Q&A with Bentley Motors

How does certified Top Employer Bentley Motors stay ahead in a fast-changing world of work? In our latest Q&A with Nicola Johnson and Danny Silcock, we explore what makes Bentley Motors a Top Employer. From AI-powered recruitment to leadership programmes as bespoke as their cars, discover how they’re building a workplace fit for the future.

Introduce yourself and tell us about your organisation

I’m Nicola Johnson, Director of our People and Culture Centre of Excellence at Bentley. My role focuses on driving a high-performance culture, learning and development, HR digital, talent acquisition and overseeing reward strategies. I’ve worked at Bentley for 20 years and have enjoyed a wide range of opportunities across HR, working alongside great leaders and teams over the years within the Volkswagen Group.

I’m Danny Silcock. Head of People and Culture Strategy and Transformation at Bentley. I’ve been in the role for around three years, leading our people strategy, transformation and change initiatives, as well as risk, compliance and policies. I’ve been at Bentley for 20 years and my previous roles have been within corporate strategy and manufacturing. This has enabled me to have a good understanding of the business, and similar to Nicola, I’ve had lots of opportunities to work with great people and collaborating with other brands across the wider Volkswagen Group.

What makes your organisation a Top Employer?

It’s the 14th consecutive year that we’ve been certified as a Top Employer in the UK, and a lot of that is due to our dedication to having an outstanding and extraordinary workplace. This year, we’ve been recognised for our excellent practices in strategic HR direction, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and learning and development. We use the Top Employer framework to help shape our people strategy, therefore we can identify opportunities for growth and constantly improve.

Can you tell us about a recent HR initiative you or your team have implemented that you’re particularly proud of?

There are a couple of initiatives that we’re particularly proud of. The first is our upskilling and skills transformation programme which focuses on equipping colleagues with the capabilities they’ll need for the future – both for their own career development and to support Bentley’s Beyond100+ corporate strategy. Skills in areas such as electric vehicles, cybersecurity, software development and AI are all critical.

Secondly, our Charge Forward Leadership Programme has been the most impactful leadership development initiative that we’ve delivered to date which was a significant investment in our people. All our leaders took part in a diagnostic process to identify their individual strengths and development needs. We then built and personalised bespoke programmes for our leaders – much like how we tailor our cars to each customer. One leader described it as “life changing,” which was really good to hear. We’re now rolling the programme across our management population and our wider colleagues to ensure that everyone has the right skills and support for their role and for their long-term career development.

How are you adapting your people practices to meet the expectations of the next generation of workers?

I think the biggest thing we’ve recognised is that the world of work changing – and before we talk about practices, we have had to adapt some of our facilities. Our Crewe campus, known as the Dream Factory, is expanding and growing. We have world class facilities for meetings for collaboration, to help people come together.

To support skills transformation, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on early careers intake. This brings in future-ready talent with the mindset to grow alongside emerging skills. It also plays a role in our talent pipeline.

We’ve worked hard to ensure that everything happening at a corporate level is meaningfully connected to functional areas, creating alignment across the business. Our people practices are structured and strategic – but there are also symbolic shifts underway. You can genuinely see the transformation taking place.

How is your organisation leveraging AI to enhance the workplace, and what impact has it had on your people and processes so far?

AI presents a significant strategic opportunity for Bentley, not only in driving productivity and efficiency but also in enhancing the employee experience. We’re already seeing a number of use cases across the business, and in recruitment specifically, AI is helping us connect with external candidates more effectively and craft more inclusive job advertisements.

There are more use cases that we’re currently exploring, including our HR digital transformation programme, which we are implementing with the Volkswagen Group. This initiative focuses on talent intelligence and will support smarter, data-driven people decisions.

We’re upskilling colleagues to build awareness of how to use AI tools effectively, while also equipping our leaders with the strategic capabilities needed to lead in an AI-enabled world.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for HR leaders in the next five years, and how are you preparing for it?

The biggest challenge is going to be responding to challenges. Over the last few years, we’ve navigated Brexit, COVID and lot of uncertainty around the world. Markets and regions are changing and therefore customers and people that we work with want different experiences and products.

