Well-being in the Workplace: Examples from Humana
Organizations worldwide have had to make complicated decisions regarding the physical workplace for their employees because of Covid-19. Pivots are expected, if not necessary. And there is no instruction manual.
Well-being lies at the heart of the mission at Humana, a global health insurance company. The organization has used well-being as a guiding principle — a North Star — when devising their hybrid work strategy.
In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange Podcast, we’re examining how Humana’s focus on workplace well-being as part of their return-to-office strategy has strengthened their culture and employee engagement.
Humana Workplace Strategy Lead Brad Keller sits down with Principal and Co-Managing Director of the Gensler Atlanta office, Tory Winn, to discuss how Humana leads with empathy to respond to situations and brainstorm solutions to return-to-office, inspiring their employees in turn.
“We were all at home, kids included for a while, so we were competing. And then you kind of settle in and you get very comfortable. And so, when we think about the workspace, we have to provide complementary and sometimes even improved services and experiences than what you might have at home … We have to exceed that experience that you have at home. And so, a lot of that for us means changing and leaning more into hospitality- driven experiences.”
— Brad Keller
Together, Tory and Brad discuss how Covid-19 has been the largest catalyst for workplace change since the Industrial Revolution, and how organizations’ responsiveness, flexibility, and adaptability are central to their ability to thrive. Brad explains that for organizations to entice their employees to return to the office, they must exceed the experience that employees could have at home. And Humana meets this challenge by infusing hospitality-inspired, personalized experiences that welcome people back.
“It’s going to be a really interesting next couple of years as we see which parts of those things we continue to hold on to and are able to respond to moving forward in the hybrid work environment. So we all are kind of feeling our way through the dark right now, being responsive and nimble and flexible and trying things. And one of the things that I’m really grateful for is that we’ve become much more adaptable and resilient and not as afraid to take chances and try things, pilot things, test new things and see what sticks.”
— Tory Winn
Tune in to hear the full conversation. As always, thanks for listening!
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