Bupa Global
launches new
Executive
Wellbeing Index

Rise of the ‘Chief Empathy Officer’ as global leaders prioritise wellbeing and ESG commitments

Bupa Global launched its second Executive Wellbeing Index on 20 September 2021. This year's report aims to identify, and measure, the seismic shifts impacting the business leaders and wealth creators tasked with navigating them.

The new research, commissioned among over 1,200 wealth creators and business leaders based across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, looks at the continued impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing of this influential group, and the measures they are adopting to mitigate it.

It revisits some of the sweeping changes to ways of working and business practices that Bupa Global examined in last year’s Index and shines a light on the opportunities and risks being presented by this period of rapid transformation.

The Index provides important insights into the renewed interest in health and wellbeing generated by the pandemic, helping Bupa Global to shape and improve its products and services to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Key findings from the Index include:

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH: EPIDEMICS WITHIN THE PANDEMIC

• Three-quarters have experienced at least one symptom of poor mental health (77%)
• Four in five are doing something to improve their physical and mental health (84%)
• 90% plan to make changes to their health and lifestyle
• Two in five believe organisations have an increased responsibility to provide wellbeing support (39%)

BUSINESS PRACTICES AND TRENDS: A KALEIDOSCOPE OF CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITY

• 29% want their company to explore more flexible working
• 35% want their company to put more focus on balancing profit with purpose
• Empathy is rated the most important leadership trait for a CEO (41%)

LIFE AT WORK: THE BENEFITS OF BOUNDARIES

• Two in five HNWIs worry about their work-life balance on a daily basis (37%)
• Almost half are working fewer hours to recalibrate their work-life balance (45%)
• 34% are working from home more often than they did before the pandemic

WELLBEING: BUILDING RESILIENCE

• A third want their organisation to do more to support employee wellbeing (39%)
• Two-thirds are considering buying additional private medical insurance (66%)
• A third expect private health cover to focus on improving health and wellbeing (35%)
• 29% of HNWIs expect private health insurance to include cover for alternative wellbeing services