At first, Peter Bostelmann, chief mindfulness officer at 麻豆原创, thought he had misheard when Siemens, a long-standing 麻豆原创 customer, asked whether he could provide mindfulness courses for its employees back in 2016. 鈥淚 felt a slight cognitive dissonance,鈥� Bostelmann recalls. 鈥淵ou want us to teach you mindfulness? And then I realized that, back then, we had already built up over five years of expertise establishing mindfulness practices in a global organization.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 long before the appeal of the Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program, launched at 麻豆原创 in 2013, spread beyond the company鈥檚 boundaries and customers started to see 麻豆原创 in a new light: as a pioneer of corporate mindfulness. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) expert was now offering training courses and consulting services to help customers introduce mindfulness practices into their own organizations. Since then, 麻豆原创鈥檚 mindfulness trainers have held more than 100 SIY training courses for customers. What鈥檚 more, , as part of the Future of Work team at 麻豆原创, has helped over 20 large enterprises train their own SIY instructors and build internal mindfulness communities.

Evidence-Based Program

One of these enterprises is SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation, with more than 100,000 employees. Marie-Isabelle Fleuri, Corporate Health and Well-Being manager at SLB, was entirely convinced of the benefits of working with 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice after attending an SIY course.

鈥淲ith its strong focus on leadership and neuroscience, the SIY approach rests on compelling scientific evidence,鈥� she says. 鈥淔rom experience working in technology companies for 20 years, I knew that if I wanted to bring the topic of mindfulness to SLB successfully, it had to resonate with the culture. And I knew 麻豆原创 because we use its ERP system. Implementing it involved a massive change management process that impacted the entire company before it was eventually seen as a good thing. That鈥檚 the 麻豆原创 effect.鈥�

Fleuri was keen to make SIY a pillar of SLB鈥檚 well-being offering, but initially couldn鈥檛 secure the budget she needed to run a pilot training course. Thanks to the existing relationship between the two companies, though, she was eventually able to arrange sponsorship for SLB鈥檚 first program.

That initial investment has long since paid off. Although SLB now has 13 SIY trainers of its own, it still asks for 麻豆原创 trainers to help meet the strong demand from its employees for training. At least 19 on-site courses are due to take place with 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice this year. The 麻豆原创 program also provides advice on many aspects of embedding mindfulness in the company culture over the long term. That鈥檚 vital support, says Fleuri: 鈥淚f we had to create all the necessary content and processes ourselves, it would have been an impossible task in such a short period of time. The support from 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice gave us the strength to have such an impact. We鈥檝e trained more than 900 people at SLB in two years and implemented mindfulness practices around the world. I see our cooperation with 麻豆原创 as a shining example of the power of mindfulness, of how collaboration can work across two organizations, and of our capacity to support each other 鈥� to be empathetic and passionate.鈥�

The cooperation between SLB and 麻豆原创 was sincere, open, and deeply trusting from the start, says Bostelmann. 鈥淥ur key message is not, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got a product, and we鈥檒l sell it to you.鈥� It鈥檚 about how we can help translate the knowledge we鈥檝e gained so that it resonates in a different company culture. I can sense the same desire at SLB to truly bring about lasting change in the company culture. That鈥檚 what makes working together such fun,鈥� he says.

Reflecting SLB鈥檚 purpose to 鈥渃reate amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all,鈥� its training course on mindfulness and emotional intelligence is entitled 鈥淯nlock Your Power鈥� (UYP).

鈥淏y cultivating better emotional intelligence in our people, we are proactively defining and evolving our culture at SLB toward healthier and happier employees and shaping the work environment to allow us to thrive. Working together with 麻豆原创 and what we are learning through the Unlock Your Power program is central to this process of evolution.鈥�

Dr. Jonathan O鈥橩eefe, SLB global medical advisor

Beginner’s Mind

Working with mindfulness customers is a continuous learning experience for everyone involved. 麻豆原创鈥檚 mindfulness experts are fascinated, for example, by the way Fleuri has seamlessly integrated mindfulness into the health organization and the smart way she is marketing the activities.

鈥淥n the one hand, we learn from our customers; on the other, we develop best practices and materials for them that we can then also use ourselves. Teach-the-teacher courses for customers have honed our understanding of the kind of person required to drive a company鈥檚 cultural transformation forward,鈥� says Bostelmann.

As Fleuri explains, the feedback course participants give is very encouraging: 鈥淭he first day, they are generally rather reserved, as they are unsure what to expect. On the second day, they鈥檙e glad they signed up. And toward the end of the second day, they don鈥檛 want to leave! It鈥檚 moving to see them engaging with each other like old friends.鈥�

Ambitious Goals

Fleuri presented SLB鈥檚 mindfulness story at the Mindful Leader Summit in Washington, D.C., in November 2022, four years after she first heard Bostelmann giving a speech there on 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice. Things really have come full circle, but her mission at SLB is by no means complete. She is currently growing the trainers pool to reach the core of the organization, especially the field. This requires trainings in more than 10 different languages as well as mobile and flexible engagement with the operations teams.