Our key challenge will be staying agile and responding to future challenges in a way that supports Bentley’s core values, while enhancing our existing tools and focusing on our people. Our workforce brings a wealth of experience and proven capability, and it’s through these skills that we can rise to complex challenges, drive innovation, and push the boundaries of the automotive industry. The more we embrace this mindset, the more successful we’ll be in the future.

Bentley Motors – Proud to be a Top Employer. Discover more on the Bentley Careers YouTube channel.

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Q&A with ABB UK

In our latest Q&A with the team from ABB UK, we explore what makes ABB a Top Employer, its biggest people challenges, key HR initiatives, and what’s next.

Tell us about your organisation

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide.

Part of the ABB Group, ABB in the UK is headquartered in Warrington, Cheshire and employs 1750 people operating from 22 locations nationwide. We supply around £0.5bn of innovative solutions, products and services annually in the UK to clients in a wide range of market sectors.

What makes ABB UK a Top Employer?

ABB is dedicated to investing in its people with a global people strategy that focuses on three key components of ‘Empower’: our “high performance – high integrity” culture is grounded in empowerment and engagement, ‘Grow’: we innovate in a changing world to solve the challenges of today and tomorrow, taking responsibility to learn, connect and grow, and ‘Impact’: we impact a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive workplace and society.

ABB is a company that continually strives to improve for its people and its customers, challenging the status quo and exploring new ways to innovate. We are proud of the various people innovations and best practices launched at ABB such as our global DEI strategy, open job market, and our upcoming global transformation project, which will bring numerous efficiencies to our HR team, our managers, and our employees around the world.

What is the biggest people challenge your business currently faces? And what are you doing to meet this challenge?

ABB is no different to many other engineering organisations when it comes to increasing the number of females in engineering as well as skill gaps. As part of our overall People Strategy we are striving to become a more equitable and inclusive workplace.

In ABB UK we are proud to be partnering with educational establishments, including, primary schools, secondary schools and universities to inspire the talent of the future. These partnerships enable our employees to speak passionately about the opportunities available in the world of engineering, something which is available to all, either joining the organisation straight from school or as an apprentice or a graduate.

Tell us about a recent HR initiative you have instigated within your organisation that you are most proud of?

The UK HR team is set to launch a volunteering policy as part of our overall corporate social responsibility strategy. ABB already partner closely with Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides different opportunities to volunteer and raise both awareness. Our new volunteering policy will enable the business to expand on this and apply formal recognition and structure to our employees for their volunteering passions. The HR Team recently partnered with a local disability charity close to our UK Head Office. A team of six volunteers supported a local initiative ran by the charity aimed to positively impact young people with disabilities and their families over the festive period. We look forward to continuing this partnership and future partnerships and beyond.

How is AI affecting your business? Is it helping or challenging you in terms of your people practices?

ABB has already started using Generative AI, to the advantage of customers as well as internal applications. For example: Intuitive user interaction with ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. AI@ABB’s aim is to accelerate the development, deployment and use of AI – both analytical and generative – across ABB divisions and functions to drive innovation for our customers, enhance internal efficiency and further strengthen our technology market leadership.

Which wellbeing offerings in your business are proving the most popular with employees?

ABB are proud to have an established wellbeing offering globally and locally. Influenced by our Wellbeing Board within the UK we offer a range of support mechanisms from our qualified wellbeing first aiders, local awareness campaigns and initiatives, and our Employee Assistance Programme providers are also on hand 24/7. Offering our employees a multidisciplinary approach enables individuals to select the best approach for them. Sine the impact of COVID, we have focused our initiatives on bringing people together to build connections and create networking opportunities without our various locations.

What’s next? Tell us about a new initiative that you’re most excited about?

ABB is embarking on the implementation of a new people management platform, which will provide employees and line managers with access to data and processes at the touch of their fingertips. The new platform will create a more engaging workforce, which in turn will amplify many organisational efficiencies.

Q&A with Michelle Fellows from The Perfume Shop

We caught up with Michelle Fellows, People & Development Director at certified UK Top Employer The Perfume Shop, who shares what makes the organisation a Top Employer, how they retain talent in a competitive industry and the ways AI is being implemented within the HR function.

Introduce yourself and tell us about your organisation

I’m Michelle Fellows , People & Development Director at The Perfume Shop. I’ve worked in the business for 24 years and led the team for the last 20 years.

