On Aon Podcast: 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey

Voiceover:
Welcome to “On Aon,” an award-winning podcast featuring conversations between colleagues on, well, Aon. This week, Stephanie Pronk joins us for our 50th episode to discuss the findings from Aon’s 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey and to celebrate two years of “On Aon.” And now, this week’s host, Sheena Singh.

Sheena Singh:
Hi everyone. My name is Sheena Singh. I've been a colleague at Aon for almost seven years. I'm currently a senior vice president in Aon's national healthcare industry practice and our Health Solutions practice. I work with healthcare organizations on developing their benefits and population health strategy, which includes wellbeing. So, I'm really excited today for our conversation with Steph Pronk. We'll be talking today about our recent Aon Global Wellbeing Survey. And here with me today is Steph Pronk, who has been with Aon for 14 years, and she currently serves as Aon’s Senior Vice President in our National Health Transformation team.

Steph Pronk:
Thanks, Sheena. It's a pleasure to be here, and I'm excited to share some of the new results on the 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey.

Sheena Singh:
That's great, Steph. Before we get started, I'd love to ask you a quick warmup question if you don't mind.

Steph Pronk:
Sure.

Sheena Singh:
So, Steph, tell me what is it about your profession that most inspires you?

Steph Pronk:
Oh my gosh. I have over 40 years in this industry and have such a passion around helping employers improve population health and wellbeing. My whole career has been in this space in different aspects of it, whether it was research, whether it was in the employer space, whether it was in the vendor space, and then finally consulting. I absolutely love what I do. I love what difference we've been able to make with our clients and with the population at large. So, I just feel like my career has been fabulous in an area that is really, really important to employers now and is playing a big role in helping businesses recover from the pandemic as well as helping businesses be very profitable and have high performance.

Sheena Singh:
That's so great, Steph. Your passion really comes through and I've seen it also in person as we've spent a lot of years together really focusing on wellbeing strategies. So, really appreciate hearing that from you. But let's jump right in, if you could tell us more about the Global Wellbeing Survey, what it is and what does it measure?

Steph Pronk:
Yes. So, this is the second Global Wellbeing survey that we've done at Aon. We did the first one back in 2020. We really focused this survey on looking at not just how does wellbeing impact business performance, but we also expanded it to look at how does wellbeing integrate across the organization in areas such as ESG, DEI and B, total rewards, safety. We really wanted to look at how does wellbeing become part of an organization's DNA? And is that happening? I mean, that's the other piece that we really wanted to know. We know that it has become incredibly important. We know that it is still a very large priority for most organizations globally. And that is not dependent upon region. It is still just very, very important across the globe that we are focusing on people and we're focusing on performance of both the individual and the organization.

So, we also wanted to look at doing a couple of special studies with the Global Wellbeing Survey. It's one thing to get the statistics in terms of what people are doing, but we also wanted to look at what happens when you start looking at what's the relationship and what's the impact of that relationship. And so, a lot of the results that we'll be talking about today are really looking at what is that relationship and what is the impact to the overall business as well as people.

I think that one of the things that we always have to keep balanced is that businesses are in the business to make money, and how do people balance that out? We need to focus on people, but we need people performing so that the business performs really well. And wellbeing fits into that so well and is just a perfect opportunity for organizations to be able to look at their people and performance approach in a very different way that will engage people, that will attract and retain individuals. And also, it'll be the opportunity for businesses from a brand and from a marketplace reputation to be able to say that their organization is healthy, its well because their people and their performance are there.

Sheena Singh:
That's great. I would love to hear a little bit more about, it's a Global Wellbeing Survey so how many countries participated? Could you tell us a little bit more about the background of the structure of the survey itself?

Steph Pronk:
Sure. We had 46 countries in 27 different languages. This year we actually included the Middle East. In our first survey, we did not include the Middle East, but in this time we did include the Middle East, which was some very interesting results. There is a region that is very interested in wellbeing and look at it as a very high priority in terms of their business strategies moving forward. So, it's pretty exciting to see where people across the globe are really focusing in terms of not just looking at providing a tactic or a one-individual program or some type of initiative, but they're really looking at this from a strategic perspective.

I think that's one of the most important things that we saw in this particular survey this time around is that the increase in an integrated strategy. We have about 41 percent of the respondents that indicated that they have their wellbeing as an integrated part of their overall business, fully integrated into their business and talent strategy, which is quite an increase from what we saw in 2020. So, again, the realization that wellbeing can play a very vital role in not only the people management of an organization, but also the business performance aspect.

Sheena Singh:
That's great. That's quite a feat getting so many organizations to respond globally, and it's great that we continue to expand that and be able to provide them those quantifiable results so that they can share that with their leadership as well. So, I think one thing would be really helpful for our audience and our listeners is, Steph, I would love to level set for our listeners, could you please help us define what wellbeing means in the context of the Global Wellbeing Survey and explain why it's important for organizations to prioritize?

