Hong Kong’s New World Improvement Co, a family-run conglomerate, is spearheading a groundbreaking psychological well being assist initiative for its staff, setting a particular precedent in a metropolis identified for having among the most burdened staff globally. Whereas discussions round employee well-being are nonetheless of their infancy in Hong Kong, New World is taking proactive steps to handle the psychological well being challenges confronted by its workforce.
As a part of a pilot program, the flagship property arm of the Cheng household’s enterprise empire is introducing psychological well being assist, starting with programs targeted on subjects resembling figuring out colleagues in want and managing psychological well being for managers and senior executives, in line with Michael Lengthy, the pinnacle of sustainability at New World.
The corporate plans to develop a longer-term technique primarily based on survey knowledge collected through the pilot section, acknowledging the growing intertwining of private and work lives, particularly within the wake of the pandemic.
“Individuals leaders in most corporations over the past three years have discovered that folks’s non-public lives and their private psychological well being and well-being do have materials impacts on how the individual operates, engages, and performs at work,” said Michael Lengthy.
Moreover, New World goals to designate psychological well being first responders on a voluntary foundation. These responders, ideally from numerous departments and ranges, will bear a two-day intensive coaching interval to accumulate a extra superior understanding of psychological well being points. They are going to be liable for guiding staff in want in direction of a variety of sources for assist.
In a metropolis the place discussions round psychological well being assist are comparatively nascent amongst native corporations, New World’s initiative stands out. Henry Chan, the coaching supervisor for psychological well being charity Thoughts HK, notes that whereas world corporations have been providing psychological well being assist for years, it’s a new idea for a lot of native companies in Hong Kong.
The transfer comes at a time when worker sentiment in Hong Kong has taken a success attributable to numerous elements, together with uncertainty in regards to the future and the price of dwelling. Based on a latest survey by insurance coverage supplier Cigna Group, Hong Kong residents reported the bottom ranges of bodily, psychological, social, and occupational well-being amongst 12 markets.
Amid the challenges posed by extreme Covid restrictions and a authorities crackdown on dissent, Hong Kong has witnessed a decline in psychological well-being, prompting corporations to rethink their approaches to worker assist.
New World’s initiative aligns with a world development of enormous corporations growing their psychological well being assist post-Covid, recognizing its significance for recruitment and worker well-being. Whereas some corporations are scaling again such advantages, New World’s proactive stance is in keeping with its custom of management and innovation inside Hong Kong’s financial panorama.