The Perfume Shop was established 32 years ago and our purpose is simple – to be the UK & Ireland’s number destination for perfume. Our brand values are “We’re Expert, We’re Passionate & We Care”, knowing perfume like the backs of our hands, like no one else on the high street.

With 2,000 employees across the UK & Ireland of which more than 1,500 are based in our stores, we have the best-trained people with expert perfume knowledge ready to showcase their passion for perfume by offering the finest advice.  We stock the widest and newest fragrance range with exclusive brands and best offerings for customers.

We are also proud to be an O+O business (offline + online), with around 1 in 4 of our sales made online via our website. Our Store teams are supported by a Distribution team of 70 people based in our Warehouse in Dunstable and a team of 200 in our Head Office, which we call ‘Scentquarters’, in High Wycombe.

We call ourselves The Perfume People and you can see our Talent, Passion and Spark in everything we do.  We care about our customers, we care about each other and we care about being a sustainable business.

What makes The Perfume Shop a Top Employer?

It’s our approach to our people. Our people have always been at the heart of our business strategy because we recognise that happy people mean happy customers, creating long term loyalty and value for the business.

We take great pride in our positive culture, but we don’t take it for granted.  We continually look to improve by benchmarking ourselves externally, listening to our people and taking action on what we learn.

We were very proud to be accredited as a Top Employer for the first time in 2023.  It’s given us confidence to really shout about our people credentials.  We were delighted to understand the areas where we excel and find out where we could be better.

What is the biggest people challenge your business faces? And what are you doing to meet this challenge?

Retaining our people remains our biggest challenge and it’s the KPI that we’re all focused on in our team. We’ll continue to invest in our pay rates for Stores. We’re an accredited Real Living Wage employer and we’ve seen the difference that this makes in attracting and retaining people.

We’ll continue to focus on career development.  Retail is a brilliant place to create a career and we’re proud to ‘grow our own’.  We’ll continue to offer a wide range of apprenticeships across the business.  We also have a wide range of internal learning programmes that support people to progress to their next role, or develop key skills in the role they have.  We also enable a handful of people to attend prestigious leadership development programmes offered by the BRC, which is the gold standard in our sector.

We’ll continue to listen, learn and respond to the feedback and ideas from our teams.  As a smaller organisation we’re able to be agile and respond quickly to our people when they tell us that we’re getting something right, or wrong!

Tell us about a recent HR initiative you have instigated within your organisation that you are most proud of?

Given the cost of living crisis, I’m really proud of the way we’ve invested in our teams and ensured that they can get more pay in their pockets.  There are 3 key ways we’ve responded to the cost of living crisis:

Living Wage – as a real Living Wage employer we can demonstrate our commitment to our employees and that we want to pay our people a wage that enables them to meet their every day needs.

Incentive pay – Across October, November and December we offer everyone the opportunity to earn extra in commission, including our 800 temporary Sales Assistants who join us to support with Christmas Trading.  In 2023 we paid an additional £250 (on average) to every Sales Advisor across the business.  It’s our way of ensuring that we retain our teams at a critical time of year for the business, and enables us to recognise and reward their hard work.  We also have bonus schemes for Store Management, our Head Office teams and Warehouse management.

Financial wellbeing focus – We’ve launched Wagestream across the UK business. Wagestream is a service that allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages (streaming) before payday, helping them manage those unexpected bills.  Wagestream helps employees to manage their finances more effectively, provides financial education and enables them to create saving pots.

How is AI helping you – or challenging you in terms of your people practices?

AI is an area I’m personally hugely excited about. It provides a brilliant opportunity to help us become more efficient in the way we do things and the way in which we support the needs of our people across The Perfume Shop.

We’ve already created bots which automate the administrative parts of our recruitment and onboarding processes.  We’ve recently launched a chat bot to provide policy advice.  Automating the routine tasks makes sense, it enables the team to spend more time doing the things that AI can’t, like partnering, coaching and advising, adding value to the business.

But AI also poses some challenges for us.  We need to ensure that our people are equipped and ready for the changes that AI brings. We need to reskill and upskill our workforce, foster a culture of learning and innovation, and provide support and guidance. We also need to ensure that our people feel valued and engaged, and that they have a sense of purpose and meaning in their work.  We’ll need to ensure that AI develops in a way that is ethical, transparent and fair.