Steph Pronk:
Sure. Thanks, Sheena. Let's start by how we defined it in the survey itself. I think how we looked at wellbeing in the survey is really looking at it as a people and a performance approach. And so, our definition is really focused around that. How we look at people and performance approach as we define wellbeing is it balances the appropriate resources, opportunities and commitment needed to achieve optimal health, resilience and sustainability for the individual, the team, leadership, the organization and also the community.

Now, in addition to that, when we talk about wellbeing, we usually talk about it in five dimensions, physical, emotional, social, financial and career. And so, in our survey, that's exactly what we did in terms of looking at using that definition as well as including all of those dimensions. So, this is looking at this from a very broad perspective and looking at it in a way that allows us to really be very committed to looking at this both from a in-the-work environment standpoint and outside in the community, which through the pandemic we saw organizations and communities really come together to work on a major, major issue that we were all facing. But it also provided the opportunity to see the benefit of coming together as a community from something that we needed to focus on.

In the case of wellbeing, it's all very positive, right? The pandemic, we were scared, there was some uncertainty in that. But with wellbeing, it provides a real opportunity for engagement and positive community interaction. So, I think all of this together really signals a great opportunity for collaboration and cooperation as we move forward in terms of improving the wellbeing of businesses, but also of communities.

Sheena Singh:
That's great. I love that really broad explanation of what wellbeing is and how integrated it is in all aspects of the business and the community. I think we talked about this a little bit earlier that a part of this is around also using wellbeing as an area of focus to attract and retain talent. Can you talk a little bit more about how having a holistic strategy around wellbeing can play a part in attraction and retention of talent?

Steph Pronk:
Yeah, so what's really interesting, and this is part of the research that we did with the Global Wellbeing Survey, but also some additional research that we've done around generations, one of the things that's happening in the workforce today is that the baby boomer generation, which was the largest generation of workers, is moving out. They're retiring. One of the things that we started exploring is a lot of the benefit plans, a lot of the benefit programs, a lot of the wellbeing programs, wellness programs, health improvement programs, disease management programs, were all built by baby boomers for baby boomers. We are in a very different place now where we need to start looking at are we developing the right types of strategies and initiatives for the new workforce.

And so, one of the things that we felt was really important as we went and looked at the Global Wellbeing Survey is what were the key things that were going to be driving the need for wellbeing? And were there going to be differences between what exists in the market today and what we're going to need for tomorrow? Interestingly enough, I think that what we found is that number one, there are differences. There are needs that the gen Z’s and the millennials want, and we also know that those two groups will participate if their needs are met. And so, I think that one of the important findings in this was that we need to start thinking a little bit differently about how we've been doing things in the past and bring them to the forefront in terms of where do we need to go in the future.

And so, I truly believe that we have a really good starting point in terms of that next generation of programs and services and tools and approaches that need to be there. I think one of the things that pulls all of this together is the connection. I think we saw that in the Global Wellbeing Survey in terms of how it's becoming integrated with other pieces within the organization, but also integrated out into the community as well. And individuals want that connection. And so, I think that the combination of the business experiencing that and individuals wanting that connection in a different way is really a recipe for a lot of success moving forward and making sure that people have the tools and resources that they need to be as well as possible within their circumstances.

Sheena Singh:
Yeah, that's great. That makes a lot of sense that it's just creating more of that connection ultimately between the employee and their business and the community. So, one of the things that I'd love to hear a little bit more about as well is the impact of wellbeing on business performance and how you may have looked at that within the Global Wellbeing Survey.

Steph Pronk:
Yeah, so in the first survey we looked at that, we wanted to see if we improved wellbeing, what would be the impact on business outcomes. We saw some very positive results. So, for every 3 percent increase in wellbeing perception, there was a 1 percent increase in almost every single business outcome, whether that was profitability, whether that was attraction, whether retention, whether that was productivity, whatever the definition was. I think that one of the things we wanted to look at this time is, "Okay, so what is it in that wellbeing performance that is really, really key? What are the things that organizations have to say they're doing really well in order to see that impact?"

And so, we asked that question. We used the survey data. What we found was that if an employer rated their overall employee wellbeing higher, their culture and climate of wellbeing higher, their performance of their wellbeing initiatives, because we saw a significant increase in people saying that the initiatives they were offering were performing better, and then the amount of funding that they were allocating forward wellbeing, if they had higher scores in that, then there was a stronger relationship and impact as it relates to being able to impact company performance. That ranged anywhere from 11 to 55 percent.

And so, I know that's a big range, but the reason that we kept that big range was that depending on which of those elements you pulled the lever on, you could see a higher percentage of impact. So, we were pretty excited about what the finding was. We hadn't anticipated to see quite that significant of an increase, but it does give us more information now than just the fact that wellbeing does impact business performance. Now we know the pieces and the parts that we really need to leverage in order to do that, and that is by and far, by improving employee wellbeing within the organization, that in itself will really push the organization.