鈥淭he opportunity is to embed our mindfulness program into the company culture,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about empowering people to prioritize their health and well-being, to be at their best for themselves but also for the organization. We see this principle already anchored in our cooperation with the 麻豆原创 team. We鈥檙e all looking for ways to improve an organization鈥檚 performance by fostering psychological safety 鈥� to encourage creativity, innovation, and sustainability. I believe that mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs will help us achieve this goal and, ultimately, humanize the organization.鈥�

鈥淯YP is an excellent and very relevant initiative, superbly conducted and executed. What I liked most is the non-prescriptive nature…providing a toolbox from which to pick and choose techniques based on the individual, environment, and situation. This will go a long way in improving motivation and productivity. No wonder that the sessions are selling out! My expectations were clearly surpassed, and I highly recommend this for all levels of the organization.鈥�

Arijit Paul, HSE director practices, SLB

Mindfulness Is Making Waves

Bostelmann sees great opportunities in future customer cooperations: 鈥淐ustomers like SLB from the oil and gas industry, but also from health, consumer goods, and insurance are pioneers in their sectors that, with our help, have implemented mindfulness. Although they are very different from IT firms, they were able to introduce the 麻豆原创 model into their company culture successfully. I find this particularly gratifying. We can envisage addressing other industries in the future to create new 鈥榣ighthouses.鈥欌��

In the 10^th anniversary year of the 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice program, Bostelmann and his team plan to deepen their customer relationships. The aim is to create a network in which companies can support and inspire each other. With this in mind, he attended the Mindful Leader Summit in September.

鈥淢indfulness is a societal trend that鈥檚 being reflected in the workplace,” he says. 鈥淧eople sense the need for it. Mindfulness practice allows them to protect their mental resilience as they navigate their increasingly volatile lives.鈥�

It’s the heyday of flex-work models, but the future of work is so much more, with opportunities ready to be tackled along the spectrum of workforce transformation, new people practices, and next-generation HR models.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Holistic Future of Work Agenda: Shaping the Next World of Work

Managing the future of work holistically is a strategic imperative to build a resilient, agile, and innovative organization that is future-fit for the digital age. As global provider of leading-edge human experience management () software, 麻豆原创 has been putting its focus on designing a holistic future of work agenda that empowers its more than 100,000 people across the globe to thrive while creating value for its customers.

The agenda is 麻豆原创鈥檚 north star to reimagine work at its core. It considers business elements and strategic HR components along three dimensions to create a sustainable work experience for its global and diverse workforce:

• Future of Workforce, aiming to define a target picture for a future-proof workforce at 麻豆原创
• Future of People Practices, making new, flexible, and healthy work 鈥渨ork鈥� for everyone
• Future of HR, reimagining the way how HR functions need to operate in future along a strategic HR master plan

Future-Proof the Workforce

Accelerated digitalization and technology advances fuel the need for skill transformations across large portions of today鈥檚 workforce. The shift of skills as well as demographic changes result in a shortage of available talent, emphasizing the necessity of a clear understanding of future workforce demands. At the same time, this increases the competition for available talent in the market.

麻豆原创鈥檚 workforce transformation is based on scenario modeling to provide a clear understanding of what our workforce will need to look like five to 10 years down the road and how it will be composed. From these projections, we can derive a strategy to define the target picture with the right mix of permanent employees, gig workers, as well as the use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). HR leaders play a crucial role by engaging in systematic resource planning in line with business strategy requirements.

To future-proof their workforce, organizations need to prioritize continuous employee development through up- and reskilling. One example of this commitment is 麻豆原创鈥檚 internal talent marketplace, which offers project work, fellowships, or mentoring opportunities. Employees can take on respective assignments and apply their expertise where it is most needed while also acquiring new skills on the job: a win-win for everybody.

Leading-Edge People Practices

People are the heartbeat of every organization. To meet ever-changing employee needs, organizations need to create innovative and effective strategies to attract, develop, engage, and retain top talent, as well as constantly challenge and evolve their people and workplace practices.

Empowerment Through Flexibility
Flexibility is in more demand than ever, making it a strong lever for outstanding employee experience. With Pledge to Flex, 麻豆原创 offers a hybrid work model that empowers employees to decide with their managers when, where, and how they work best in alignment with customer and business requirements.

There is measurable success to the advantages of flexibility: 麻豆原创鈥檚 recent global future of work pulse survey revealed that over 80% of the workforce feel at least as or even more productive, satisfied, and engaged through hybrid work. The grand majority also believes that flexibility increases 麻豆原创鈥檚 attractiveness as employer.

Providing the best setup for every team with the right balance between office and remote work is one of the key elements in making hybrid work 鈥渨ork鈥� for everyone. At the same time, the office remains the number one place to meet and support cultural affiliation, networking, and onboarding of new joiners.

To promote 麻豆原创鈥檚 hybrid work approach with Pledge to Flex, we launched the internal 鈥淚鈥檓 In鈥� campaign, encouraging employees to find the right ratio of in-office and remote work. At 麻豆原创, we see that a combination of splitting time between remote work and two to three days of in-person office work per week seems to be a good practice, given that it fosters team spirit, engagement, and excitement about the organization.

Enablement for a Successful Transition
To navigate the added level of complexity in a hybrid landscape and build a routine, enablement and trainings are key. 麻豆原创 supports employees, managers, and teams with hands-on tools and resources to balance team and individual needs while keeping customer requirements front and center.

One example is the Flex Team Workshop, allowing leaders and team members to jointly determine the hybrid work setup that best fits their needs in terms of productivity, collaboration, work-life balance, and, of course, business and customer requirements. Additionally, the Meeting Workout toolkit is a gamified approach to review and declutter meetings, making each interaction more valuable to everyone. And with 鈥淟ighten the Load鈥� and 鈥淎re you OK?,鈥� 麻豆原创 runs powerful personalized programs to enhance employee health and people sustainability, while providing stress relief.

Leadership becomes more demanding in the new world of work. Leaders need to become even stronger facilitators when communicating direction and strategy in a hybrid environment. Critical skills to adjust to the evolving role of management include communicating and listening with empathy and being agile when connecting with people. Modern leadership today also includes to keep teams engaged and tackle Zoom fatigue in times of unprecedented change.

Next-Generation HR

A data-driven and agile HR approach is the foundation to bringing the future of workforce and people practices to life. With the help of leading-edge technology, the HR function can evolve while addressing the demand for scalable and flexible services to meet changing needs of employee and the business quickly and efficiently.

