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People Risk Podcast: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

COVID-19 put people-related risks firmly on the boardroom agenda. As the single largest health crisis of our time, the pandemic has reinforced how employer-sponsored health, risk protection and well-being plans are central pillars of the employee value proposition.  CEOs quickly recognised the impact that well-being can have on business continuity, safety, employee performance, the client experience, reputation and ultimately the bottom line. The past year has also shone a light on the role that looking after employees plays in meeting rising environmental, social and corporate governance expectations.

Chapter Two of the European MMB People Risk podcast focusses on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and its effects on mental health risks in organisations – a topic that has risen high on the corporate agenda.

This episode is hosted by Helena Zikova, MMB Growth Enablement Leader, and features special guest Wolfgang Seidl, who leads the Workplace Health Solutions practice at Mercer Marsh Benefits.

Key Takeaways:

    We are at a crossroads: diversity and mixed teams are more creative and productive. Highly successful teams are more diverse and have higher levels of psychological safety, meaning they have sufficient trust to speak out

    The pandemic has taught us that we need collaboration more than ever – not just in research in terms of vaccines, but in our personal lives. Loneliness was a big feature of lockdown and human relationships, compassion and empathy are a way out of this pandemic

    What gets measured gets done: DE&I is high on the boardroom agenda and employers should now put in place proper processes in order to measure the impact of mental health on a number of areas such as employee wellbeing, attendance, productivity and overall business performance

About our Speakers

Wolfgang Seidl leads the Workplace Health Solutions practice at Mercer Marsh Benefits, advising companies on health and wellbeing strategy. Wolfgang is a Doctor of Medicine, also master’s degree in psychiatry, philosophy and society, and he is an accredited psychotherapist. He also pioneered Return on Investment Research in Mental Health at work.

Helena Zikova is the Growth Enablement Leader for Mercer Marsh Benefits in Continental Europe. She is currently focused on bringing the best of MMB, Marsh and Mercer in front of clients, linking closely with key regional growth solutions, capabilities and industries. Helena holds a master’s degree in monetary economics, finance and banking and has worked in various roles since she joined Marsh & McLennan in 2017. Helena is based in Vienna, Austria.

Wolfgang Seidl

Senior Health & Benefits Consultant

  • United Kingdom

People Risk Podcast - season 1

The Five Pillars of People Risk