, and so on. We have flat hierarchies so we can strategize and execute very fast.鈥�

He adds, 鈥淕etting to shape the future of work right for 51风流as one of the most exciting companies and to an extent also for our customers and partners is something I鈥檓 very passionate about. But working with my team that shares this vision is what really puts the fun in what I鈥檓 doing. And that鈥檚 very appropriate as, at the end of the day, future of work is also about having a fun workplace.鈥�

We are more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the health and well-being of so many people around the world. Now, suffering from the war in Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian disaster have catastrophic consequences for those affected directly. These consequences can be emotionally and physically draining for us as a community.

To acknowledge the impact, 51风流has declared May 31 as 51风流Mental Health Day 2022, an additional fully paid day off for all employees. 51风流has long been a proponent of mental health initiatives, as demonstrated through the ongoing Are You OK? campaign.

Take Care of Yourself

With 51风流Mental Health Day, the company is giving employees a day to take care of their own personal needs specifically, instead of their everyday work routines. Having every 51风流employee worldwide take the same day off makes it easier to collectively 鈥渟witch off.鈥� This offers all employees an ideal opportunity to recharge, reflect, and take time to look after themselves.

Addressing employees, Sabine Bendiek, chief people and operating officer and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, wrote: 鈥淣o matter how you spend your time on 51风流Mental Health Day 2022, we ask you to disengage totally from work.鈥�听

Employees are encouraged to use this day to ask themselves questions: 鈥淗ow am I doing right now?鈥� 鈥淲hat am I concerned about?鈥� This is an important element of self-care, because our mental and emotional well-being benefits from regular attention — not just as a reaction to devastating external events, but also to help us continue to do our best with joy and self-confidence in changing working environments.

Speak About Your Feelings and Get Help

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has already had a . Cases of anxiety and depression have increased by more than 25% worldwide. The war in Ukraine poses an existential threat to millions and can trigger fear, exhaustion, and feelings of helplessness in many of us.

Natalie Lotzmann is chief medical officer and head of Global Health, Safety, & Well-Being, part of the new Future of Work organization at SAP. She explains: 鈥淲e launched the Are You OK? initiative for mental health to put an end to the stigma of mental crises and encourage employees to seek help when they need it. The most important message is to show people that you are not alone. We want people to be aware of how they feel. We also want to encourage people to talk about how they鈥檙e doing — especially now. It鈥檚 not a sign of weakness; actually, it鈥檚 a sign of strength and courage, a vital step toward becoming more resilient.鈥�

To be there for ourselves and others, we must start with our own physical and mental health. One day isn’t enough, but next week, 51风流Mental Health Day 2022 will provide all 51风流employees space for reflection and give stimulus for change.

Against this backdrop, employee well-being has become a critical topic for business leaders. Many companies are coming to the realization that good people management is about taking care of the quality of life at work rather than just focusing on the quality of work produced by employees.

In trying to address overwork issues before they impact mental health, professional services company Deloitte is a pioneer.

鈥淚 know from my own personal experience that burnout is no fun for anyone from the point of view of physical and emotional health,鈥� said Jen Fisher, chief well-being officer at Deloitte US. 鈥淗owever, it鈥檚 also very bad for business. If your workforce is burned out, your productivity and profits are both affected.鈥�

Spotting the Warning Signs

According to Fisher, it鈥檚 important for managers to stay alert and look out for signs of strain among their teams. Is someone acting differently? Is their productivity down? Are they being negative when they normally have a positive outlook on life? Are they sending e-mails in the middle of the night? Fisher explains that these are clues that should prompt you to check how someone鈥檚 doing and see if they鈥檙e overloaded with work.

Establishing a culture of openness is also crucial to help ensure that people ask for help when they need it. 鈥淥ne thing I鈥檝e learned is that if you鈥檙e feeling under pressure, there is someone else around you who will be feeling the same thing,鈥� remarked Fisher. 鈥淭hey might just be afraid to say it.鈥�

Setting Boundaries to Help Maintain Work-Life Balance

Fisher believes that helping employees set their own boundaries in regard to work-life balance is crucial if you are to create a happy and healthy working environment. 鈥淲e lock up our cars and other possessions, but when it comes to one of our most precious assets 鈥� our time and energy 鈥� we just give it away,鈥� said Fisher.

Here, employers have an important role to play in discouraging 鈥渟elf-sacrificial鈥� behaviors, such as people staying up all night to complete a project. It鈥檚 also important to create an environment where employees feel that they can disconnect from technology for an hour or two without disastrous consequences.

Making the Connection Between Well-Being and Performance

As well as helping create a happy workforce, the business case for prioritizing well-being in your organization is powerful. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a clear connection between well-being and performance, and care initiatives really hit the bottom line, with impacts on everything from productivity to absenteeism and staff retention,鈥� said Fisher. 鈥淯ltimately, if you don鈥檛 invest in your people, your business will suffer.鈥�

To learn more about Deloitte鈥檚 pioneering approach to employee well-being, check out听

Deb Lyons is senior director of Global Marketing for 51风流SuccessFactors.

Just ask TELUS, a leading communications and information technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 15.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security, healthcare, and agriculture. TELUS connects people to what matters most to improve lives and build a better future 鈥� and it starts with supporting and enabling its employees.

TELUS鈥� employees have long depended on the company鈥檚 technology, devices, and services to work from home 鈥� well before remote work became all the rage. Since 2006, TELUS鈥� employees have enjoyed flexible work arrangements, with approximately 75% of its Canadian workforce spending a portion of time working remotely.

In response to the global health pandemic, 95% of TELUS employees work from home, including 99% of domestic call center employees. As a result, the company has achieved higher levels of workplace satisfaction and productivity, as employees are empowered to find new ways to fit work into their evolving lives.

Just as TELUS was ahead of its time with its flexible work styles, the company is proving to be a pioneer in supporting employee well-being.