We’ll need to balance the human and the machine aspects of our people practice. We need to leverage the strengths of both AI and human intelligence, and find the optimal combination for each task and situation.  We also need to preserve the human touch and connection that make our brand unique and appealing.

Which wellbeing offerings in your business are proving the most popular with employees? And which are proving the most effective in terms of their impact?

We’re really delighted with the response to Wagestream. To date since launch we have 36% enrolment across the business, with 2563 streams and 162 saving pots created.  We considered carefully whether it was right thing to do as we were concerned that giving people access to a portion of their pay early would create more financial hardship, but the data and insights from Wagestream showed us that the opposite was true and when people can access their pay when they need it, it reduces their use of pay day lenders, credit cards or other forms of high interest debt.

Have you any new DEI initiatives you can tell us about that help you tap into fresh sources of talent?

In the last 12 months we’ve done a lot to ensure we support women across their working lives.  86% of our employees at The Perfume Shop are women so it was important that we responded to their feedback.

This year we’ve reviewed our maternity pay offering and implemented enhanced pay for Store Managers, Deputy Managers and Head Office employees.  Eligible employees will now receive full pay for the first 13 weeks, followed by 50% pay for a further 13 weeks.  This is a significant investment, but protects people from worrying about their finances at an important time for them and their family.  It’s early days in terms of understanding the impact, but it’s proved popular with people who are already on leave, or about to go on leave and will help us attract and retain people who are thinking about starting a family.

Every year we appoint a number of Sustainability Champions from across the business.  They help us drive our Sustainability agenda across the People, Product and Planet pillars with fresh eyes and fresh ideas.  They developed a Period Positivity policy which sets out our approach to periods.  We want to provide an open and supportive environment where people who have periods feel comfortable, they can discuss periods if needed, and have access to period products in an emergency.

We have also developed a Menopause policy which was formed by holding a series of listening groups with women in Perimenopause or Menopause, so we could understand what they needed, because fostering a culture of openness surrounding menopause is important here.  We want all employees to feel able to talk about menopause and be aware of the symptoms. For those experiencing menopause we want to provide information and support to be their best selves during this stage of life.

Around International Women’s Day in January we took the opportunity to really celebrate women here at The Perfume Shop, featuring women across the business across a wide range of career stages and seniority.  We’re very proud to have a female Managing Director and a Leadership team which is 78% female.

Inspiring women to understand that we care about them, that we want to support them and offer brilliant careers is a key part of our retention strategy.

What’s next? Tell us about a new project that you’re most excited about?

2024 will be the year where we begin to harness AI, so working across the business and getting everyone thinking about the opportunities for them personally will be my mission!

Get in touch to discover more about the Top Employers Certification Programme and how it can help your organisation grow as an employer of choice.

QA with Rebecca Jackson from Pfizer

Q&A with Gabi Sanchez from Verisure UK

We caught up with Gabi Sanchez, Managing Director at certified Top Employer Verisure UK who reveals how they retain talent in a competitive market, the fantastic wellbeing initiatives in place, and how the organisation utilises AI to enhance DEI within its recruitment processes and to boost efficiency and productivity across the board. 

Introduce yourself and tell us about your organisation

My name is Gabi Sanchez, I am the Managing Director of Verisure UK. We are the leading European provider of professionally monitored security systems. We are proud to protect over 5 million customers in 17 countries in Europe and Latin America. Our mission is to bring peace of mind to families and small business owners by providing them with the best security solutions and services.

What makes Verisure UK a Top Employer?

We recognise the importance of continuous career development and wellbeing. Our initiatives are constantly evolving to allow our colleagues to grow both professionally and personally. We are delighted to offer a range of training and development courses, weekly check-ins, and annual career discussions to empower colleagues to reach their full potential.

We believe that personal wellbeing is critical to the overall growth of our colleagues, we offer a comprehensive employee benefits package to improve our colleague’s well-being, including private medical insurance, pension, flexible working, health and wellbeing programmes, away days, financial advisors, a day off for birthdays and many more.

Additionally, we have created spaces that foster a collaborative and innovative work environment. Our offices are designed to enhance productivity and satisfaction, with amenities such as subsidised canteen, games room and break out spaces in our Newcastle Centre of Excellence.

