Creating Human-Centred Workplaces – Making Well-Being a Strategic Priority

In the heart of Toronto last week, a pivotal conversation took place that could redefine how we think about workplace culture. The Wellbeing At Work Summit saw a panel of influential leaders come together, hosted by YMCA WorkWell, to discuss the future of human-centred workplaces.

The panel, moderated by Dr. Kate Toth, Director of Well-Being Innovation, featured prominent figures in the People & Culture space who shared invaluable insights into how employers can build workplaces that prioritize employee well-being through a human-centric approach.

Among the panelists were:

• Permpreet Soomal, Chief People Officer at Capital One Canada
• Manuelita Cherizard, Chief Human Resources Officer at the Royal Ontario Museum
• Niki da Silva, Chief People Officer at Golf Canada
• Surma Guha Bowden, Chief People Officer at Yum! Brands
• Carolyn Meacher, Chief People Officer, Canada, at Dentsu
• Liza Vityuk, Partner at McKinsey & Company.

They explored the critical role of trust, flexibility, and modelling well-being behaviours, offering practical advice on how leaders can promote well-being and high performance. As we look to the future, these leaders shared their excitement about the initiatives they are planning to foster a more collaborative and supportive workplace culture.

What can employers do to ensure all aspects of an organization are human-centric?

Insights from industry leaders, such as Surma Guha Bowden from Yum! Brands and Permpreet Soomal from Capital One Canada, underscore the importance of aligning organizational values with workplace behaviours and tailoring well-being programs to employee interests.

Surma Guha Bowden emphasizes the need to be open and vulnerable, to “align values with behaviours that actually exist in the workplace,” exemplified by the Yum! Brands mantra to lead with smart, heart, and courage. Similarly, Permpreet Soomal highlights the significance of knowing your people, uncovering what employees truly want in terms of wellness programs, benefits, and workplace well-being, and making strategic choices based on those preferences.

Chief People Officer of Dentsu Canda, Carolyn Meacher, noted that the impact of the pandemic really opened up the corporate experience to become more human. In a time of remote work and disconnect they needed to focus on the moments that matter to connect as humans.

One example was how Dentsu leveraged design thinking in fostering human connections, particularly in remote or hybrid work environments. Her team discovered that the experience of new employees onboarding online is a lonely, disconnected, and boring experience. Dentsu overhauled the onboarding experience as a place to invest in meeting people, building community, and an opportunity for new staff and teams to connect in a meaningful way.

Liza Vityuk, Partner at McKinsey & Company believes that human-centric workplaces are critical to what we want our clients and customers to feel and experience in an authentic way. We need to invest in our workplaces by modelling well-being at every level.

By implementing these strategies, employers can create an environment that genuinely prioritizes employee well-being and satisfaction.

How do leaders model behaviours in managers that promote both well-being and high performance?

Our esteemed panel holds firmly to the belief that well-being and high performance are mutually supporting, not mutually exclusive concepts. Leaders play a pivotal role in creating a culture of well-being and high performance within their organizations. One of the most effective ways they can do this is by modelling behaviours in managers that promote these values.

Manuelita Cherizard of the Royal Ontario Museum highlights frontline supervisors have a significant impact on staff mental health, and fostering positive relationships between frontline staff and their leaders is crucial. Leaders must set an example through their communication, use of language, and expectations. This includes providing managers with the necessary resources, training, and tools to adopt behaviours that support well-being and high performance.

Creating a culture of well-being also requires leaders to demonstrate empathy and genuine care for their staff. Niki da Silva of Golf Canada says “People need to know that you care about them as humans.“ This means making time and space in one-on-one meetings to address both work and personal life, and investing in building ongoing, stronger relationships. 

Carolyn Meacher says it's important to dispel the common misconception that well-being and high performance require tradeoffs. Instead, leaders hold to high standards through providing high support, and fostering an environment where employees feel valued and empowered to excel.

Moreover, leaders themselves face unique stressors, particularly in high-feedback and performance-driven environments like Capital One Canada. Permpreet Soomal says that equipping people leaders with systematic approaches to handle these conversations is essential.

Building on this idea, Surma Guha Bowden says that leading with heart and modelling behaviours that align with organizational values is key. Focusing on leading from "above-the-line" (a nod to Urban Meyer's book Above the Line) can help leaders create a positive and productive workplace culture. By embodying these principles, leaders can inspire their managers to do the same, ultimately fostering a more human-centric workplace where both well-being and high performance thrive.

How do you measure employee well-being in your organization? What indicators help you assess the impact in this area?

There is an oft-quoted saying: "What gets measured, gets managed". Is your workplace truly human-centric? If it is, your employees will experience that on a daily basis. Is all your hard work hitting the mark? Your people will tell you...if you ask. A fundamental aspect of being a human-centred organization is building in a regular cadence of employee feedback, a listening strategy that you are able to act upon to make the best use of your organization's resources.

This is where YMCA WorkWell can support you to think beyond the traditional employee engagement survey and capture a holistic view of the employee experience with WorkWell Insights. We believe that engagement and performance are lagging indicators.

We'll help you measure those, too, but we'll get deeper into employee experience and well-being, and then partner with you in identifying targeted actions to take to co-create workplaces that people love.

What is next in the areas of human-centric culture and employee well-being? 

In the coming months and years, organizations will be committed to advancing initiatives aimed at fostering a human-centric culture and enhancing employee well-being. Based on the conversations at the Wellbeing at Work Summit, comprehensive programs will focus on supporting the holistic health and happiness of all employees.

These initiatives will encompass a range of strategies, from mental health resources like Opening Minds / Mental Health Commission of Canada and Frayme, work-time reduction strategies highlighted by Joe O'Connor from the Work Time Reduction Centre of Excellence, and the impact of physical health on work performance by Peloton for Business and Personify Health. 

As we look to the future, we are excited about the potential of these initiatives to transform the workplace into a truly human-centric environment.

YMCA WorkWell's team of researchers, psychologists, and facilitators are continuously evolving our programs and strategies to meet the changing needs of leaders, employees, and the broader community.

If you are interested in learning more about partnering with our team to support human-centric workplace strategies and developing leaders, schedule a complimentary discovery call today.