According to Sandy McIntosh, TELUS鈥� executive vice president, People and Culture, and chief human resources officer, 鈥渨ithout a robust people strategy, you won鈥檛 have a business that will thrive or succeed.鈥�

Under McIntosh鈥檚 leadership, well-being has become an ongoing cultural commitment and business imperative. TELUS has developed a strategy that recognizes the whole person and includes five interlocking dimensions that align with emerging industry best practices from the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the World Health Organization:

1. Physical: The company offers physical fitness and well-being centers, as well as virtual fitness classes and apps, virtual care solutions, nutritional counseling, health coaching, and more. TELUS also hosts biannual well-being challenges for employees and household family members to promote healthy habits.
2. Psychological: TELUS understands its employees are all somewhere on the well-being continuum and that each person鈥檚 situation is dynamic. The company offers industry-leading benefits coverage for mental health support and 24/7 support to mental health counselors and therapists through its Employee and Family Assistance Program and virtual care. In 2020, TELUS launched custom mental health training for leaders and over 90% have completed it. In May 2021, the company extended the reach by introducing similar training to all employees.
3. Social: TELUS creates opportunities to connect employees at work, home, and in the community through initiatives like TELUS Days of Giving, as well as supportive resources, collaboration tools, and employee resource groups that offer mentoring, networking, peer support, volunteering, and coaching.
4. Environmental:听TELUS helps employees maintain healthy workspaces at home and in offices. In fact, TELUS is reimagining its offices for the future of work with work styles and well-being top of mind, offering a mix of private and collaborative spaces to support whitespace and brainstorming.
5. Financial: TELUS supports all aspects of its employees鈥� financial well-being, offering competitive salaries and benefits and financial literacy resources, including a financial well-being hub where employees can find tools to help them reach their financial and life goals.

鈥淥ur job as leaders is to come at well-being from all five dimensions because well-being is not just mental and it’s not just physical,鈥� said McIntosh. 鈥淟eaders have a responsibility to make sure that employees understand their financial situation, that the environment is appropriate, and their social connections are healthy. If you understand all of that and keep pressing the gas on all levers, you create a magical place where people want to be,鈥� McIntosh explained.

For TELUS, it鈥檚 deeper than providing technology and tools. The company is working to create a common language, build leadership competencies and practices, and use data insights to shift mindsets and behaviors.

听provides TELUS with the technology to create a company culture dedicated to flexible work that in turn supports employee well-being. With cloud-based tools, employees can tap into engaging, individualized experiences. The company knows that a better employee experience will empower the workforce to provide better experiences to customers.

Very rarely does a superior or business leader say an employee must give up the things they love. But McIntosh says that employees often feel this way, especially after they have been promoted or move into a new role. Employees who quit a beloved hobby or stop exercising because they feel they don鈥檛 have the time may soon see the rest of their lives 鈥� including their performance at work 鈥� begin to free-fall.

鈥淣obody explicitly says to you, 鈥楽top doing these things,鈥欌�� said McIntosh. 鈥淏ut also, unfortunately, nobody explicitly says to you, 鈥楰eep doing these things.鈥� We have to, as leaders, overtly come out and say, 鈥業s your self-care in check?鈥欌��

Making Good on a Commitment to Employee Well-Being

At TELUS, team member well-being initiatives aren鈥檛 designed to simply make the company look good. Rather, they exist to make employees feel good and perform at their best.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really focused on helping leaders understand we don’t mean fluffy stuff,鈥� said McIntosh. 鈥淲e don’t mean every Friday we’re having a pizza party. We mean that you understand that you’re leading other human beings.鈥�

Take, for example, one TELUS benefit that provides employees, including their dependents, with up to CAD5,000 per year to spend on psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers 鈥� a benefit unmatched by its peers. TELUS also enables its team members to connect with registered mental health clinicians through a range of virtual care solutions and provides a free, unlimited subscription to the leading mental fitness app Calm.

鈥淗uman beings are complex, and we need to look at all five dimensions and put all of these ingredients together,鈥� said McIntosh.

To learn more,听听in an episode of Forward with Adam Grant.

Carolyn Judge Phillip is VP of Corporate Marketing for 51风流SuccessFactors.

As someone operating in a leadership position, I often look to these three for inspiration. Leading teams can be complex in our digital age, where remote working is commonplace and seldom do you get the opportunity to sit with colleagues or clients face-to-face.

There鈥檚 no doubt that in this new age of work, leaders need to adapt their strategies if they are to continue to engage their teams and inspire high performance. Taking some of the lessons I have learned from other leaders, I wanted to outline four vital qualities leaders need to succeed in modern times.

Authenticity

All the leaders I mentioned have one thing in common: their credibility. I believe it鈥檚 essential to start from a place of authenticity. How you manage people should sit comfortably with who you are. For less experienced leaders especially, who may still be growing in confidence, don鈥檛 attempt to be someone you are not. Not only will this be difficult to maintain, but it could also be transparent to others.

Authenticity is vital for another reason. Like your team, you will have tough days, you may feel exposed, and you will wish you had approached certain things differently. These things are what make us human. It may seem counterintuitive, but acknowledging our weaknesses takes strength and often earns more respect.

And it’s in times of adversity and through shared experiences that we can connect more deeply with our teams. Humor is also an excellent coping mechanism and a way to forge bonds.

Approachability

Influential leaders are like magnets and draw people to them. Some tough and powerful personalities may be revered but, conversely, can also be feared. This fear can become a barrier that could inhibit your people from being open about their mistakes or seeking your advice. If you want to build a reputation for openness, greet everyone, make time to chat 鈥� even if virtually 鈥� and give them your full attention. And this applies to people you don鈥檛 work with directly, including catering and cleaning staff. Why? Because it says that everyone matters to you.

Innovation

Innovation starts with having a vision, possessing an adaptive mindset, and being purpose-driven. It also demands collaborative leadership behavior to enable the exploration of ideas. Good leaders create and empower interdisciplinary teams and foster a culture of agile learning.

Also, creating a culture where everyone feels their contributions and ideas are valued and welcomed helps innovation. Often, some of the quietest or most introverted people have the most brilliant ideas. Unless they are encouraged and empowered to speak up, their contributions will be lost.

Empathy

Empathy calls for compassion in communication and being an engaged and active listener. According to research referenced by , empathy is a critical leadership skill. It鈥檚 necessary because people are experiencing multiple layers of stress, including the impact of the pandemic. And when people are stressed, research also shows they find it harder to concentrate, take longer to finish tasks, and can compromise their physical and mental health.

How can you lead with empathy? You will be more successful when you not only consider how others might be feeling but when you reach out to them personally. For example, a simple inquiry can go a long way: “I鈥檝e noticed you鈥檝e not been yourself lately, is there anything you would like to talk about or that I can do to help?” You don鈥檛 need to be an expert in mental health 鈥� just pay attention and take your cues from your team members on how best to respond.

Creating opportunities for people to feel heard and understood makes a tremendous difference. But of course, strong leadership requires action too, and how this plays out will depend on the circumstances. At SAP, we believe a healthy business starts with healthy people. We promote a caring culture where our employees can stay healthy and balanced in a highly competitive environment. SAP鈥檚 are integral to our investment in our people.