What is the biggest people challenge your business faces in 2024? And what will you do to meet this challenge?

One of our challenges revolves around talent retention and development in a competitive market. As one of the UK’s leading monitored alarm companies, we recognise the critical role our employees play in delivering exceptional service and driving innovation. As a result, we are continuously investing in tailored training, competitive benefits packages, providing clear career paths, and addressing feedback to retain top talent and remain competitive.

Tell us about a recent HR initiative you have instigated within your organisation that you are most proud of?

We are immensely proud of the initiatives we have implemented. One standout initiative is our Mental Health First Aiders program, a vital support system for colleagues navigating mental health challenges. This program cultivates an environment where individuals feel supported and empowered to seek assistance, resulting in improved mental health and overall wellbeing throughout our workplace. Furthermore, we extend a 24-hour counselling service through Aviva, ensuring that our team members have access to professional support whenever they need it.

How is AI affecting your business?

AI has become a transformative force in our business, impacting our people practices in different ways. One notable aspect is our utilisation of AI tools to enhance diversity and inclusion within our recruitment processes. We employ an AI tool to ensure gender-neutral language in our job ads, mitigating unconscious biases and promoting equal opportunities for all candidates. In addition, we’ve implemented an AI tool called Co-Pilot, which streamlines our work processes and workflows, allowing our teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive administrative tasks. By automating routine processes, we’ve been able to boost efficiency and productivity across the board.

Which wellbeing offerings in your business are proving the most popular with employees? And which are proving the most effective in terms of their impact?

Our flexible working opportunities and private healthcare are two of the most popular and impactful wellbeing offerings among our employees.

Our colleagues are given the flexibility to work remotely from home or abroad or simply adjust their hours to suit their schedule depending on their role. This plays a huge role improving work-life balance and maintaining high satisfaction levels. Additionally, our private healthcare offering has been incredibly popular. It has had a significant positive effect on our employees’ well-being. Our private healthcare option contributes to better overall health and morale within the team, and we continue to receive positive feedback on both fronts.

Have you any new DEI initiatives you can tell us about that help you tap into fresh sources of talent?

We have several DEI initiatives that help us tap into fresh sources of talent both internally and externally. This year, one of the exciting outcomes from our DEI roundtable is the launch of an internal job fair. This allows us to tap into fresh sources of talent within our existing workforce and promote internal mobility. It also provides an opportunity for our colleagues to meet colleagues from different departments and discover different opportunities that they didn’t know is available to them.

What’s next? Tell us about a new initiative/project for 2024 that you’re most excited about?

This year brings a wave of exciting new initiatives and roles. We are on the lookout for talented individuals, who would like to grow with our company. The roles currently available include customer service representatives, sales executives to Alarm Receiving Centre Ambassadors and many more. We offer extensive on the job training and a supportive work environment that empowers individuals to thrive and advance their careers. We’re also launching thrilling new initiatives, such as new television campaigns, so people can expect to see a lot more of our branding throughout the year!

World Mental Health Day 2023 Q&A with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada

World Mental Health Day 2023 Q&A with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada  Earlier this week, on the 10th of October, we acknowledged World Mental Health Day. The day is a moment to give extra attention to issues around mental health. This year the WHO theme for the day is ‘Mental health is a universal right’ and we are hoping to raise awareness and knowledge about mental health by highlighting how organisations can support their employee’s mental health throughout October.

To recognise the efforts of Top Employers were lucky to have a Q&A interview with Marie-Soleil Ferland and the Health and Wellbeing Team at CGI Canada. We were honoured to get an insight into their efforts around wellbeing and mental health in their organisation.

CGI Health & Wellbeing Team Introduction

CGI wholeheartedly acknowledges that the wellbeing of its workforce stands as the bedrock of its success. We hold in the highest esteem a culture deeply rooted in mental health awareness, a commitment that transcends mere obligation, forming an integral facet of an ecosystem that fosters personal and professional flourishing.

These recent years have brought upon us an array of unprecedented challenges, compelling us to adapt, evolve, and unearth new ways to connect and thrive. At this juncture, never before has CGI placed such a high priority on mental health as we proudly do today.

