RIMS Australasia 2020 Virtual Summit: DAY THREE: 2. Focus on mental health and wellbeing risk prevention: Willis Towers Watson

Speaking at the RIMS Australasia 2020 Virtual Summit, Hall said it was important for companies to take a holistic approach towards employees’ wellbeing, encompassing peoples’ physical, financial, social and emotional health.

Mental and health and wellbeing challenges could lead to significant problems for workers and employers, Hall said, hindering peoples’ ability to work effectively, reduced engagement, and absence. 

Financial problems, family issues, and physical health could lead to problems at the workplace, Hall said. 

Often, Hall added, mental health issues emerged as a result of workplace stress, with 91pc of workers’ compensation claims related to stress in the office. Work-related pressure, and harassment were cited as two of the leading causes of claims, according to Hall. 

He said organisations could mitigate people risks by looking at “how work is designed, how it is performed, and how it is managed”. “There’s lots that can be done.”

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He said organisations could mitigate people risks by looking at “how work is designed, how it is performed, and how it is managed”. “There’s lots that can be done.” 

Hall said companies should look to prevent wellbeing issues arising, rather than trying to treat symptoms of potential problems.

“How do you design strategy and intervention? We want to prevent people from moving towards the high-risk end, and we want to detect those movements early,” Hall said. 

“What are the things the organisation can do? What are things we can support leaders with? And what are the things we can help individuals with?”, he added.

“We need to look at what is happening at the organisational level that is creating an environment that makes peoples’ challenges worse,or creates them in the first place.”

Hall said Willis Towers Watson is working with clients to change the perception of people risk: “We need to think about this from a people-centric perspective,” he added. 

Hall said, “Understanding employees’ experience of their own wellbeing and the experience of the organisation that creates that sense of wellbeing at work,” he said.