Guido Schlief is senior vice president and听head of听Services听for听Middle & Eastern Europe at SAP.听

Mapping the Course in Uncharted Waters

The world we currently work and live in is mostly uncharted. As humans, we like to stay in our comfort zone and these enforced changes to societal living are causing stress for many. While employee stress poses a real risk for organizations, finding the best strategies as organizations and individuals to cope with stress is also an opportunity to explore and shape the future of work.

The recent Deloitte Human Capital Trends revealed that 96% of respondents believe organizations are responsible for employees鈥� well-being. 51风流has been a front-runner in since 1972, putting customers and employees at the very center of any decision.听 Earlier in 2021, 51风流was one of the first organizations to announce its Pledge to Flex, an entirely flexible and trust-based promise to provide a setup that fits every role, style, and location.

Employees Charting Future of Work

One thing is certain: the blurred line between work and private life is individualizing the future of work. Research from McKinsey estimated there will be , which will prompt a large shift in the geography of work, workspaces, and soft skills needed to stay healthy and balanced in an autonomous virtual world.

Today, employers are at a critical time in strengthening employee鈥檚 sense of belonging, job satisfaction, and ownership of self-care, and at the same time provide the leadership framework of navigation to ensure sustainable business success.

鈥淚 am proud of the innovative KPIs around measuring healthy culture and health-related productivity loss that allow us to chart and track our course in the future of work,鈥� says Christian Schmeichel, chief future of work officer at SAP. 鈥淯nderstanding and respecting people’s needs in regard to their health and well-being pays off as it keeps them happy and productive.鈥�

Beacons and Early Warning Signals

Balancing the demands of work and private life is challenging, and stress symptoms can affect our body, thoughts, and feelings. Left unmanaged or out of control, stress can contribute to many health problems. Add an inactive lifestyle and maybe a sub-optimal work set-up at home, and you have the perfect storm for musculoskeletal pain, risk of toxic stress, presenteeism, burnout, or mental health challenges.

In the UK, stress, depression, or anxiety and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for about two-thirds of days lost due to work-related ill health before the pandemic (), while the听听reports people are experiencing their highest levels of stress since the beginning of the pandemic.

Setting Sail to 鈥楲ighten the Load鈥�

Tightening the sails from Are You OK? mental health initiative, 51风流is setting course for a six-week “get moving” campaign, helping employees create self-awareness and take action for their health. 51风流is proud to continue partnering and supporting campaigns.

Its current campaign, “Lighten the Load,” empowers people to prevent, alleviate, or recover from the stresses we feel on our own shoulders every day. The employee campaign has over 40 live events for employees to discover and experience new ways to lighten their load by signing up for physical activity challenges, demonstrations, and practice sessions with ergonomic, physiotherapy, and physical fitness experts. We wish for our employees to discover their way to lighten the load and reach their full potential in work and private life.

On , do something for your health.

Natalie Lotzmann is chief medical officer and global head of Health and Well-Being at SAP.

We have reached a critical point in humanity where we need to collectively take pause 鈥� as individuals, communities, companies, societies at large 鈥� and think about how our actions, or lack thereof, make others feel. We must ask ourselves the tough questions: Are we making people feel valued? Appreciated? Loved? Heard? Empowered? Inspired? Confident? Hopeful? In order to create a sustainable future where our economy, environment, and society prosper for years to come, everyone must search within themselves and do their part to create a better world for all.

#BeKind21 in 2021

For the second year in a row, 51风流stands proud with (BTWF) and its . BTWF was founded by Lady Gaga and her mom, Cynthia Germanotta. The foundation supports the mental health of young people, with a mission of creating a kinder, braver world. At SAP, our purpose is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. With a caring work culture grounded in psychological safety, 51风流aspires to a world with zero inequality where people genuinely care about each other and feel a sense of belonging. We see it as our responsibility to in removing the stigma around mental health disorders in the workplace, and kindness is a powerful lever to help get us there.

The Science of Kindness

Kindness has the power to turn darkness into light, cold into warmth, loneliness into connection. Acts of kindness 鈥� whether random or deliberate, small or large, simple or complex 鈥� make everyone involved feel good: the giver, the recipient, and even the observer. that kindness benefits our minds and our bodies. In fact, it tends to be contagious.

The healing powers of kindness are well documented and recognized by the world’s foremost . Did you know that performing 鈥� and even witnessing 鈥� small, simple acts of kindness can produce oxytocin, also known as “the love hormone,” and can improve our overall health and well-being? Kindness is also known to release dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical, and boost serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood. Similar to the type of high we feel when we exercise, being kind can lead to a “.”

Imagine if we could spread kindness farther, wider, and faster than the speed of COVID-19. Do we have the power 鈥� as all of humankind 鈥� to counter the negative effects of the pandemic by killing it with kindness? I believe we do if we set our minds to it.

. 🇦🇷 is kicking off by showing kindness to his best friend and donating to a charity that helps others like him!

鈥� Life at 51风流(@LifeatSAP)

Join Us @LifeatSAP

From September 1st through the 21st, we’re curating acts of kindness from 51风流employees all around the world and sharing them on our social channels.

• Follow along with us on , , and , or through the hashtags #LifeAt51风流and #BeKind21.
• Make the #BeKind21 pledge. Sign up and calendar to share on your personal accounts with the hashtags #LifeAt51风流and #BeKind21.

Julie Barrier is global vice president of Purpose and Sustainability Marketing at SAP.

It is no secret that employees who are laboring under strain and emotional exhaustion carry this stress into the workplace, where it surfaces as reduced motivation, performance, and cognitive capabilities.

鈥淢ental health was already identified as a critical employee concern prior to COVID-19,鈥� says Dr. Autumn Krauss, chief scientist at 51风流SuccessFactors. An organizational psychologist with a specialization in occupational health psychology, Krauss works with organizations to develop strategies that support employee well-being in a holistic sense. This includes mental health in the workplace, a topic that is receiving heightened attention in these challenging times. 鈥淚 do see the issue being more serious and pervasive as mental health concerns have been exacerbated by the pandemic,鈥� she says.

Even before the pandemic, the economic impact of poor mental health has been staggering. The (WHO) estimates that the loss of productivity from depression and anxiety cost the global economy 1 trillion dollars each year. However, there is hope in even the smallest actions. The WHO found that for every dollar invested in treatment for common mental health disorders, there is a return of four dollars in improved health and productivity.

Employers may be unclear about their role, or what their contribution should be, when it comes to supporting the mental health needs of their workforce. It can be difficult for managers to gauge how their employees are actually coping with stress, especially while many employees are working from home offices and have limited options to use vacation days. What鈥檚 an appropriate response? What鈥檚 off-limits?