Besides technological advancements, the required skills for the future HR function will evolve as well. 麻豆原创 focuses on a set of key themes:

• Experience management in HR, emphasizing the needs of employees, managers, or applicants from a HR consumer point of view
• Data-driven HR, leveraging advanced analytics to solve talent and organization related business problems and support decision-making
• Digital HR to reap the fruits of technological advances across the entire employee life cycle
• Agile HR, applying an agile mindset, values, principles, practices, and tools when serving the business

Capabilities like digital savviness, analytical skills, data interpretation, and an agile mindset will become must-have skills for successful HR work in the new era.

Stay Curious and Keep Learning

Looking ahead, it is fair to say that we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the many opportunities to shape the future of work. With an industry-leading hybrid work model in place, 麻豆原创 built a strong foundation to tackle the workplace evolution as part of a holistic future of work agenda.

Getting the triad of future workforce planning, people practices, and next generation HR teams right sets the path to make organizations more future-ready while the world around us is changing at breakneck speed. In the end it all comes down to continuously learning and discovering what works best for the creation of outstanding employee experiences while driving sustainable business success — truly exciting times for HR!

Dr. Christian Schmeichel is chief future of work officer at 麻豆原创.

The is here to help. Each year, this team of PhD-level organizational psychologists and HR technology market intelligence experts aggregate and synthesize data from a wide range of reputable business press resources that put forward HR trends and predictions and conduct a content analysis to derive key themes or 鈥渕eta-trends.鈥� For 2023, the analysis involved 73 resources, leading to a list of 346 individual trends, which were then categorized into seven broader meta-trends.

Below is a quick recap of the 2023 HR meta-trends and a few examples of how organizations of all sizes are using 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions to get ahead 鈥� and stay ahead 鈥� of the curve.

From Trend to Foundational: Employee Experience

If you do a quick comparison from past years鈥� meta-trends analyses, you鈥檒l notice an elevated shift for the employee experience. To no surprise, this topic continues to dominate the conversation and has become a cornerstone for HR and business strategies. With the recognition that all HR meta-trends are shaped by and shapers of the employee experience, our team of experts have “graduated” employee experience from trend to a foundational principle.

鈥淗R digitalization was a key objective in our transformation to address our work culture challenges. Our necessary to develop and engage our people was an important aspect enabling the execution of our business strategy.鈥�

鈥� Arun Serikar, Director Global HR Technology,

1. Winning the Race for Skills

With the combination of employees maintaining the upper hand in the job market and many parts of the world continuing to face relatively tight labor markets, the focus on skills-based hiring and employer brand has skyrocketed the race for skills into the number one slot for 2023.

鈥淲e knew that to continue to be an employer of choice, we wanted to satisfy the needs of our employees and applicants who were demanding an enhanced experience.鈥�

鈥� Cherilyn Nobleza, Executive Director HR Transformation and Analytics,

2. Mobilizing the Workforce for the Future

Organizations are continuing to lean into learning and development to keep employees engaged and properly skilled 鈥� and with economic uncertainty likely leading to a shift between external hiring and internal mobility, this topic remains top of mind.

鈥淭hanks to , we have transformed into an organization that prioritizes learning and growth and our employee engagement has significantly increased. We are now composed of people with a habit of learning not once a month but a little bit every day.鈥�

鈥� Adela Giral Lopez, CHRO,

3. Adopting Emerging Technologies with Purpose

As artificial intelligence (AI) use cases within HR begin to span across the employee journey, employees are beginning to see the added value for help in completing basic tasks and receiving personalized recommendations. But for that comfort level to grow, it鈥檚 imperative that HR teams remain vigilant in ensuring the use of intelligent technology is fair and transparent.

鈥淲ith support from 麻豆原创, we have been able to extend the functionality in 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions to create an innovative solution that helps employees identify and develop the skills that will be vital in the digital world and the future of our company.鈥�

鈥� Gabriel de Diego, HR Strategy and Transformation Director,

4. Making Flexible Work, Work

Who wouldn鈥檛 love a four-day work week? This is just one of the many options being considered 鈥� and, in some cases, implemented 鈥� as organizations continue to experiment with new flexible work options designed for where, when, and how work happens.

鈥� is helping us truly empower and engage our employees by creating one space where employees can find everything they need and get virtual support to get their work done 鈥� no matter where they are.鈥�

鈥� Yoav Ventura, Cofounder and Managing Partner,

5. Embedding Holistic Well-Being Everywhere

Although many have settled into the 鈥渘ext normal鈥� from a working perspective, there are still a significant number of stressors at play that emphasize the need for organizations to continue their understanding, support, and prioritization of employees鈥� holistic well-being 鈥� including their mental, physical, emotional, and financial health.

鈥淩egularly engaging with employees is critical to ensure everyone鈥檚 voice is heard, their needs are addressed, and there is a positive work environment that makes people want to stay with us.鈥�

鈥� Tennyson Devoe, Senior Director of Safety and Organizational Excellence,

6. Embracing the Complexity of DEI&B

In 2023 we鈥檒l begin to see organizations take a 鈥渓ifecycle approach,鈥� meaning diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) will be embedded across all people-related activities, with particular focus on practices related to talent acquisition and retention.

鈥溌槎乖� solutions are helping us achieve our diversity and inclusion goals. Greater visibility into the total workforce and transparent, improved reporting capabilities allow us to set recruitment and succession targets around race, gender, and disability.鈥�

鈥� Jeanett Modise, Group HR Director,

7. Preparing People Leaders for Today and Tomorrow

Your next generation of leaders will play a significant role in the success of your organization and in 2023, it鈥檚 all about developing leadership and management skills across the workforce. Keep in mind 鈥� not every high-performing individual is a good fit for managing a team so alternative paths outside of the traditional career ladder should be made available.