Now, the other piece to that was interesting that we hadn't expected to find was the increase in funding. We've been pushing for a number of years saying, "Okay, what's happening with funding? Are people really investing in this at the level that they should be?" And again, based on the research that we did, the higher the funding, the more impact it was going to have on the business. So, I think again, that's another message for employers that funding this at appropriate levels is key to having the type of business outcome as it relates to it. I think businesses are to the point where they don't want just to do this to be doing it. They want to do it for all of the right reasons for people, to improve people's wellbeing, but also to improve their overall business performance. And now that we have the link, they can see that this is one of the strategies that they can put into place.

Sheena Singh:
I love that. I love that they're seeing that connection and really making the investment, putting their dollars down to help support employees in realizing how important the commitment to wellbeing is to their business performance. That's great to see.

Steph Pronk:
Yeah, and I think just the other thing, Sheena, around that is that when we did the survey back in 2020, there weren't very many organizations globally that had a wellbeing strategy. We saw a 28-point increase from 2020 to 2022 in terms of employers taking this seriously and really putting it into a strategy. From an initiative's perspective, offering a walking program or offering nutrition or an app or something like that, that didn't change much, that stayed about the same between 2020 and 2022. But what was really exciting about this is that they saw it from a strategic viewpoint. Eighty-three percent of their respondents indicated that they had a strategy. And again, that is up significantly from where we were in 2020. So, I think people are looking at this more from a business mindset than what they had currently done as just something to offer people as a perk. It's not really looked at as a perk anymore. It's definitely looked at as a business strategy.

Sheena Singh:
Yeah, on a business imperative at the end of the day.

Steph Pronk:
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Sheena Singh:
Well, that's great. Well, I mean, it's a great survey. I spent the weekend reading it, and lots of great nuggets to take away from it. I guess any final thoughts from your perspective in terms of the survey findings that stood out to you or surprised you?

Steph Pronk:
I've always known that I think wellbeing is a priority and it should be a priority for businesses. And after 40 years in the industry, I am so glad to be able to say that employers are actually saying that it's a priority and that it is more important today than it was even back in 2020. So, to me, I think that that means that it's not just a little niche and little thing anymore, that it is really important and it's a priority and that it has increased in prioritization for our employers. And I have to tell you, after that many years in the industry to have that result, I am just ecstatic about it because all of these years I've been pushing and providing and my team has been pushing and providing evidence to say, "This is where employers need to be. This will help you."

And to actually have these types of results now is just fantastic and it can propel everything forward. But it does mean that as we go forward, we have to meet the needs of the business and we have to meet the needs of the people. And that isn't as simple go out and hire a vendor and put a vendor into place. This is really about figuring out what is your strategic direction, where are you connecting this within your organization and how are you connecting it and how are you allocating funding for this. Looking at this from a very different lens than just looking at it from maybe a benefits view or a benefits department view. Looking at this from a people and performance approach that really impacts every department and every person within the organization.

So, that's really where I think that the value in this is going. And like you said, there are so many really interesting and very thoughtful pieces in the report. And I would encourage everyone to read the report because I think you'll find different nuggets, whether it's from a global perspective or it's from individual regions or even individual countries. I think it just gives people good direction, good ammunition to be able to go out and talk about wellbeing in a very different way than what we've talked about it before.

Sheena Singh:
Yes, I do second that. I encourage everyone to read through that report. So much great information available. So, thank you so much, Steph. This was a really great overview of the survey and hopefully all of our Aon colleagues are using this and leveraging it with their client discussions and strategy development. Before we sign off, we know wellbeing is important to everybody. It's also very individual and personalized. So, my final question to you, Steph, is how do you relax after the workday? How do you focus on wellbeing within your own day?

Steph Pronk:
Yeah, so I think there are a couple things that I do during my day. I have a puppy, and so the puppy needs to go out. So, getting a little bit 10-minute breaks every few hours is great. It really helps me refocus. It helps me get out and get a little bit of activity, which is great. But how I really like to relax is I really like to go for a run. So, I have been a runner for a very long time. Unfortunately, as I get older, I'm slower. But that's okay. I'm still going out and doing it and I get fresh air, I get new perspective and I come back feeling re-energized, but also if it was a stressful day, that stress is gone. So, that works for me, it doesn't work for everybody. But again, I could tell the days that I miss when I don't run. So, anyway, how about you Sheena? What do you do to relax?

Sheena Singh:
Well, actually I am a new puppy mom, so I have also now being able to experience the joy of having a puppy that definitely adds to the happiness in my day, but then also it does force me to actually go outside and take some breaks. So, it's been great. It's good on all sides. So, definitely can relate to you on that too, especially now that it's warmer out. It makes it a lot easier-

Steph Pronk:
Yes, exactly.

Sheena Singh:
... to go out and do that. So, thanks Steph, really appreciate it. So happy that we were able to have you on today. And that's our show for today. Thanks everybody for listening and look out for the next episode of On Aon coming soon.

Voiceover:
This has been a conversation “On Aon” and Aon’s 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Survey. Thank you for listening. This episode marks 50 “On Aon” episodes and two years of the “On Aon” podcast. If you enjoyed this latest episode, tune in soon for our next edition. You can also check out past episodes on Simplecast. To learn more about Aon, its colleagues, solutions and news, check out our show notes, and visit our website at Aon dot com.