51风流Offers Employees a Mental Health Day

When a recent employee pulse survey, powered by Qualtrics, revealed that one-third of 51风流employees have stress levels that are higher than their satisfaction levels 鈥� with 61% reporting that they were working slightly above capacity 鈥� 51风流responded by allocating a Mental Health Day on April 27 as a way to encourage employees to unwind and recharge.

SAP鈥檚 Mental Health Day is a company-sponsored global holiday for all employees to unplug from the office and reconnect with their families and other important areas of their lives that may be neglected, including physical health, hobbies, and social connections.

鈥淎s an 51风流employee, I appreciate the recognition by our executive leadership on the importance of employee well-being and their investment in our mental health by allocating a working day to this cause across our entire global 51风流workforce,鈥� says Krauss. She advocates for sustaining the benefits from the company-wide holiday by fostering new ways of thinking and acting that promote mental health and well-being every day 鈥� so that 鈥渋t鈥檚 just the way we do things around here.鈥�

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Resetting Company Culture: Creating a Safe Environment to Speak Up

Setting aside a day for employee mental health is just one strategy employers can take to support the well-being of their workforces. Each company鈥檚 approach will be as unique as its culture.

Regardless of the company鈥檚 size, geography, or demographics, however, the single most important thing managers can do to support their employees鈥� emotional well-being is to remove the stigma around mental health. This helps ensure that important conversations about employees鈥� mental health can happen as naturally as discussions about training and upskilling. It is imperative that employees feel it is safe to speak up and seek the help they need without fear of repercussions or consequences to their reputation or advancement opportunities.

When employees feel that they can be authentic about who they are, the result is often improved engagement, better performance, and better employee retention. This, however, requires a cross-organization commitment, with all managers on board in providing a psychologically safe environment for employees.

鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer that fostering positive mental health at work is not HR鈥檚 job,鈥� Krauss says. 鈥� for individuals to build better personal coping skills and get support, but HR would have no visibility into employees鈥� everyday behavior and how it might be changing as a first sign that they could be struggling with their well-being.鈥�

Therefore, when crafting a mental health strategy, employers are advised to take a preventative approach, rather than a reactive approach, so that employees get the help they need before the appearance of serious negative mental health symptoms, such as depression and burnout. The overarching goal should be to not only reduce negative mental health, but also to foster positive mental health.

Krauss argues that it is the organizations鈥� responsibility to create the team norms, work environment, and culture that foster positive mental health. Employees should feel encouraged to raise their hands early if they are struggling and feel confident that their managers will recognize their distress, even if they don鈥檛 raise their hands.

Rather than relying solely on individual-focused policies, initiatives, or benefits, destigmatizing mental health in many organizations will require a reset of corporate culture starting at the executive level. As Krauss emphasizes, 鈥淭his is only achieved by managers role modeling that they are investing in their own well-being, and well-being is important enough for a continuous dialogue with their team members.鈥�

Join the Conversation on 51风流Purpose Network Live

Connect with the experts who are moving business in new directions. Join for an open discussion on the importance of fostering a company culture that supports the mental health of its employees and how to kick-start the conversation around mental health in your organization.

• Thursday, March 25, 2021
• 11:30 a.m. ET | 5:30 p.m. CET | 11:30 p.m. SGT
• Speakers:
  • Waheeda Rahman White, director, Engagement, Inclusion and Mental Health, Bell
  • Laurie Ruettimann, author and HR consultant, Punk Rock HR
  • Dr. Autumn D. Krauss, chief scientist, 51风流SuccessFactors HR Research Team, SAP
  • Kim Lessley, moderator, global director, Solution Marketing, SAP

That was bad enough, but then along came COVID-19.

Heed the Warning

Thanks to social distancing, lockdowns, and the new virtual world of work, it鈥檚 becoming even more difficult to cope. In the past, at least there was face-to-face interaction with colleagues and customers. There were opportunities to wind down and socialize. Home life and work life were spatially delineated 鈥� the commute between home and office provided an opportunity to transition mentally between two worlds.

Now it all blends together. People are working from their kitchen tables while they try to homeschool the kids. Around the world, people are struggling to juggle work and family responsibilities with no respite.

The statistics are troubling. According to the World Economic Forum, one in three adults is depressed or anxious due to COVID-19. Headlines like “Quarantine Magnifies Depression and Alcoholism” and “Drug Use Increase During COVID-19” warn of the dire straits we鈥檙e in.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that depression interferes with a person鈥檚 ability to complete physical job tasks about 20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time.

51风流North America President DJ Paoni was alarmed by these statistics and even more alarmed by the results of recent Qualtrics employee pulse surveys on remote work at SAP.

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Take the Day Off

鈥淲e learned that a third of our employees have stress levels that are higher than their satisfaction level. Sixty-one percent said that they’re working slightly above capacity,鈥� he explained in an interview.

Paoni decided to act. Seeing the need for employees to unplug, he worked with local and global teams to implement SAP鈥檚 Mental Health Day, a company-sponsored global holiday for all employees, scheduled for April 27. Work will grind to a halt on that day, giving everyone time off to do something for themselves and their families.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just another day off,鈥� says Paoni. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a clear message from the company that it鈥檚 okay to relax. Healthier employees mean happier customers, so there is a business benefit in the long run.鈥�

Don鈥檛 Feel Guilty Taking a Mental Health Day

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann, chief medical officer at SAP, explains the importance of the initiative. How well we deliver on our business goals sustainably depends on our well-being, she says. The pandemic has compounded existing challenges and created a new dimension of mental distress for many people. With Mental Health Day, 51风流is signaling a strong commitment to its employees 鈥� and to society at large 鈥� that mental health is important, and there is no place for stigma in the workplace.

Lotzmann confirms the increase in mental health challenges during COVID-19. Reports from SAP鈥檚 global Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a confidential counselling service for employees, show a 28% increase in calls in 2020, continuing an upward trend apparent since 2017.

Mental health conditions are quite common. , some of the top causes of disability worldwide include disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. About one out of four Americans ages 18 and older suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder every year.

So why is there still a stigma?

鈥淪tigma usually stems from a lack of understanding or fear of the unknown,鈥� says Lotzmann. 鈥淭he fact that people don鈥檛 talk about the situation makes it harder to understand.鈥�

Lotzmann says the best way to remove stigma is to encourage people to share their experiences, providing employees with the strength and courage to reach out for help. Sharing experiences will also help showcase the support and positive culture that exists within the company.

What You Can Do

Over the years, Lotzmann has witnessed an evolution in the way enterprises are dealing with this topic. She has observed a positive shift but emphasizes that it鈥檚 not a tick-the-box exercise or campaign that employers do with bells and whistles. Rather, such a change must be nurtured and adopted organically through a culture of leadership, open dialogue, and awareness of available resources.