鈥淥ur talent strategy brings stronger engagement through clear objective setting, , and development conversations. We have the opportunity to improve internal mobility through succession planning capability, creating a diverse talent pipeline at all levels.鈥�

鈥� Fiona Brunskill, Director of People and Cultural Change,

For additional insights on the meta-trends and how you can prepare for what鈥檚 next, read the full report, .

Carrie Klauss is global director of Solution Marketing at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors.

When Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun openly shared his cancer journey he learnt that one in two people were afraid to tell their employers for fear of their jobs, which impelled him to establish the Working with Cancer Pledge. As a cancer survivor, I can fully relate to the emotional roller coaster of coming to terms with the diagnosis, treatment, and returning to work. Like Arthur, I chose to share my journey publicly, as I was lucky to have supportive managers and an employer who provided me with the support and flexibility I needed to recover. But I had to go through the fear of stigma, my professional future, and the feeling of letting my team down.

will be affected by cancer during their work life.

Health and illness are very personal matters, but dealing with it in the workplace does not and should not need to be a private issue. When someone is scared for their health or even their life, they should not be worrying about stigma or negative consequences of sharing with their employers. On the contrary, it is essential to recovery to manage their energy, feel comfortable to express their needs in the workplace, and find the support they need at any stage of their journey.

Leaders feel unprepared to support chronically ill employees.

础听 revealed that 60% believe their leaders are unprepared to support employees with a serious and/or chronic medical condition, and nearly 90% are concerned about their own聽abilities to offer support.聽Much of this unpreparedness comes from a lack of awareness, understanding, and effective tools.聽As a result, a behavior that is rooted in discomfort and helplessness can easily be perceived as stigma.

Break the Stigma

Destigmatizing health and disease have been at the core of health management at 麻豆原创 for decades. Three years ago, we launched the Are Uou OK? mental health initiative to put a spotlight on mental health conditions and encourage people to share how they are and seek support when needed. This notion should be just as true for serious and chronic diseases, like cancer.

I am proud that Christian Klein signed the pledge to provide a more supportive and recovery-forward culture at work for people with cancer, specifically to:

• Create awareness through regular internal campaigns for cancer prevention and screening, as well as a healthy lifestyle
• Break the stigma through showcasing employee stories to help others speak up
• Provide comprehensive support through access to medical coverage, emotional counseling, flexible working conditions, practical support for day-to-day life, and a supporting return-to-work program when the time is right for them

We want our people to do what鈥檚 best for them — because what鈥檚 best for our people is best for our business.

It is a journey, and we have come a long way. It is my personal mission that at 麻豆原创 everyone affected with a serious condition is comfortable to express what they need, and that the affected individual, their manager, and colleagues get the support they need to make the best out of the situation — offering the time and support for recovery while ensuring a structured and supported return-to-work process once they are ready to come back.

Based on 麻豆原创鈥檚 leadership principles, 鈥渂e ethical鈥� and 鈥渄o what鈥檚 right,鈥� together we can fight stigma and help make workplaces inclusive and supportive for all.

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann is chief medical officer of 麻豆原创 SE and global head of Health, Safety & Well-Being, powered by 麻豆原创 Future of Work.

What does this new world of work look like for the more than 110,000 麻豆原创 employees across the globe?

Hybrid Work: Our Way Forward

As part of our in the future, the Pledge to Flex program is 麻豆原创鈥檚 strategic response聽 to the changing demands of today鈥檚 — and tomorrow鈥檚 — workforce.

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麻豆原创 has practiced remote work for decades and flexibility is part of the company鈥檚 DNA, but the pledge addresses the increased desire for more flexibility at work, which is a trend that 麻豆原创 and many other companies see in the labor market. Aiming for the creation of a leading-edge working environment where employees can thrive, Pledge to Flex is based on empowerment and self-organization driving world-class innovation and productivity while meeting individual requirements.

Dr. Christian Schmeichel is senior vice president and chief future of work officer at 麻豆原创. He leads the global Future of Work organization, which designs innovative strategies how 麻豆原创鈥檚 employees work today and in the future. 鈥淔lexible work is a key differentiator for attracting and retaining world-class talent in a highly competitive labor market,鈥� he says. 鈥淕etting it right sets the foundation for a successful journey into the future of work.鈥�

True flexibility comes to life when employees get to choose from where they do their best work — whether that is in the office, remote, or at home. We see this as a hybrid approach, giving employees greater autonomy in line with business and customer requirements.

Hybrid work is not a new concept. What is new is the strategic imperative and the degree of participation, alongside an increased level of remote work.

麻豆原创 is making a purposeful investment in supporting everyone to run at their personal best; all people get to participate and have conversations about what, when, how, and where they are working, as well as what options are available to them.

The transition to this new world of work is well underway at 麻豆原创, with the model implemented across 75 countries. Results of our latest employee survey suggest that Pledge to Flex is widely appreciated, with positive effects of hybrid work on employer attractiveness, empowerment, and productivity

Connecting Teams in the Age of Hybrid

Clear communication, continuous listening, and a focus on health and well-being are cornerstones of 麻豆原创鈥檚 success in this regard. But what does the right balance of working from the office and in remote locations look like?

Dan Barton, User Experience lead and co-founder of Bluestonex UK, a member of the 麻豆原创 AppHaus Network, proposes: 鈥淲hy should people return to the office if they can work remotely? [Companies must ] create a compelling reason for people to be in the office, and use the location as an opportunity to build a team culture.鈥�

Building a strong team culture with both onsite and remote working opportunities is key to success. As such, 麻豆原创 places focus on the creation of easy-to-use tools to build relationships, foster collaboration, and focus on health in any work environment.

Flex Team Workshop

There is no 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥� approach to hybrid work, so managers and teams must define new ways of working that best meet business requirements while supporting individual needs. To facilitate the process, 麻豆原创 AppHaus and the global Future of Work team co-created the so called as an innovative methodology for team development. The approach helps managers and employees jointly determine a setup that drives collaboration and productivity while putting business and customer requirements front and center and supporting the work-life balance of team members.

