Employee Wellbeing In Times Of Crisis

When we’re up against such challenges, carving out time to take care of our physical and mental wellbeing might seem like a luxury we can’t afford

CIO Review

Retno Rianti, Country Director Human Resources Indonesia and Timor Leste, Hilton Hotels & Resorts

What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the Employee Wellness space lately?

With the current pandemic situation, our employees are having major concerns that include their health, the health of their families, and their job security. This certainly will cause stress where they feel demotivated.

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The hotel industry is one of the industries that experience a major impact with this pandemic. Not only in terms of business but also safety since our job is to serve people. I am very proud to say that I am working with a company that cares about the well-being of our team members (employees). Many activities have been done by Hilton Hotel Worldwide to motivate our team members such as the e-learning program from online learning platforms, some great articles from the professionals to for our self-thrive, and a lot of tips on how to maintain our health and well being. Not forgetting to mention that the company keeps on making innovations on how we recognize employees by having recognition activities, which are thoughtfully designed to demonstrate our appreciation for our amazing Team Members all around the world whose passion and commitment deliver extraordinary hospitality experiences every day.

When we’re up against such challenges, carving out time to take care of our physical and mental wellbeing might seem like a luxury we can’t afford. It starts by acknowledging the challenges people are facing right now. Many employees have been working from home for months. Many have experienced health problems, financial difficulties, isolation, and an unrelenting sense of burnout.

What keeps you up at night when it comes to some of the major predicaments in the Employee Wellness space?

When I decided to be a professional HR, I fully realized the consequences. I am not only taking care of the employee but also their family members. I must stand by 24/7 where my colleagues need me.

Recently I have had a lot of thoughts. I thought that I should be creative which honestly made me difficult to have a good night’s sleep or sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night. I keep saying to myself, what’s next I could do or we could do to create a positive work environment, to manage the company’s expenses in order to secure some of the jobs. we use technologies (WhatsApp, Zoom Call, WebEx, Microsoft Team) to communicate and to update/ get updates on information.

Our line staff especially from stewarding, housekeeping, or kitchen, mostly they are not familiar with these kinds of tools. It’s my obligation to teach the team and share with the team how easy and useful those media communication could be. Some were reluctant before but now proudly share that they have now become familiar and experts.

Which are some of the technological trends which excite you for the future of Employee Wellness space?

I plan to maximize health applications on our mobile phones. In a very simple way, I will challenge them with how many steps that they earned / day. It is simple but could be fun and motivate them to move more and walk more.

Another thing I want to create is a link where we can challenge our self to do a great thing every day and when they do that, they will get points. Well, I need to work with a professional to share this idea.

leaders, team, and colleagues. They never complain and keep motivating me.

Both family and work are significant in my life. Without the full support from my family, I would not be who I am today and they have my ultimate priority. I believe success is achieved when we maintain a balance between all aspects and when we learn to manage time wisely and never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work’s important, the family’s important, but without excitement, we have nothing.

Can you tell us about the latest project that you have been working on and what are some of the technological and process elements that you leveraged to make the project successful?

I am mostly working closely with humans and to be honest, so far, I did not use any technology. However, since we are mostly applying for work from home systems and reducing traveling, I am glad that we have technology innovation for expansion. Mostly 5. How can budding and evolving companies reach you for suggestions to streamline their business?

I like to build a network for myself. If people come to me and ask for suggestions, I feel honoured. I will study and learn their situation and analyze before I make any suggestions. I understand that a suggestion will differ from one company to another or it is not possible to do the same practice.

I like to use old methods such as finding the root cause, use fishbone theory or 5-Ws theory, or share any best practices. I am not typical of a person who likes to judge people or their company as we all know that each company has its uniqueness and challenges. In the end, I will leave it to them if they would like to apply or not.

The only thing that I will not share if they ask for is any confidential information of my company such as SOP, finance performance, clients, or personal information.

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