Attention to the mental health of employees has dual benefits; it creates a healthy culture and has clear business benefits. At SAP, there are programs in place to help maintain the mental health of employees by prevention, early detection, case management support, and reintegration.

As the chief medical officer of SAP, Lotzmann reminds us that mental health can impact anyone at any time. Her advice? If it impacts you or a loved one, be aware that you are not alone. Take good care of yourself, pay attention to warning signs, and reach out for help early.

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As organizations depend on their people to be more agile, they should do more to support their employees鈥� emotional and mental health, especially when many feel so burdened by uncertainty. The employee experience is more important than ever. Caring holistically for people is not just the right听 thing to do, it’s what employers must do.

Here鈥檚 a compelling business case for companies to put employee well-being and experience first: A strong sense of connection and belonging at work is tied to increases of up to 34 percent in engagement, 31 percent in retention likelihood, and 13 percent in performance, according to the . Created together with Thrive Global, 51风流SuccessFactors, Qualtrics, and Fortune, the Thrive XM Index is a comprehensive study of more than 20,000 U.S. employees at more than 900 companies. Companies have more tools than ever to support employee well-being and now, for the first time, they can connect the dots to business results.

The Best of Next: A Guide

When was the last time you felt like your best self at work? We want to help companies create more of those moments. Recognizing the impact of companies doing more to support employee well-being, Thrive Global and 51风流are working to help companies, no matter their size or industry, do just that. To help HR leaders and managers address two of the most important issues for all remote, on-site, and hybrid workforces, we created two guides: “” and “.”

We want to help organizations keep employees safe and productive to ensure business continuity now and beyond. With practical tips, expert interviews, and how-to videos, these resources can help people and businesses lower stress and anxiety and build mental resilience during this unprecedented time.

Why Listening to Your Employees Makes You a Better Leader

In , Christine Andrukonis, the founder of Notion Consulting and an expert in helping leaders change behavior, explains that leaders need to gain insight into more aspects of their employees鈥� lives to understand them and help them be their best at work.

鈥淚 like to say that 50 percent of the work is about the work itself and 50 percent of the work is about what’s happening behind-the-scenes for the people involved in the work,鈥� Andrukonis says. 鈥淎nd leaders have to have that mindset. Until they can appreciate that half of this success relies on human beings and what’s going on with them, it’s going to be really hard to optimize everything at one hundred percent.鈥�

Why Trust and Empathy Are Key Ingredients of Leadership

Empathy 鈥� being able to identify with what other people are feeling or experiencing 鈥� may seem like an elementary concept, but it鈥檚 a key driver of job performance, according to . However, only 40 percent of business leaders display strong empathy skills.

We understand that being able to put yourself in another’s shoes is critical for social development, but what about in the professional world? Fortunately, empathy is a skill that can be developed, according to one that shares practical examples.

The first step is working on our relationships, and the bulk of that is done through communication, according to Terrence Seamon, an executive career transition consultant at The Ayers Group. 鈥淎 leader has to be very real,鈥� Seamon says. This requires leaders to share their own questions, concerns, and challenges with team members and demonstrate authenticity and vulnerability.

How Well Do You Know Your Employees’ Growth, Ambitions, and Motivations?

Does your boss understand your passions? Is your company asking what really drives people at work? Even experienced professionals need to do some soul searching to find answers, and employers can do their part to help. According to , for leaders to shift from focusing on the job to focusing on people, they need to start by concentrating on employees鈥� capabilities and then design work processes and systems around them 鈥� not the other way around.

This is one of the key findings of a recent 51风流SuccessFactors white paper, 鈥�.鈥� Leaders need to understand that people are dynamic, with capabilities and motivations that change over time.

How to Shape a Workplace Culture That Works for Everyone

There is so much potential for organizations that want to invest in a culture that champions people of different ethnicities, cultures, abilities, backgrounds, and genders. But companies that embrace diversity and inclusion can find that it鈥檚 hard to get real results, despite genuine intentions. Minal Bopaiah, founder of , a strategy and design firm focused on designing a more inclusive and equitable world, to move the needle on creating an inclusive culture.

Bopaiah shares how several white business leaders wanted to do something meaningful by offering to mentor Black people in their professional fields. Bopaiah told them they had it backward. 鈥淵ou want to diversify your field?鈥� she asked them. 鈥淭hen I want you to go find the people in your field who are Black, or indigenous, or people of color who are already thought leaders in this space, so they can be your 尘别苍迟辞谤.鈥�

Fully recognizing that the best diversity and inclusion interventions are voluntary, Bopaiah suggests creating an environment that allows tough, meaningful conversations. We have so much to learn from one another, and leaders can offer support so we can do so inclusively.

A New Way of Working

The COVID-19 global health crisis has created unprecedented disruption and long-term implications for companies and people. By listening to people and leading with agility and resilience, companies can look to the future with optimism. Putting people at the center through human experience management (HXM) is the beginning of this healing process. This has been a difficult past year for everyone, so instead of getting back to business as usual I invite leaders to approach this year as changed individuals and choose empathy and humility to create a more positive and healthy work experience for all. Will you join me?

April Crichlow is global vice president and head of Marketing for 51风流SuccessFactors.

Glassdoor has recognized 51风流as one of the Top 20 Highest Rated Companies for Work-Life Balance During COVID-19.

Glassdoor analyzed employee reviews left on company pages between March 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020, in order to identify the top companies for work-life balance. The list was compiled using reviews left on Glassdoor from current and former U.S. and UK-based employees. All companies on the list had at least 75 work-life balance reviews during the time period.

The technology industry was most represented on the top 20 list, with eight companies. Healthcare and other industries such as insurance, real estate, and nonprofits were also represented.

Among employee reviews on Glassdoor, the topic of mental health rose 42% versus pre-lockdown in February. In the UK, mental health as a topic rose 76%.

51风流is invested in its people and their well-being, and cares as much about the journey as succeeding together. The company enables this through flexible hours, benefits in and out of work, and a focus on mental health. In a reimagined remote work environment, prioritizing the things we enjoy the most will define the new face of work and life. 51风流strives to find this balance. Today, employees have more software tools and resources at their disposal thanks to company investments.

Learn more:

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• .

Many of us will feel stressed, exhausted, sick, anxious at times; these are all totally normal human emotions that every person will experience in their life, especially at stressful or trying times. But for some, 鈥渘ot feeling OK鈥� may be a symptom of a mental health problem.