“Who would have thought that a simple new work breakfast series that started in the 麻豆原创 AppHaus became an integral part of 麻豆原创 Human Resources,” shares Andreas Hauser, senior vice president and head of 麻豆原创 AppHaus Network. “We co-created the new Flex Team Workshop with the Future of Work organization, and the workshop format was so successful within 麻豆原创 that we decided to also make it . This effort contributes to our vision of hybrid work and lets teams successfully create their own next way of working.鈥�

In 2022, Flex Team Workshop has been introduced globally at 麻豆原创 and has over 850 trained facilitators. It was listed among the finalists of the and the German , a testament to the importance of how teams organize themselves in a hybrid world.

Enablement material is available to all 麻豆原创 customers and partners as a free resource within .

Key elements of the Flex Team Workshop format include:

• Running the 90-minute workshop as self-service tool
• Understanding business needs and each team member’s requirements
• Aligning on key activities and social interactions in the office as well as when working remotely
• Building consensus on a tangible hybrid work plan

FlexConnect App

The FlexConnect App is the digital counterpart that brings flex work to life when working in the office. It supports employees to organize their work week and book work spaces and meeting rooms.

A social component allows people to connect with team members and colleagues by showing who else is in the office and where to find them. Together with the so-called “moments together onsite,” which are ideas for creating compelling reasons to return to the office, the experience of togetherness strengthens social coherence, which is particularly important in the age of hybrid.

Health as Imperative

A changing work model requires state-of-the-art health and well-being offerings acknowledging that happy and healthy employees drive the greatest value to customers and communities. Hence the health, safety, and well-being of our people is a business imperative, with a holistic focus on mental and physical health. Further underlining our commitment, we are proud to be among the first global corporations to have signed the .

Health offerings for 麻豆原创 employees include:

• Are You OK?, a company-wide
• Employee Assistance Program with 24/7 confidential support and psychological counseling
• Healthy leadership training for managers
• 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice program with trainings on mindfulness and emotional intelligence
• On-demand trainings for employees in physical health

In the End, It鈥檚 All About People

Making an organization future-proof must be top of mind for every leader. It requires organizations to be more resilient, adapt to strategic changes, and have flexible organizational models along with a culture that embraces disruption and change.

In the end, it is people creating, executing, and running all of this to be successful in the new world of work. People are therefore front and center in everything we do.

With the the fourth quarter rally ahead and the holidays nearing, workplace stress levels are climbing as employees return from fall business conferences, strive to meet year-end deadlines, balance family commitments, cope with economic uncertainty and endure an unending health crisis. For global knowledge workers, distributed teams across time zones can mean long hours of emails and video conferences, further compounding stress.

Research and people stories are gaining attention, like Rachel Feintzeig鈥檚 , which suggests more rest may be the key to better health and improved productivity in the future of work.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Take

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann, chief medical officer and global head of Health, Safety and Well-Being at 麻豆原创, believes that creating a healthy, caring culture in which people can thrive and live a fulfilling life in spite of a highly competitive environment ensures that our people run at their best. She counsels employees and people managers and promotes the value of healthy habits like preserving restorative rest.

What rest and recovery look like can vary from individual to individual. According to Lotzmann, recovery can be active, like playing sports, or passive, like sitting in the park. What is more important, she said, is that the person has a regular rhythm that involves periods of task-related concentration, offset by experiences that require a shift in focus to something that has a calming effect, like a walk outdoors, time with a pet or a yoga session.

鈥淓verything that is in a healthy living balance has an underlying rhythm,鈥� Lotzmann said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not important exactly what it is that you do. The most important thing is that there is a healthy rhythm.鈥�

Micro-breaks are very short breaks that employees can take throughout the work day. As an example of a micro-break, Lotzmann said, 鈥淭he easiest thing is just to stop, take a deep breath, and look out the window at something in nature. Consciously watch the trees bending in the wind or the birds flying by. Continue breathing and let your mind float. Reflect on what really matters to you in life. Be grateful for what you have. For most people, this is the perfect way to get distance, calm down and reset your brain.鈥�

Research suggests that taking micro-breaks of 10 minutes can improve engagement and motivation. The longer the break, the greater the increase in performance. may include stretching, nutritional intake like coffee — in moderation! — and a snack, or a social activity not centered on work-related topics. Less beneficial are cognitive activities like reading the news, surfing the web, online shopping or banking, which can leave people more depleted, especially under demanding workloads.

Benefits of Rest for Productivity

At 麻豆原创, the health management team champions rest as the key to supporting healthy distance. 鈥淩est enables you to have healthy distance, to keep things into perspective and to reflect and recharge. You need healthy distance to make the best decisions possible,鈥� Lotzmann said. 鈥淭he more you are drawn into a stressful situation without that healthy distance to reflect, the higher the possibility that you will act toward a win-lose or even lose-lose outcome. In a state of healthy distance, you are in a position to realize what really matters, what it takes to resolve the situation toward a win-win outcome or how to turn the challenge into an opportunity.鈥�

An unspectacular example of where healthy distance is useful — and that is likely to be familiar to knowledge workers — is the email chain conversation with many people on copy that takes a sharply negative turn. Lotzmann said that without healthy distance, an automated reflexive reaction of cause and effect leading to escalation is more likely to happen. However, after a moment of restorative rest to gain healthy distance,聽 people are more likely to respond thoughtfully and achieve better outcomes for all. The distance allows us to realize the big picture, to step into the shoes of a participant or to think about the right person to talk to before taking reflected action.

A healthy and balanced mindset allows targeted action toward the best possible outcome for all.