On World Mental Health Day, we, at CGI, once again stand with unwavering pride as we pay homage to the mental wellbeing of our invaluable workforce. We celebrate the resilience of our esteemed members and the nurturing spirit of the compassionate community that we have ardently cultivated for over two decades now. Together, we break barriers, dismantle stigma, and forge a brighter, healthier future.

As part of this year World Mental Health Day, celebrated on October 10, it’s important to remember that everybody has mental health, regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, etc. For some, it can be challenging to know or realize when to reach out for help.

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Read More: Mental Health Q&A: Bentley

We celebrated World Mental Health Day on 10 October. The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’, so we were honoured to ask CGI Canada the following questions:

Which organisational values that you hold help you to embed mental health as a right for all employees? And how do these values show up in day-to-day actions?

Workplace Health & Wellbeing

• A dedicated Oxygen Centre of Expertise with 50 professionals globally willing and able to support partners and employees as needed.
• Promote a culture of compassion through skill building, empathy, and empowerment to reach out to those showing signs of difficulty.
• From prevention to return to work following a disability, support our employees, managers, and the organization on global health topics (physical, mental, social, financial) to optimize individual and collective wellbeing and organizational performance.
• Use Mental Health Minute Program cards to raise awareness and open conversations (see more information at question 5)
• Comprehensive Health Platform for all employees: Oxygen Portal
• Free Telemedicine Service for all members and their family
• Free 27/7 EAP support for all members and their family
• In-house wellbeing consultations that focus on prevention, identification, and mitigation of psychosocial risks
• In-house wellbeing interventions that promote staying healthy and thriving at work.

Our values

• Respect:

• Consistent with CGI dream of creating an environment in which we enjoy working together, our Core Value of Respect and our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, CGI is committed to fostering and maintaining professional workplaces that respect the dignity of all members.
• Offer mental health support through the Mental Health First Aiders network and leadership by promoting a stigma-free environment to discuss mental health.
• Hold public authentic conversations using panel discussions around various psycho-educational topics that breakdown barriers and drive respectful conversations around sensitive issues.
• Develop culturally sensitive and equity deserving group sensible health and wellbeing material.

• Safety:

• CGI is committed to the prevention of workplace incidents, injuries, and illnesses, and is ultimately responsible for ensuring a physically and psychologically safe and healthy work environment for all members. CGI will guide the development of individual performance and learning plans to achieve organizational goals while promoting members’ physical and psychological wellbeing in an active effort to reduce harm to their health and safety.
• Health and safety committees
• Health and wellbeing committees
• +120 employees-volunteers – Mental Health First Aiders willing and able to support employees in the workforce.
• Health and Safety Policy and processes including a working alone management rule.
• Health Crisis Protocol for psychological and/or physical emergency situations.

Inclusion:

• Creating a welcoming and diverse workplace environment free of discrimination and harassment underpins everything we do. We aim to foster a culture of belonging where everyone is inspired to grow and empowered to succeed with a shared sense of purpose. We believe this starts with creating an environment where every voice is heard, and respected and different ways of thinking are welcomed. Diversity of thought, backgrounds, experiences, and skills empowers us to share ideas and drive innovation. At the same time, ensuring everyone feels included raises morale, creativity, and productivity among our members, helping them reach their full potential. Through stakeholder communications, we continuously reinforce that diversity, equity, and inclusion are clear, prominent, and inherent parts of the CGI culture.
• Cultivating inclusive language (i.e., inclusive pronoun and gender language in employee representative surveys, providing gender transitioning support, and accommodations for physical, mental or cognitive support needs).
• Upskill leaders and HR around neurodiversity.
• Upskill leaders and HR around supporting members who are transitioning.
• Provide inclusive benefits
• Flexible work policies
• Affinity groups and allyship
• Mental health support that is sensitive to cultural differences and experiences
• Accessible technology for those who require accommodations.
• Inclusive hiring practices
• Conflict resolution and support interventions

Diversity:

