Interviewer: Mahmoud Mansi
Chris Cummings, Group CEO, Wellbeing at Work. Chris is on a global mission to create workplaces where employees thrive. He is Group CEO of Wellbeing at Work, organisers of the global series of Wellbeing at Work Summits, global workplace community called The Wellbeing at Work Hub and C-Suite community driving change across the world called Wellbeing at Work Bespoke. Chris is also Co-Founder of The InsideOut Awards in the UK and is an advisor to organisations with purpose around the world.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-cummings[1]b204a525
1. HR Revolution Middle East: You have been managing a multitude of wellbeing summits across different parts of the world, are the wellbeing challenges and priorities different from one region to the other?
Chris Cummings: I think yes and no to be honest.
NO, because there are local nuances, different cultures and challenges in different countries so providing a personalized approach to your wellbeing strategies in each region is really important.
YES, because ultimately, we are all human beings and it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, if you feel that your organization cares for you and the culture is open and authentic, you will perform better.
2. HR Revolution Middle East: How do such events and summits make a real impact, and how does Wellbeing at Work magnify this impact in real life?
Chris Cummings: Our mission is to make wellbeing a strategic priority in every organization across the world so we provide three-day Wellbeing at Work Summits to bring leaders together so they can educate themselves through our high-quality content and global experts and also share experiences with each other by joining themed leadership round tables and workshops. This provides the tools and the insight to go back to their organisations and implement those ideas successfully. We also provide a platform packed full of tools, reports and content to support leaders throughout the year 24/7 called our Hub.
3. HR Revolution Middle East: What is new for 2023, what topics are trending and what is your contribution to them?
Chris Cummings: I think there are some key areas of focus for HR leaders in 2023. Many organizations have been implementing short-term solutions during the pandemic and are now reviewing those programs and thinking more strategically, focusing on outcomes, results and prevention which is great to see as we know a more holistic approach yields the best results. We are also seeing some timely tactical support for employees in areas such as financial wellbeing and the huge topic of flexibility on how and where we work.
4. HR Revolution Middle East: “Bespoke” is one of the Wellbeing at Work main initiatives, where you facilitate brainstorming sessions and leadership discussions with business leaders. Can you tell us more about it?
Chris Cummings: Our global Bespoke community is designed to provide C-Suite leaders a safe space to talk more openly and strategically with their peers on driving the workplace agenda forward. We facilitate regular meetings, produce high-quality reports and share data with this community to help them make more informed decisions for the next 1-3 years and it has proved to be an invaluable community for those involved.
5. HR Revolution Middle East: Can you share with us one of the complex case studies that turned out to be a one of your success stories?
Chris Cummings: As a facilitator of change, we bring the experts and the community together to solve challenges and what we do know is HR leaders have had a very challenging time in recent years. There are numerous examples of how we have provided the platform for leaders to make a positive change but one that does spring to mind was a leadership round table discussion at our Middle East Summit last year where a leader shared a simple solution to a common challenge and the entire group from that discussion took that idea and implemented in their own organizations with highly successful results and saving significant time and budget.
I’m always so impressed with how open leaders are on the challenges and the solutions they are finding during their journey and because we create a safe space where leaders can talk openly, attendees leave with some invaluable insights to use themselves. It is hard work creating high-quality events like ours but when the magic happens like this, it is all worthwhile.
6. HR Revolution Middle East: We are curious, what inspired Chris to found Wellbeing at Work?
Chris Cummings: Like many who work in this arena, it was through personal circumstances that inspired me to start this movement back in 2014. I am still as motivated today as I was back then to make a positive impact on the world of work because it is so important to humanity. Work is part of most of our lives and if we can create an environment where work has a positive impact on our health and wellbeing, instead of the broken system making us sick, then just imagine what a positive impact that would have on our children and grandchildren in the future.
7. HR Revolution Middle East: What piece of advice do you pass to business leaders regarding their employees’ wellbeing?
Chris Cummings: My advice is simple. If you haven’t got a wellbeing at work strategy yet, make a start. If you have already started, explore ways in which you can improve it.
The data is clear. People are leaving organizations who do not prioritize their wellbeing. When looking for a new job, talent is questioning the company’s wellbeing policy as part of the interview stage. Companies that prioritize the wellbeing of their people outperform their competitors by over 20%. If you do not prioritize this, you will lose your best talent, you will not be able to attract great talent, you will lose to your competitors and you will have major problems with absenteeism and presenteeism. It has to be a business priority now.
We have an amazing three days of learning opportunities at our forthcoming Wellbeing at Work Middle East Summit in Riyadh, Dubai and virtually on 21-23 February 2023 so come and join us and be part of our community.