It鈥檚 OK Not to Be OK

The COVID-19 pandemic has added a new dimension of mental distress on many. Anxiety of the future, for our health and our loved ones, being overwhelmed with homeschooling or caregiving, being challenged by confusing information, feeling lonely in times of physical distancing, or being in an abusive relationship intensified by a lockdown situation: these are just a few examples that all contribute to mental distress. Remembering that stress in these times can be compounded when experiencing structural inequalities in everyday life.

Even though in a recent internal survey, 51风流employees reported satisfaction with the company麓s guidance and support during the pandemic, people feel impacted by the crisis. Almost a third of employees rated their current stress levels higher than their current satisfaction. This imbalance may put them at risk, as the likeliness of symptoms for mental impairment 鈥� which eventually might go over into the diagnosis of a mental disorder like depression 鈥� correlates with a stress-satisfaction imbalance.

What Is a Mental Disorder?

While every single person can experience temporary mental health issues resulting in impairment of mental or physical health at stressful or trying times, a mental disorder on the contrary is a diagnosable illness of the body that affects a person鈥檚 thinking, emotional state, and behavior.

Mental illnesses quite often affect or temporarily disrupt a person鈥檚 ability to work, carry out normal daily activities, or maintain personal relationships.

Some examples for mental disorders are anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. will be affected by a mental disorder in a given year.

Early Detection is Key

Knowing common warning signs of mental illness is crucial for getting help as early as possible. This is not trivial, as the range of potential symptoms is huge and as with many things there is no strict definition of 鈥渘ormal.鈥�

Furthermore, diagnosing mental illness sometimes is not a straightforward science. While it is an illness of the body, we cannot unfortunately test for it the same way we can for example test blood sugar levels for diabetes. Often there is a fluent transition between poor mental health and mental disorder, depending on the extent of impairment to maintain relationships and function in private life and at work.

A found that prevention and early intervention programs that effectively address mental health can help to become more resilient, and experience stronger personal happiness and success.

Are You OK? Mental Health Initiative

Promoting has been a feature in 51风流over the past years. World Mental Health Day is October 10, and with the increased need during the pandemic 51风流has started a lasting employee initiative that not only promotes supporting resources for both good mental health and mental health problems, but also invites employees and leaders to engage in a sustainable way.

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Each one of us can foster a culture in which all employees feel comfortable and safe speaking out about mental health issues they are suffering from, what they need to deal with in their family, or what they observe at the workplace.

The employee initiative will cover the many facets of mental health in the coming weeks and months to help people reach out for support when needed 鈥� from prevention to early detection to case management and reintegration.

You Are Not Alone

Whatever symptoms you may have, be assured there are many others who are in it as well or have been in it before. Daring to speak about an issue and to seek help is an important first step to get out of it.

A found 81 percent of respondents who talked about their mental health at work reported reduced stress levels and increased confidence and productivity. The initiative has plenty of channels for people to reach out to in a way they are comfortable with. SAP鈥檚 confidential telephone helpline through the employee assistance program provides a globally available, 24/7 counseling service for all employees. SAP鈥檚 own team of medical experts are also available by confidential mailbox, telephone, or drop-in service in some locations. Peer-to-peer networks offer coaching, support, and guidance that employees can reach out to virtually (or onsite and within COVID-19 guidelines).

Stigmatization Has No Place in SAP

For employers, caring for mental health is both a matter of a healthy culture and a clear business case. 51风流is committed to a no-stigma, inclusive culture that supports maintaining the mental health of its employees by prevention, early detection, case management support, and reintegration.

According to 51风流CEO Christian Klein, 鈥淎s we need head, hand and heart to deliver on our promises, we need to stay healthy and balanced in body and mind.鈥�

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Clearly, mental health is an important topic for people managers, as they can guide employees at risk by being sensitive and empathetic and providing and facilitating appropriate support.

To enable leaders in playing a strong role in employee support, a new portfolio of learning offering is coming onstream.

Poor mental health may disrupt our thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior and it has significant negative effects on our relationships and our satisfaction in life. Early detection is key. Stay informed and get support if needed.

51风流is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and eliminating the stigma around mental health disorders in the workplace. Learn more at . 51风流also offers a variety of programs and resources to help employees through challenging times. Learn more .

Natalie Lotzmann is chief medical officer and global head of Health and Well-Being at SAP.
Torsten Paul is company medical officer, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist at SAP.

From worker safety to well-being, it is the human experience at work that is essential to business continuity.

The new shows definitively that companies that prioritized the employee experience not only performed better once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but many of them actually grew. Put simply, people determine whether companies succeed or fail. And investing in people is what makes the difference.

In good times, employee-experience efforts are drivers of sustained growth; in turbulent times, they are key to an organization鈥檚 resilience and adaptability. Happy, cared-for employees are more driven, dedicated, and innovative 鈥� especially in times of crisis. In other words, companies that seek better business outcomes can achieve them by focusing on employee experiences that directly touch the moments that matter the most to individuals — both personal well-being and work lives.

Better Experience, Better Business Results

In 2019, 51风流SuccessFactors partnered with Qualtrics, Thrive Global, and Fortune to better understand how 20,000 employees from more than 900 companies felt about their organizations鈥� support of, and influence over, life moments 鈥� including things like career development, the birth of a child, or the loss of a loved one. Six months into the pandemic, that data was compared to the mid-2020 financial results of the participating Fortune 500 companies.

Organizations that scored in the top 20 for experience grew revenue on average by 16 percent year-over-year.听Companies that scored in the top 10 in the Thrive XM Index improved their rank by 11 places in the Fortune 500, year-over-year. These scores also translate directly to dollars. Every Thrive XM point equates to an added US$53 per employee in revenue.

The study used a unique scoring algorithm that assessed companies in three distinct-yet-equal categories:

• Experiences, or the company鈥檚 impact on broad life categories, such as time and finances
• Moments, such as parenthood, onboarding, flexibility, and more
• Well-Being, or feelings of organizational trust, belongingness, and more

Inspiring and Motivating Employees to Give Their Best

How can companies do a better job of supporting employees through the moments that matter? The short answer is technology, but it is also about leading with empathy and care for a person鈥檚 whole self. Technology provides people the tools to do their work fast and efficiently, giving them the time to be creative, innovative, and thoughtful. And when employees feel valued and fulfilled, they work better and smarter. As leaders, we should all be thinking about how to provide an enhanced experience, whether by selecting the right tools and technologies to simplify the flow of work or by giving the support individuals need to prioritize personal well-being. Here are some examples:

• Career Growth: The Thrive XM study found that professional development is especially important to new employees, Gen Z and millennial workers, as well as employees who identify as ethnic or racial minorities. shows employees that the company is invested in their potential and future growth. Developing and nurturing talent from within bolsters retention. Appropriately, Thrive XM participants who work at the top-scoring companies reported that they are more likely to stay with their organizations.
• Health and Finances: Employees should never be left wondering what they are working for. It should be clear, at any moment of any day, . This matters equally to tenured employees of all ages, and especially to Gen Xers to boomers. Using the right tools will instill people with confidence that they are paid fairly and accurately. Employees also benefit from sound . Additionally, employees should feel heard when it comes to benefits. HR managers need the . In other words, make work more than a place to get a paycheck and healthcare 鈥� make it a relationship built on altruism and trust.
• Stress Management: Most companies will say they are concerned about employees managing stress. But those that actually work to identify and address specific types of stress build trust with employees, retain, and inspire them. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, however. One approach might be to for younger employees to help prevent burnout, and offer to working parents. Regardless, organizations must work to identify and soothe specific points of stress. This will ultimately improve output and performance.

