I


n 2019, Professor Sir Cary Cooper and Dr Ian Hesketh published the definitive handbook on


workplace wellbeing and support productivity. Entitled ‘Wellbeing at Work’, the book covered design, implementation and strategy and how to deal with key challenges, such as an ageing workforce, remote working and the impact of technology in the workplace. Fast-forward to 2022 and edited


by the same wellbeing experts, Cary Cooper and Ian Hesketh, is ‘Managing Workplace Health and Wellbeing During a Crisis: How to support your staff in difficult times’, a practical book for HR professionals, business leaders and anyone responsible


for talent


management. This new book of case studies response


describes the to the


Covid-19 crisis and the lessons learned by leading organisations ranging from Fujitsu (information technology), Microsoft (technology) and Mace (construction), to Rolls- Royce (engineering and aerospace), John Lewis Partnership (retail), Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL, real estate) and Aon, the multinational professional services firm. I have picked out these six


companies in particular, which were contributed to the book by their in-house wellbeing experts or principals, because the organisations will perhaps resonate most with our global mobility audience.


NAVIGATING THE VUCA WORLD Well


before the outbreak of


the pandemic, multinational organisations – and particularly those with a HR global mobility department – were familiar with the VUCA world of continuous Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. As Karen Sancto of Microsoft UK


points out in her chapter, “As part of a global corporation, with many UK


employees reporting to managers outside in another geography, we already had a remotely supported and agile workforce both from the business and from individuals themselves. “Deeply embedded within the


company are two expectations: high impact and a growth mindset… Within this cultural framework there are also high expectations of resilience.” Microsoft were certainly


already well ahead supporting their employees with wellbeing resources including learning, physical and emotional support, onsite fitness centres and clinicians, and gym membership. Many multinationals with


size and scale to justify a global mobility team were also advanced in their appreciation of the value of supporting their global talent cope with the added complexities of working across borders and managing cross-cultural teams. But now we are in a new place as


the world wakes up after two years of the coronavirus crisis and vaccinations make operations and work – remote, hybrid, cross-border and assignments of all lengths – feasible again in most regions. Regeneration and a rebound in productivity are essential to keeping not only businesses, but also countries and regions economically viable. I would strongly argue it is


organisations that understand the value of supporting global mobility that will lead the way in the recovery.


SHARING INSIGHTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA What we need to explore now is how the global management expertise,


experience of


international leadership built up over many years and the agility of such organisations can be adapted to the new challenges emerging as the Ukraine crisis unfolds and threatens to draw local, regional and global organisations into


more global turmoil with a human impact unprecedented since 1945. Global mobility teams and supply


chains have quietly and effectively spearheaded rapid responses to crises, as well as the deployment and evacuation of key personnel, in recent decades. First called to action in the Arab Spring in 2010 and honing their skills over the years since in good times and in bad, global mobility teams have proven they can instigate crisis management procedures, ranging from immigration and visa support to emergency evacuation and risk protocols, health policy and family support. The pandemic and now the war


in Ukraine have cemented global mobility’s reputation as a core strategic business partner alongside HR with the emerging purpose-led, people-first approach. The importance of managing


health and wellbeing in the current crisis and brought into sharp focus by recent events is a focus very much shared with the wider government and public sector world. This is why the learnings of Andy Rhodes, former Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, is particularly pertinent. As Andy Rhodes points out, “At


a personal level we are not supposed to exist in a state of VUCA for too long… the human brain was not designed to spend all day in fight or flight. We generally crave certainty, clarity, facts, routine and if we don’t get them, we can suffer from anxiety and stress.


“Humans just aren’t cut out to


live in a state of perpetual VUCA and, by recognising this, we are better equipped to start doing some practical things to help. The paradigm shift we need to make in a crisis is to see work as an opportunity to make our lives better, not worse. “Firstly, a good wellbeing plan


will bring together the needs of the business, the evidence base and employee voice to create a shared purpose, grounded in the lived


17


THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE WELLBEING


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