• Creating a culture of belonging requires conscious and intentional effort. Our DE&I strategy is foundational to the growth and success of our company. It provides a framework for cooperation that empowers our members to show up as their complete, authentic selves at work. We are committed to driving positive cultural change by increasing diversity in our workforce and embracing the differences in race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, and disability status, and the intersectionality of one or more of these characteristics. Moreover, we recognize that it is every individual’s right to work in an environment free of sexual, psychological, and racial harassment.
• DE&I is endorsed at the highest level in the company by the CEO and the Executive Committee of CGI. Oversight and accountability for DE&I is a shared responsibility with global and local steering committees to set direction, report on progress and approve programs and initiatives. DE&I is embedded in the annual business plans for each Strategic Business Unit. The Code of Ethics and global and local policies create the framework to protect our members, clients, communities and CGI and ensure compliance with all applicable requirements. Beyond our formal governance, we have an engaged group of global DE&I experts, champions and advocates who support our DE&I vision every day. This broader community is essential to amplify the reach of our DE&I activities and increase the engagement of our members.
• Diverse representation

World Mental Health Day 2023

At CGI, there are a variety of free resources to help our members prioritize their mental health and offer additional support when they may be struggling. They can access free mental health resources in the Mental Wellbeing Toolbox on our internal health & wellbeing portal, contact a Mental Health Champion, or consult with our Member Assistance Program for professional support. As part of this campaign, a publication will be made on the CGI LinkedIn account to celebrate and highlight the CGI community that is involved in mental health support and the overall holistic health of our members. CGI’s health experts gathered testimonials from members within the Mental Health Champion network and the Health & Wellbeing Committee by asking the question, “Why is supporting mental health in the workplace important to you and your colleagues?”. You will find the testimonials shared on October 10 and will be able to use the hashtag #CGIMentalHealthMatters to find other mental health stories shared by CGI members, and to share your own.

How have your mental health programmes evolved in the past year? Are there aspects that have moved up the priority list and/or taken on greater urgency?  In response to the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and its impact on chronic stress, isolation and domestic violence, our mental health programs have evolved significantly in the past year. We have placed additional emphasis on addressing the reactive aspect of the mental health continuum. This means that we have augmented our efforts to provide immediate and responsive support to individuals who are experiencing acute mental health challenges, such as stress, anxiety, trauma, or burnout.  Recognizing the heightened need for timely interventions, we have developed and implemented targeted initiatives designed to assist members in managing and coping with punctual stressors. These measures have allowed us to better address the immediate mental health needs of our workforce, ensuring that they receive the support and resources necessary to navigate these challenging times effectively avoiding potential deterioration or illness.

Aspects that have moved up in priority and taken on greater urgency:

• Substantial increase in mental health coverage for our members and their families.
• Expanding our internal Mental Health First Aid network by offering and covering the cost of certification to all interested volunteer members.
• Hiring of an Organizational Mental Health Specialist to further expand internal services and interventions.
• Health crisis protocol to upskill HR professionals and leaders in assessing an imminent and critical health risk in an employee, predominantly in a virtual setting, and responding to the risk as deemed appropriate using external resources.
• Domestic and family violence program to develop organizational awareness, respond by providing support and accompanying employee victims to adequate and necessary resources.
• Neurodiversity Affinity group and program to cultivate an inclusive, collaborative and supportive CGI community by fostering awareness around neurodiversity, building internal knowledge, advocating for supportive practices, and building internal and external partnerships that promote best inclusive practices.
• In-house Interventions (stress management, sensitivity coaching, conflict resolution, climate assessment, etc.) facilitated via our internal Workplace Mental Health Specialist.
• Revision of CGI’s Presence at Work Program
• Always ensuring the presence and visibility of a group of more than 120 volunteer Mental Health First Aiders ready to support any member in need during our trainings or psychoeducational sessions or initiatives.
• Additional Family Support: Upgrades in our Telemedicine program, EAP services and benefits coverage to improve all services related to mental health support & access for employees and their family.

