Joint HR & SBE Committee: Employee Wellness vs. The Pandemic: A Company's Guide

On March 18 to nearly 40 registrants, AMCHAM HR and SBE Committee hosted Employee Wellness vs. The Pandemic: A Company's Guide with guest speakers Dr. Chatchai Yachantha, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Bumrungrad International; Orapin Musiknavabutr, Group Director of People & Culture, Anantara Vacation Club; and Unyarat Pornprakit: CEO, Jubilee Diamond. Covid-19 has undeniably changed the work environment indefinitely. Whilst short-term measures have been put in place by many, companies have now adopted these as a more permanent work model. However, these work models must go beyond Work from Home (WFH). Challenges for companies are now on optimizing employee productivity as well as managing physical and mental health.

Dr. Chatchai Yachantha, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Bumrungrad International, spoke about lessons from quarantine programs and the endeavors that Bumrungrad is taking to stay hygienic. He suggested that as companies return to work, they should take a positive, proactive approach to ensure both physical and psychological health of employees.

Unyarat Pornprakit, CEO, Jubilee Diamond, shared insights on navigating through Human Resources challenges for small businesses during the pandemic. She spoke about prioritizing employee welfare and pivoting their services to meet current customers’ needs for health and safety.

Orapin Musiknavabutr, Group Director of People & Culture, Anantara Vacation Club shared details on Minor People strategic pillars to drive holistic employee wellness. Through the program they cultivate healthy lifestyle, promote financial discipline, provide reasonable support to preserve family units, and a safe workplace environment.

The event was followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by AMCHAM HR Committee Leader Shaun Wong, Baker Tilly Thailand. Members asked questions on panic and paranoia therapy, the role of communications during crisis, best practices for implementing disease control measures, and how organizations can use their HR teams as agents for building a strong company culture that supports holistic employee wellbeing.