The new Thrive XM study tells us that technology is just one piece of the puzzle and should be used to facilitate more informed and productive personal connections within the company. People, and more specifically leaders, do the rest. To progress and even sustain growth through challenging times, it is essential that companies embrace the employee experience and put workers at the center of all business decisions.

The proof is in the data: investing in your people means investing in your bottom line. It鈥檚 simply the right thing to do.

To learn more, .

Jill Popelka is president of 51风流SuccessFactors.

Under these grim circumstances, business as usual is still a long way off in most economic sectors. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the interconnectedness of society, business, and the environment. Just as communities must band together in times of crisis, business leaders must accelerate the shift from shareholder primacy, , to .

Today, while lives are at risk, all stakeholders 鈥� customers, partners, employees, and investors 鈥� want assurance that the companies they associate with are committed to doing the right thing. They advocate that the extends beyond just achieving shareholder value, and insist that both purpose and profit must co-exist.

Your Stakeholders Are Watching You

In quieter times, companies may have deferred to their marketing departments for headline-generating initiatives around 鈥渄oing good.鈥� 听But then, some companies went off and did something completely different, lacking in social consciousness or environmental awareness.

Recent headlines are loaded with during the coronavirus pandemic 鈥� accepting undeserved government subsidies, putting employees at risk in unsafe work environments, hoarding user data for dubious ends, and polluting the environment. The difference now is that stakeholders are in no mood to tolerate the double-speak and bad behavior. These same stakeholders are spending more time at home, interacting on social media platforms, and are spending fewer dollars on indiscriminate frivolities. In the wake of the pandemic and protests, for brands authentically seeking to make a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives.

In the published by socially responsible marketing group The Good Must Grow, 76 percent of respondents said that how a brand treated employees, customers, and communities during the pandemic would factor into their decision to support that brand after the pandemic.

According to , 75 percent of consumers have tried a new shopping behavior during the crisis, with 36 percent of those readily switching to a new brand. Leading the way are larger, trusted brands that ensure good availability of essentials. Slipping in the rankings are brands that have treated stakeholders with casual disregard, used 鈥減urpose washing鈥� as a fig leaf, and have left people hanging due to broken promises.

Life may be fragile, but trust is even more so.

Leading with Purpose to Integrate Social, Strategic, and Environmental Goals

How do best-run companies integrate purpose into their business objectives with action and accountability? A newly released , based on the responses of 3,000 executives, revealed a connection between holistic management practices, examining how each part of the business can contribute to the overall corporate goals,听 and business outcomes.

Purpose-driven companies see the entire web of relationships within and beyond the organizational firewall as a unified entity 鈥� a network of sorts 鈥� that operates smoothly, dynamically, and as part of a cohesive strategy. Companies that are managed holistically, working with customers and employees to better society, tend to outperform their industry peers in areas such as innovation, employee retention, and profitability growth.

The leaders of these companies, who make up just six percent of the overall respondents, overwhelmingly say they have integrated communication and data-sharing processes across the business, increased transparency into operations, broken down organizational silos, and invested in collaborative technologies. They also report they have created 鈥� and taken 鈥� meaningful action to enact a clear and consistent purpose-driven message.

SAP鈥檚 Commitment to Purpose-Driven Business

For decades, 51风流has been leading with purpose on a quest to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. With a commitment to serve as both an exemplar and enabler of purpose, 51风流is making a meaningful impact in the following areas: circular economy, climate action, skilled and inclusive workforce, equality for all, social and inclusive entrepreneurship, and mental health and well-being.

But no company can do it alone. 51风流is committed to helping every customer become a best-run business, equipped to achieve meaningful business outcomes that combine both profit and purpose. As the and as Germany鈥檚 most valuable brand, 51风流is in a strong position to connect people and information around pressing issues that affect all of us, on a global scale.

Learn more about how 51风流is working in collaboration with its entire purpose network of customers, partners, employees, shareholders, thought leaders, academics, non-profits, government agencies, consumers, and influencers to bring about change. Visit

is impacted by mental health challenges. Even before the crisis hit, a by SAP, Qualtrics, and Mind Share Partners, published in the Harvard Business Review, found that close to 50 percent of millennials and 75 percent of Gen Zers have left jobs for mental health reasons.

The current state of the world and its adverse impact on mental health poses an even greater risk to employee well-being and performance. A conducted by SAP, Qualtrics, and Thrive Global found that more than 70 percent of employees feel less productive and over 85 percent expect increased distraction to negatively impact their work. Companies cannot afford to ignore these sentiments.

As work from anywhere becomes the norm and digital turns into the new social, leaders must find new ways to proactively nurture positive human connections and social interactions among co-workers. Previously, when physical gatherings were not quite as threatening, these types of exchanges tended to occur spontaneously.

As an optimist, I believe that there is a silver lining to the existential, historic hardships we all face. There is a generational opportunity to create a better future by prioritizing a new style of leadership, one that fosters and creates a culture of kindness in the workplace to safeguard against declining mental health.

It has already been scientifically proven that . What if we used the idea of kindness as a contagion in a positive way to fight against the negative physical and mental contagion caused by the virus?听

How Kindness Fosters Workforce Happiness

Kindness is associated with friendliness, generosity, compassion, and benevolence. Yet these gentle words fail to recognize the strength and interpersonal skills of those who practice kindness toward others and themselves. Kindness is the superhuman capability we all have. It is free, easily accessible, and unlimited. Kindness does not always mean being in service of others; it can also mean being kind to yourself. Even a simple, small act of kindness has the exponential power to change the world and significantly improve our emotional and physical well-being.