Micro-Breaks, Supported by Technology

To support and business agility, an organization has a responsibility to empower employees and enable them to take care of themselves. Workplace culture plays an important role in encouraging people to create balance in their lives. However, people will not take time for rest if they believe they will be punished, consciously or unconsciously.

A new crop of workplace technologies is helping employees, many of whom work remotely, to integrate micro-breaks into their day in a way that encourages building healthy habits. 麻豆原创 recently launched a global pilot project to introduce micro-breaks supported by technology that integrates into its online collaboration platform. For those preferring mindfulness, guided meditations by 麻豆原创鈥檚 own mindfulness trainers are available both as regular sessions as well as via a well-known app on demand.

鈥淢y advice is to try it out and decide if it is helpful for you,鈥� suggested Lotzmann, who understands that technology-based prompts may not appeal to some employees. She also has another food for thought, 鈥淎s we are human beings — and social beings — the most powerful reminders for breaks are other people.” She said that if you can include family, friends or colleagues into your taking-a-break-habits like going for a walk together, participating in a virtual yoga class together or simply reminding each other to take a break and have a chat — most people can build healthy habits more easily in togetherness.

鈥淔or many people, this is a great key to do it right,鈥� she added. 鈥淭he more we talk about taking meaningful breaks and share how we take them, the more likely it is that it really becomes a personal healthy habit in an overall healthy corporate culture.鈥�

Contact:
Ilaina Jonas, Senior Director of Global Public Relations, 麻豆原创
+1 (646) 923-2834, ilaina.jonas@sap.com

Operating in a socially responsible way strengthens an organization鈥檚 brand reputation. Job seekers and consumers today want to support organizations that stand for something important and that are making positive impacts on society at large. Investors are putting more emphasis on sustainable development goals with a significant increase of focus on social impact. Human rights and environmental regulations are increasing rapidly. All of this demands a more sustainable approach from CEOs and business leaders.

People, Planet, and Prosperity

When you hear the word sustainability, the first thing you may think of is recycling or environmental sustainability, but sustainability is about so much more than eliminating single-use water bottles and reducing fossil fuel consumption. A holistic approach to sustainability incorporates social, environmental, and economic sustainability 鈥� or people, planet, and prosperity.

Organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to be as focused on social, or people, sustainability as they have been on economic and environmental sustainability 鈥� all three together support and drive business sustainability. People make up society, impact the environment, and power the economy. People are at the heart of any strategy to make progress on sustainability goals. In today鈥檚 workplace, HR has both the opportunity and responsibility to ensure that people are at the center of work by creating an environment in which the workforce, and the organization, can thrive.

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Defining People Sustainability

People sustainability focuses on treating people 鈥� those within an organization鈥檚 workforce, across their supply chains, and in the communities in which they operate 鈥� ethically and fairly.

Just as environmental and economic sustainability require careful preservation and use of natural and financial resources, people sustainability requires treating people and human potential as precious resources that must be supported and valued to drive resilience, agility, and achievement of sustainability goals.

Companies that prioritize people sustainability, by creating social impact and building a more diverse and inclusive culture, are able to boost employee engagement and productivity. They鈥檙e also better positioned to attract and retain talent. Penny Stoker, global talent leader at EY, unpacks how .

Unpacking the Six People Sustainability Pillars

The 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors HR Research team has identified six distinct areas, or pillars, that comprise people sustainability. Although the areas are distinct, it is also clear that there is overlap between these pillars. At the center of them all, of course, is culture 鈥� as it drives so much behavior both within and outside an organization. Let鈥檚 unpack these areas a bit in the context of HR and people processes.

Health and Safety
At a minimum, you need to ensure the workforce is safe from physical health and safety hazards and has access to basic necessities. Does your onboarding process provide new hires with appropriate safety training and equipment from day one? Do you have visibility into your total workforce, including their locations? Knowing who and where your workforce is at all times allows you to react quickly in times of crisis and provide support where needed.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Here the focus is on treating each individual, regardless of social identity group or belief system, fairly and equitably and ensuring they feel a sense of true belonging. Are you able to attract and engage job seekers from diverse backgrounds? Do you have a standardized selection and interview process? Do you provide pay transparency? Are you measuring and tracking diversity, equity, and inclusion goals?

Well-Being and Balance
Beyond basic health and safety, this area focuses on ensuring employees鈥� holistic well-being 鈥� psychological, social, financial, and career 鈥� is prioritized and supported with the necessary tools and resources. Do you offer a comprehensive benefits package with compelling options? Do your employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work? Have you fostered a culture of continuous dialogue between managers and their reports?

Trust and Transparency
The focus here is on employees having a voice, understanding how key decisions impacting them are made, and trusting their organization to act in ethical ways. Do you regularly listen to your employees and act on the feedback they provide? Have you established policies and processes for the ethical use of intelligent technologies and data privacy and protection? Do you publicly publish diversity metrics?

Empowerment and Growth
Here employees are provided the clarity, support, and tools needed to grow their skills and are empowered to influence their career trajectory. Are you offering inclusive learning options to meet the needs and learning preferences of a diverse workforce? Do you ensure managers provide equitable and actionable feedback to their teams? Are you providing equitable access to development opportunities?

Organizational Purpose and CSR
In this final pillar, the organization is actively working towards giving back and making a positive impact on the world; employees are encouraged to participate and feel energized by the organization鈥檚 mission and values. Do you ensure individual goals are aligned to company objectives to increase sense of purpose and meaning in work? Are you providing your workforce the space to pursue their passions?

What Can Organizations Do to Drive People Sustainability?

In most organizations today, different parts of the business lead these efforts with minimal awareness of or collaboration with each other鈥檚 strategies. However, we have to start somewhere. The most logical first step is to understand where you are today. Do you have a unified strategy 鈥� at least across some of these pillars? Start the conversations and begin to break down organizational silos.

