🎧 Listen now:
• Wellness Is a Shared Responsibility—Not Just HR’s Job [00:04:00]
Jolene challenges the assumption that wellness sits only with HR. She shares how Publicis empowers line managers to take active, accountable roles.
• Humanizing Leadership Through Vulnerability and Storytelling [00:18:00]
At Publicis’s learning day, senior leaders shared personal failures and even trauma, creating psychological safety and building authentic connections.
• Wellness Beyond Perks: Embedding It Into Culture [00:10:00]
Jolene explains how extended closures, feedback loops, and purposeful events foster a lasting wellness culture—beyond surface-level benefits.
• Listening at Scale: Turning Employee Feedback Into Action [00:07:00]
With quarterly surveys and focus groups across 6 markets, Publicis tailors wellness strategies locally while tracking trends regionally.
• Proving ROI Through Retention and Engagement [00:09:00]
Jolene shares how continuous investment in people has led to lower attrition and longer tenures—evidence that wellness drives business impact.
Employee wellness is a theme that consistently emerges in conversations about HR leadership, and it was prominently highlighted by Jolene Huang, Chief Talent Officer for Singapore and Southeast Asia at Publicis Groupe. During the HR Impact Show, Huang emphasized that employee wellness cannot rest solely on the shoulders of HR professionals. "When it comes to wellness, a lot of people think, oh, it's a HR job," she remarked. However, she insists on the collective responsibility approach, stating that it also lies on "the shoulders of managers, line managers, leaders."
This collective approach is not just about HR providing resources but ensuring that managers are well-equipped to recognize and act upon the signs of stress and well-being among their teams. As Dorothy pointed out, "70% of employee engagement variance is attributed to your direct manager," a statistic which underscores the importance of managerial involvement in employee well-being.
"Employee wellbeing is a collective responsibility." — Jolene Huang
The implications of this collective responsibility are significant for companies looking to improve workplace morale and productivity. By empowering managers to become frontline advocates for wellness, organizations can create a supportive environment where employees feel valued and understood. This not only enhances employee satisfaction but can also lead to improved retention rates and productivity levels, making it an essential aspect of strategic HR management.
The role of cultural sensitivity in employee engagement cannot be overstated, especially for an organization like Publicis Groupe, which spans across multiple regions and cultures. Jolene Huang elaborated on the importance of understanding regional differences when developing HR strategies, particularly in diverse markets like Southeast Asia. She articulates that while strategies may be devised at a regional level, "how it's brought alive in each and every market...depends on what the people there want and what they're saying."
Huang’s approach involves frequent employee surveys to gauge levels of engagement and well-being, adapting strategies based on the feedback received to align with each region's unique cultural context. “We do it quite regularly, four times a year,” Huang mentioned, stressing the importance of continuous listening and adaptation.
This method not only ensures that engagement initiatives are culturally relevant, but it also builds a sense of trust and inclusivity within the workforce. As multinational companies look to navigate various cultural landscapes, the ability to adapt engagement strategies based on local nuances can foster a more inclusive and supportive work environment, enhancing overall job satisfaction and performance.
Publicis Groupe’s focus on meaningful and innovative wellness initiatives is a clear reflection of how companies can support their employees, both professionally and personally.
Huang shared insights into several ground-breaking initiatives, notably the "Working With Cancer" program, which originated from a personal experience of Publicis’s global CEO. “It was a program really to help support our employees through…challenging times by giving them job security,” Huang explained, emphasizing the importance of organizational support in times of health crises.
Moreover, experiential programs like "Work Your World" offer employees the flexibility to work from any global office of their choice for six weeks a year. Such initiatives are not only popular among employees for the flexibility they provide but also tremendously valuable for broadening employees' professional networks. “The interaction is priceless because you begin to build your networks,” Huang noted, highlighting the strategic advantages of such programs in fostering cross-border collaboration and cultural exchange.
These innovative initiatives not only contribute to job satisfaction and retention but also align employees with the organizational purpose, boosting morale and enhancing the company's reputation as an employer of choice. By investing in such meaningful programs, organizations can cultivate a motivated, engaged, and loyal workforce.
"If you look after your people well, they will also look after you and the business." — Jolene Huang
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Jolene Huang
Jolene Huang is Publicis Groupe’s Chief Talent Officer for Singapore and the Southeast Asia markets. She is passionate about creating positive change that is practical yet engaging and fun for employees. She has more than 20 years of experience in the HR field, driving company-wide changes and building HR teams across varied industries, from government and insurance to advertising. She is skilled in Talent Management, Total Rewards Design, Business Partnering, People Management, and Employee Engagement.
Her firm belief is that if you look after your people well, they will definitely reciprocate and look after the company through its ups and downs too.
Dorothy Yiu is the CEO & Co-Founder of EngageRocket, one of Asia’s top EX & people analytics platforms. She brings over a decade of experience in human resources, technology, and business strategy. Before co-founding EngageRocket, Dorothy was the Regional Head of Operations for Gallup, where she oversaw more than 100 large-scale consulting projects globally.
Recognised for her leadership in HR and technology, Dorothy was awarded Leader of the Year at the HR Vendors of the Year Awards 2024 by Human Resources Online. She was also named one of the Top 50 Asian Women Tech Leaders 2025. Dorothy holds two degrees from Singapore Management University under the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship and was named an SG Digital Leader by IMDA in 2024. She was also NTT’s Women of the Future nominee in 2022.