Manulife's CHRO shares how leaders ensure that staff feel valued and cared for
Starting September 10th, Manulife employees can look forward to a new well-being initiative that’s focused on collective learning, followed by an afternoon of leave to recharge. “Fuel Up Fridays” will fall on every second of each month till the end of the year.
In addition, Manulife will once again reward its more than 37,000 colleagues five additional personal days to use during 2022. This is the second year that the insurance firm has offered extra days off. Another recurring initiative during the pandemic has been ‘Thank You Day’, which fell in June this year.
READ MORE: Manulife offers staff extra paid day off
Angie Ng, CHRO at Manulife Singapore shared with HRD how these efforts have impacted employee morale thus far. “Our employees have definitely appreciated the various efforts that encourage them to unplug and recharge,” Ng said. “We want to make sure that our employees feel valued and well cared for especially during these challenging times. It also helps alleviate some of the stigma associated with mental health by showing our employees that this is something that we want to support them through. Ultimately, we believe that our success as a company depends on the well-being of our people and it is our responsibility to embed mental well-being into our culture.”
Ng added that the uncertainty and stress created by the pandemic and increased isolation had elevated mental health on the company’s agenda. To ensure they offer the most relevant support to employees, leaders engage employees through multiple channels. “We’ve put in place efforts to check in regularly with our teams and understand real-time how they’re feeling,” she said. “We host regular catch-up sessions and discussions to ensure that employees’ concerns are heard and addressed.
“Our internal surveys also provide us with valuable insights that inform our strategy. Working together with the various team leaders, we’re then able to introduce initiatives that ensure every individual in our employ is given the care and support that they need to cope with the changing environment. We need to continually evolve and adapt our well-being program through this period of volatility to adequately support a hybrid workforce and the needs of our employees.”