Prioritize people, and planet and prosperity will follow. This is what it means to be a resilient, results-driven, and people-first organization. One that鈥檚 not only equipped to meet the business needs of today, but one that adapts to the business needs of tomorrow.

To learn more, watch a replay of the SuccessConnect keynote, .

Kim Lessley is global director of Solution Marketing at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors.

Over 200 years later, we still face issues with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In fact, many of the most critical challenges we face today are actually evolutions of the same challenges we faced over the last few years. Human resources (HR) leaders must understand how these challenges are creating the next normal, but also assess and determine how technology can accelerate HR transformation.

The Hybrid Era

2022 is the year to construct policies, practices, and norms around the permanent hybrid workplace moving forward. HR leaders must expand their conversations around hybrid work to consider reconfiguring job roles, modifying schedules and locations, and determining when an external workforce is the best route to take for staffing.

麻豆原创 provides the components needed for a successful total workforce management strategy. With 麻豆原创 solutions, organizations can source, engage, and actively manage external workers. In addition, can surface key tasks and insights, providing an intuitive experience that is personalized for each role and individual.

Learning and Internal Mobility

Organizations continue to struggle to get employees to own their development. It is critical for HR leaders to widely communicate what skills and roles are important priorities for the business, provide content and experiences to address these areas, and reward and recognize employee learning and development.

can offer everyone 鈥� whether they are in an office, at home, or deskless 鈥� visibility into development opportunities that are meaningful and relevant to the individual and important to the business. The can help you identify gaps and future needs and then align the right workforce learning and development to address those gaps.

Intelligent Technologies

Concerns are growing with the rise of newer, more intelligent employee monitoring technologies for hybrid and remote work, but intelligent technologies for data-driven decision-making are still considered fundamental. HR leaders will need to effectively communicate to help employees understand these tools: their purpose, their value, and how and where personal data is used.

With intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning embedded across 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions, you can offer prescriptive guidance on a wide range of strategic areas. For example, personalized learning recommendations use machine learning algorithms based on employee profile information, learning activity, history, and more. 聽By connecting this unique learning experience to personal development and growth, you can help everyone understand the benefit of using these intelligent technologies.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

DEI continues to remain important in 2022, but with the rise of hybrid and remote work organizations must monitor how flexible work models impact DEI efforts. Involving DEI leadership in the creation and evaluation of hybrid work policies will be critical to ensure such opportunities are equitable.

With calibration decisions, you can analyze historical data and surface important information to managers that may have been overlooked in hybrid and remote settings. This guidance helps managers make informed talent decisions and ensure equitable treatment. Also, the writing assistant in can guide performance feedback that is equitable and actionable, regardless of employee demographic characteristics.

Employee Experience

Organizations are improving employee experiences by balancing policies that benefit the entire workforce with practices that meet each employee鈥檚 unique needs. Personalizing the employee experience can include linking learning and development with personal career goals, matching employees with internal jobs or gigs based on their interests or areas of expertise, and assessing the working style compatibility of team members.

Employee experience management solutions help organizations continuously listen to employees and take insight-based action to improve employee experiences and engagement. Organizations can capture employee sentiment directly within the flow of work by triggering embedded feedback opportunities in moments that matter.

Well-Being

Supporting holistic well-being will be foundational to people sustainability efforts. New policies and practices that emphasize employee well-being 鈥� such as four-day work weeks, comprehensive benefits, competitive wages, and development support 鈥� will become more widespread and serve as a tool for engagement, attraction, and retention.

can provide the first touch point with a potential employee. Articulating how your organization prioritizes well-being on your career site is key to attracting and retaining key talent.

The Race for Talent

The workforce is demanding more of their current organization and, if they don鈥檛 receive it, is increasingly proving they will find it elsewhere. Organizations must develop strategies to reengage their employees who are unhappy and disengaged with individualized development plans and internal mobility opportunities.

With unified talent solutions, you can enable everyone to share more about who they are 鈥� their strengths, aspirations, and preferences 鈥� so you can match people with meaningful work and build stronger, more dynamic teams. With this whole self approach and intelligent recommendations for employee development and growth, you can align people with purpose and drive the adaptability needed for better business outcomes.

Leadership

People management now requires leading hybrid and remote teams, which comprises setting expectations for flexible work, assessing performance virtually, and creating and maintaining a positive culture in a dispersed team, to name a few. Regardless of team member location, management is becoming more 鈥渉uman-centered鈥� and emotionally supportive. These new skills will require organizations to rethink how they select, promote, and retain people managers.

With , you can automate repeatable tasks to give managers more time for employee development, coaching and giving feedback to team members, and interacting with the team. You can identify new required competencies for performance assessments and selection of new managers.

For the complete insights and recommendations, read the . .

Susie Thomas, PHR is global director of Solution Marketing at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors.
Lauren Park is a research scientist for Growth and Insights at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors.

The phone call came on a Friday night, Schmeichel remembers: 鈥淒id I want to go to Japan as HR director? I was given time to decide until Monday.鈥�

At the time, Schmeichel already had a track record of various HR executive roles at 麻豆原创. Born in Cologne, Germany, he acquired a PhD in Business Administration and went on to work in corporate finance and as a strategy consultant with a McKinsey spin-off. In 2005, he joined 麻豆原创 where his roles included, among others, head of HR strategy, COO for HR, and HR business partner lead for four 麻豆原创 Executive Board members.

Moving to Tokyo in 2013, Schmeichel encountered a country undergoing fundamental change after the Fukushima earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes. 鈥淚t was fascinating to see this huge country gearing up to be prepared for potentially disruptive events of the future,鈥� Schmeichel says. There was a deep business transformation underway with a focus on rebuilding things as some regions of Japan had been completely destroyed.

