EXCLUSIVE: Charlotte Frost, benefits and wellbeing manager, HR at asset management organisation Schroders will speak about how reward and benefits professionals can engage a worldwide employee base using a global wellbeing strategy at Employee Benefits Connect 2019.
The session, titled 'Creating a workplace culture that fosters employee health and wellbeing', will form part of the recognition and motivation conference stream on Wednesday 27 February 2019.
Frost will discuss the key challenges in preparing and implementing a wellbeing strategy or campaign when the goal is to engage and appeal to employees from different cultures and locations.
She said: "One of the biggest challenges that wellbeing programmes have is engaging with organisations globally around wellbeing, and the fact that some topics don't lend themselves very easily to a consistent message. It can be due to cultural differences, including stigma [and] languages. It's just being mindful that not everywhere uses the same terminology and positioning."
Frost will also share her own experiences of rolling out wellbeing initiatives in locations such as Asia, Canada, the UK and US, providing real-life examples of approaches that work, pitfalls to avoid and key learnings she has gleaned to date.
"I've got some good stories to tell, and some real-life examples of what has worked, but [I will also be] honest about what hasn't worked and how we've taken learning from that," Frost said.
For example, Frost plans to discuss a cancer awareness initiative she launched in Asia and the US where differing terminology was a factor. She will also talk about a wellbeing programme she was tasked to roll out in the UK which was created by a Canadian organisation, and why this proved difficult.
"Despite having all the best efforts and doing something which is morally the correct thing to do, because [the organisation] didn't take the time to engage locally and find out what would be suitable for different audiences, the take up or the engagement with the [campaign was] lower. It was a missed opportunity really," she explained.
Frost's session will emphasise the importance of communications. "[HR professionals] only get one time to get it right," she noted. "Communication is key, and [organisations should] take the time to get it right up front."
Employee Benefits Connect 2019 will take place on Wednesday 27 February 2019 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