To reinforce our commitment and dedication to leading with kindness, 51风流is participating in the third annual , hosted by , Lady Gaga鈥檚 . The campaign, which runs from September 1 to 21, invites academic, corporate, and non-profit organizations, as well as individuals, to participate in daily acts of kindness and contribute toward .

By engaging in an intentional act of kindness every day for 21 days, the #BeKind21 campaign encourages participants to make kindness a habit, commit to compassion, and foster genuine connection. It empowers people to treat kindness as a verb and take conscious action to uplift the spirits of those around them.

Throughout the campaign, we will share our calendar with 21 daily suggestions for how to practice kindness. Have a virtual lunch date with a friend, get someone to laugh out loud, or send a kind note to a loved one. Start your day by journaling three things that you are grateful for. Take time for yourself and read an inspiring article or some pages from your favorite book. Treat yourself to some downtime with a meditation experience. Play an active role in expressing compassion for yourself and others.

These acts of kindness will live on and will inspire others to do the same.

#LifeatSAP

At SAP, we are committed to building a . As leaders, we can model transparency and treat vulnerability as a strength. Starting a meeting by simply asking how colleagues are doing or thanking colleagues for their work creates a sense of connection, particularly in a virtual workplace, where it is easy to feel distant. By sharing our own challenges, we can open the door for others to share their mental health concerns and provide a path toward accessing resources to address them.

Technology can be an ally in augmenting culture and making it more tangible. One such example is a new application developed to facilitate human interaction and alleviate loneliness and isolation felt by many 51风流employees. The via video chat for virtual lunch dates and hosted a virtual barbeque for 1,700 employees complete with a butcher, recipes, and step-by-step instructions. Virtual fireside chats, online wine tastings, and film screenings have also provided opportunities for employees to connect. These types of activities can significantly improve the health and well-being of employees and provide a space to practice kindness and to osupport fellow colleagues.

Take Action

Join us in destigmatizing mental health and spreading the contagion of kindness in the workplace and the world, starting with the people we interact with every day.

Pledge to .

Vivek Bapat is the senior vice president and head of Purpose and Brand Experience at SAP.

鈥淥ur main challenge now is to protect the privacy and personal time of our people,鈥� says , partner and chief financial officer at Kearney. Today, she is more mindful of how personal circumstances can impact people鈥檚 work: Some are lonely, others must deal with kids or live and work in small spaces, and some are coping well.

Strength in Sensitivity

The mental health of employees has become a top priority for Laurens, who is directly responsible for employee welfare. The team decided early on to conduct a survey with clients and employees to get a better understanding of how to apply some of the new habits and learnings to a future landscape.

For example, Laurens believes women in particular may benefit from working out of a home office. 鈥淚n the consulting world, it鈥檚 been a challenge to keep women on board for logistical reasons, like frequent travel and extended stays at client sites,鈥� she explains. 鈥淕reater flexibility will allow us to have a more diverse workforce. Less travel will also make it easier to meet sustainability goals.鈥�

On the downside, Laurens has noticed a certain loss of creativity and spontaneity in the virtual environment. It takes more effort to engage with people and connect with other parties outside of the team. Lack of contact also generates a silo mentality, making it even more difficult to break down barriers.

Relocating to Chicago from her native home in France to take on the CFO job helped shape her empathy for employees experiencing change. For Laurens, it was a pivotal moment.

鈥淭his was my chance to make my voice heard and move up the ladder,鈥� she recalls, adding that when she moved to the U.S., she lost her entire personal network. 鈥淎t first, I thought I had to do everything by myself and not show any weakness as a woman. Now I know that asking for help is actually a sign of strength.鈥�

In fact, she asked for an executive coach to help her better juggle the demands of a new job in a new country. She views her coach as a sparring partner for brainstorming. In hindsight, she wishes she had asked for one when she was 30. Asking for help may sound simple, but it鈥檚 not鈥攜ou have to overcome your own insecurities before you can benefit from the give-and-take.

Advice on Going Digital

Kearney started off as a firm of accountants and management engineers in 1926. The common thread since then has been to maintain essential rightness in all interactions with clients and staff.

鈥淥ur purpose is to provide our clients with the right balance of expertise and empathy,鈥� she says. 鈥淐onsulting has always been about idea creation and strategic thinking. Our clients are asking for consulting that will help them transform in a durable manner. They need consultants who can co-create a product with the company鈥檚 own teams, who can then onboard it and run with the recommendations.鈥�

In Laurens鈥� view, the COVID-19 crisis has prompted many companies to accelerate their digital transformations. Now they need to ensure that the transformation sticks. It鈥檚 important to build upon the learnings from the crisis. One thing she has noted is that going digital not only allows different ways of working, it also allows analytics to drive the right kind of decision-making, for example, in supply chain management.

鈥淎t Kearney, digital is under everything. It鈥檚 an enabler of transformation,鈥� she says, adding that digital is embedded in how the company manages projects. 鈥淲e apply agile methodology in our projects, just like technology companies do. Basically, we pilot small, learn, adjust, and then pilot bigger and launch.鈥�

Addressing the Heart and Mind

As for changing the world of finance and administration, Laurens has learned that people can understand a change intellectually but reject it emotionally.

鈥淵ou need to speak to the heart and the brain. People want to know what鈥檚 in it for them,鈥� she asserts. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 convince a businessperson by talking about tools. You need to address the user experience or the benefits to the business.鈥�

To drive true change, she believes it鈥檚 essential to speak the language of your audience. People only care about what is important to them. One skill to develop is the ability to think and act in the interests of the business. Another is to use communication tools that consultants and clients will understand. For example, use visuals instead of spreadsheets to underscore key messages in a report.

When it came to Kearney鈥檚 own system overhaul last year, Laurens and her team spent four months developing a business plan to implement 51风流S/4HANA and lay out the vision of the finance team they wanted to become. The idea, however, was sparked during a quick chat at the company鈥檚 espresso bar with the human resources IT lead, who told Laurens that such an implementation might not cost as much as she thought it would. That got her thinking.

Laurens also believes that people skills are as important as hard skills. 鈥淭his may sound a bit fluffy coming from someone in finance, but even if you have all the hard facts, you still won鈥檛 convince someone to change if their heart is not in it,鈥� says the Kearney CFO, who was selected by听Working Mother听magazine in 2015.

She was also in the large-size private company category by the Chicago chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) last year, mentioning the implementation in her acceptance speech.

In her eyes, the diversity and the company鈥檚 global nature set it apart. With diversity comes empathy, and at Kearney, empathy is half of what is needed for lasting transformation. Expertise is the practical aspect. Together they create change that sticks.

The Path Forward听is a series featuring trailblazing women in leadership and their inspiring insights and experiences.

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