Learnings at the Edge: Being Well

The humcollective quarterly newsletter.

In this letter, we have rounded up some of the most interesting (and we hope, out of the ordinary) insights and tidbits on “being well.” In business foresight, this is called looking to the edge cases, and it is where you find the new and novel that may eventually become commonplace.

1. Mental health unicorns

The Lesson: Mental health moves to the mainstream.

There are now seven documented mental health “unicorns” and the tech sector is dramatically increasing its investment in mental health start-ups. In 2020, there were 129 VC deals compared to only 69 in 2016. It’s a signal that the stigma around mental health is shifting and the business opportunity is well understood. The downstream impact will be more employees voicing needs around their mental health and overall well-being.

2. Google increases leave

The Lesson: Enhanced employee benefits are still critical for talent acquisition and retention.

Google just increased parental leave and added additional vacation time to its employee benefits package. It previously implemented carer’s leave at the start of the pandemic to allow employees time off to care for their loved ones (both children or other family members who needed extra support). Some companies are even reinstating the sabbatical. Enhanced benefits will continue to be necessary to secure talent, but it might not be enough.

3. Right-to-disconnect legislation

The Lesson: Well-being is moving from an individual to a collective responsibility.

Right to disconnect legislation (mandates around how and when an employer can reach out to employees) appeared in France in 2016, then Italy in 2017 and Spain in 2018. Ireland is now pushing it even further by introducing a code that focuses on preserving work-life balance in flexible work arrangements. The difference is that this legislation addresses protection of workers who are remote and flexible — which previous legislation did not. This is a signal that more countries and companies will need to address the various strains that flexible working will inevitably place on workers.

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