鈥淏ut it also left a lasting impression with me how strongly people鈥檚 safety featured in all those considerations. With the catastrophe being so fresh in everybody鈥檚 mind, there was a fundamental focus on health and well-being 鈥� on what鈥檚 really important in our lives.鈥�

Schmeichel鈥檚 years in Japan certainly provided a learning experience for turbulent times such as a few years later and his new role as chief future of work officer.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Holistic Future of Work Agenda

With the creation of the chief future of work officer position in 2021, 麻豆原创 became one of just a few other companies to have someone managing this topic holistically at the C-suite level. Given Schmeichel鈥檚 more than 20 years in HR executive roles, this was a perfect opportunity for him to bring together all his expertise and knowledge to make sure that 麻豆原创 is a front-runner in this important area.

鈥淗istorically, 麻豆原创 has a track record of creating state-of-the-art, leading-edge working environments,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut with the world changing at breakneck speed and the war for talent becoming even more intense, we at 麻豆原创 鈥� just like any other corporation 鈥� have to get one thing right and that is continuously being an attractive employer moving forward.鈥�

Schmeichel considers the global pandemic as a catalyst for workplace change that was already underway. 鈥淲hat started out as crisis management in March 2020 evolved into our innovative flagship program Pledge to Flex, among other things,鈥� he says.

He regards 麻豆原创鈥檚 workplace flexibility as an advantage over competitors that have announced that they will mandate their employees come into the office again several days per week. With its Pledge to Flex program, 麻豆原创 chose a more flexible approach. The hybrid working model is a frame in which everyone 鈥� in line with business requirements 鈥� is empowered to find the best balance between working regularly in the office and remotely.

鈥淭he combination of flex time, flex location, and flex workspace opens doors for talent that we otherwise couldn鈥檛 tap into,鈥� Schmeichel explains. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to miss out on an awesome developer, just because they are also taking care of young children or elderly relatives.鈥�

A mix of data-driven insights and feedback from 麻豆原创 employees enables Schmeichel and his team to learn how their initiatives are being received. 鈥淎lmost 90% of our employees confirm that Pledge to Flex is the right way to go,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are currently making sure that the program becomes a reality for all our 105,000 employees across all of our 75 countries.鈥�

For employees, more flexibility also means more responsibility and self-organization though, while managers need to come up with new and modern ways of holding the team together and checking in on team members. Schmeichel and the Future of Work team understand this can lead to additional strain, but also great opportunity for enhanced performance.

鈥淗ealth 鈥� and mental health in particular 鈥� are important parts of the holistic Future of Work team鈥檚 agenda,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have to make sure that people are able to work in a sustainable way.鈥� With initiatives such as , 麻豆原创 Mental Health Day, or 麻豆原创鈥檚 mindfulness practice, the company encourages its employees to self-reflect on what is important in life for them and also take a particular look on their mental health and well-being.

A Deep Glimpse into the Crystal Ball: Creating a Target Picture for the Future-Proof 麻豆原创

But the future of work at 麻豆原创 encompasses much more than adjusting to the new post-pandemic normal. One of the most important steps to undertake when gearing up for the future is to create a strategic target picture. Taking an evolutionary approach for 麻豆原创鈥檚 workforce planning, Schmeichel鈥檚 team develops a vision of what 麻豆原创 could look like five to 10 years from now.

鈥淚f we know, for example, the future ratio between permanent and temporary labor, the future skills demand, or the mix of locations people will work from, we can derive from that how our people strategy and our workplace practices will need to evolve,鈥� he says. 鈥淗iring practices, location strategy, learning strategy 鈥� all that needs to be part of an evolving future of work agenda.鈥�

With a clear picture of the current and future workforce and the anticipated changes in work practices and environment, it becomes obvious that HR has to evolve as well.

鈥淚f we want to serve our 麻豆原创 workforce to the best extent as an HR organization over the upcoming years, we will need to leverage our digital capabilities much more. We need to simplify topics wherever it makes sense to free up time and capacity for value-adding services such as talent management or personal conversations,鈥� Schmeichel says.

The strategic workforce planning part of the Future of Work team is closely collaborating with 麻豆原创 business leaders, HR business partners, as well as controlling and corporate strategy. Key figures such as headcounts and financials are going into the target picture, but also information on the skills the workforce will need to develop.

Schmeichel explains: 鈥淲e still cannot predict the future, but we can maybe ask the right questions to come up with good answers and scenario planning to have a better grasp of what may happen.鈥�

Leading the Way for Customers and Partners

As chief future of work officer, the overall vision and mission of Schmeichel and his team is to support 麻豆原创鈥檚 own business transformation while also positioning 麻豆原创 to drive other companies to become .

鈥淩ight now is probably a once-in-a-generation opportunity that might bring us as a society to the next level, rethinking the way how we live and work for the better,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are laying the strategic groundwork today and it’s important that we don’t lose the momentum the global pandemic gave us in this regard.鈥�

Other companies are looking to 麻豆原创 for inspiration on how to manage the future of work topic holistically, including the ways in which 麻豆原创 is leveraging its own technology.

鈥淲e share with our customers how we are doing it,鈥� Schmeichel says. 鈥淎 question I often get is how 麻豆原创鈥檚 Future of Work team is organized. In fact, we have set up ourselves in agile topic clusters that cover all our important subject matters such as strategy, innovation, workforce planning, Pledge to Flex, future of work insights, health and well-being, people technology, and so on. We have flat hierarchies so we can strategize and execute very fast.鈥�

He adds, 鈥淕etting to shape the future of work right for 麻豆原创 as one of the most exciting companies and to an extent also for our customers and partners is something I鈥檓 very passionate about. But working with my team that shares this vision is what really puts the fun in what I鈥檓 doing. And that鈥檚 very appropriate as, at the end of the day, future of work is also about having a fun workplace.鈥