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Approaching employee wellbeing through a local lens and getting senior teams to lead culture change should form part of a global health and wellbeing strategy, Leena Nair, chief HR officer at manufacturing powerhouse Unilever told delegates at a recent conference. Ashleigh Webber reports.
Although supporting employee health and well-being has always been a necessity, the Covid-19 pandemic has driven it even further up the agenda, with job insecurity, work-life balance struggles, social isolation, health risks and bereavement all having an impact on employees' mental and physical health.
It is often accepted that smaller businesses, where leaders, managers and colleagues sometimes have a closer relationship, have a better understanding of staff wellbeing needs and are often better at spotting when somebody is struggling. But, at the MAD World Summit in October, Unilever's chief HR officer Leena Nair told attendees that larger, multinational organisations could also have a hugely positive impact on employee wellbeing.
The consumer goods giant has been on a seven-year journey to change its culture and make it easier for employees to talk about their mental health. "All of us have mental health and we all have good days and bad days," she said. "We must make it okay for people to talk about it... breaking down the stigma that surrounds it."
Nair said a key part of this is getting senior leaders - including the c-suite - to open up about their own wellbeing struggles and be "vulnerable" with their colleagues, setting an example for others to follow. This has been particularly pertinent during the current pandemic.
"It's getting easier because almost all of them have a story to tell about their own family and friends and the struggles they're facing, "she said." Leaders need compassion, empathy and vulnerability. I've shared with my team and the entire company my concerns for my aged parents.
"We've lost some Unilever colleagues to Covid and every time the phone rings [with the news], it's like somebody has stuck a knife in you. It really hurts because these are our people and...