How have mental health programmes and initiatives been impacted by more flexible, hybrid and remote forms of working? What have you had to do differently?   The shift to a more flexible workplace and openness to virtual work has acted as a catalyst for fostering greater inclusion and accessibility in our organization, creating a more accommodating and supportive environment for neurodivergent and equity deserving groups within our workforce.  The transition to virtual work has created a more inclusive environment by levelling the playing field for employees who may have previously faced challenges in traditional office settings. Neurodivergent individuals, for instance, have found the virtual work environment to be more accommodating, reducing sensory overload and anxiety that can be associated with physical office spaces. Additionally, remote work has enabled employees to tailor their workspaces to their specific needs, allowing for greater comfort and reduced distractions. This flexibility has not only benefited neurodivergent individuals but also other equity-deserving groups who may have faced barriers in the traditional office setting due to various factors, including commuting challenges, accessibility issues, or caregiving responsibilities.  One significant shift we’ve made is toward virtual facilitation of trainings and interventions. This transition has proven highly beneficial as it enables us to intervene more rapidly and on a broader scale across the organization. In fact, by leveraging virtual platforms, we can extend our reach to cover a much larger population than would have been feasible with in-person programs alone. This approach not only aligns with the evolving work landscape but also allows us to be more agile and responsive in addressing mental health needs throughout the organization.

How have you ensured that your managers are reinforcing mental health as a right for all employees? And are they trained to recognise and address mental health issues in their teams?

Yes, we have implemented an internal training program known as “Leading Healthy Teams,” which is specifically designed to equip our managers with the skills necessary to identify signs of mental health challenges and appropriately respond to them. Additionally, we have developed a quick-reference tool in the form of a cheat-sheet, readily accessible through our online Health platform, the “Oxygen Portal” within the “Leaders Toolbox” section.

In conjunction with these mandatory training initiatives, we have consistently offered various additional learning opportunities to our leaders over the past years. These include specialized training modules covering topics such as Resilience at Work, Burnout Prevention, Stress Management, Work-life Balance, and Self-Care for Leaders. These programs collectively enable our managers to reinforce mental health as a fundamental right for all employees while equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively address mental health issues within their teams. Our leaders are also encouraged to take part in Mental Health First Aid certification. We are proud to share that over 46% of our mental health ambassadors hold management positions at CGI. Thus, it’s fair to say that mental health at CGI is an integral part of our operating culture.

How do you create psychological safety for employees to feel they have a right to speak up about their mental health concerns, without worrying about how it will affect their careers?

1. Destigmatize mental health:

• Leadership upskilling and training around courageous conversations and authenticity
• Discussion Panels such as Mental Health For All

• Leaders speaking openly and publicly about their challenges with mental health including burnout, suicidality, domestic violence, neurodiversity, etc.

• The Mental Health Minute Program

• Equips all our leaders and members with Mental Health Minute “cards” that they can use to kick-off every team meeting
• Encourages leaders, and members, to take advantage of a moment of openness with their team to discuss common challenges and normalize topics surrounding health and wellbeing
• Provides authenticity and empathy building opportunities through sharing real-life experiences and examples.
• Upskills leaders and members on day-to-day actions that can be put in place to support their health.

• Psychoeducational awareness through interactive learning sessions, newsletters, CGI’s health & wellbeing portal, wellbeing consultations and various communication channels
• Mental Health Champion Network

• Network composed of more than 120 CGI members who have volunteered and received a Mental Health First Aider certification training offered by the Mental Health Commission of Canada
• Aiders are available to respond to requests or calls from members in need by initiating a caring conversation through dialogue, accompanying them to help defuse a situation, and guiding them to the right resources and support.

• Neurodiversity Affinity Group

• Sharing how to open to a leader about a neurodivergent trait.
• How to respond as a leader to show support

1. Ensure promotional practices that foster and support diversity and inclusion.
2. Socialize accommodation program for any member regardless of job role.
3. Assess and mitigate psychological risk factors within teams who are struggling.
4. Team wellbeing assessments

• Mediation
• Trauma debriefs.

About Marie-Soleil Ferland

HR Director

Health & Well-being, CGI Canada

Passionate leader of CGI Canada Occupational Health and Well-being HR Center of expertise. She is responsible for the development of innovative organizational health offering, their implementation, and their measure of success. She sits on human resources committees to effectively integrate workplace health into business strategies. Her mission is to optimize not only the overall well-being of employees but also to encourage meaning at work, inclusion, and organizational performance. She provides ongoing consulting services to HR teams and leaders. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a graduate certificate in nutrition. In addition to numerous specific training sessions on occupational health, psychosocial risks, and protective factors, she is certified in Mental Health First Aid, Workplace First Aid and Behaviour Change Interventionist. Her caring and inclusive leadership is recognized by her peers.

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