As I walk into Willis Towers Watson reception in London on my first day back at work following over a year on maternity leave, my first thought is wow! The building looks great, I feel happy and excited to be back and genuinely feel proud to work here.

Having spoken with many new parents (both in my personal life and with candidates as part of my role) I know that I am very lucky to have had such an incredibly positive experience. My line manager has been very supportive of my flexible working application, which has been significant in enabling me to effectively manage my job and family life. It can be a daunting experience those first few weeks back. What has changed? Will I remember everything? How will I balance my work with a hectic family life? As well as having the great support of my line manager, I spoke with my mentor at Willis Towers Watson who made themselves available to me within those first couple of weeks. I felt I gained advice and reassurance when I most needed it.

I feel valued at Willis Towers Watson and know, with the support of the company, I can still have a successful career while also leading a fulfilling life as a parent.

Learn more about the Willis Towers Watson values and benefits here or take a look at our current roles here.

How has your life been affected by COVID-19?

Due to government protocols in the Philippines to manage COVID-19, my family and I have been quarantined at home together since March 16.

Working from home now has made me rethink how I can blend my full-time work and my full-time fatherhood. Often, I have an hour-long meeting with adults then followed by playtime with kids. It feels like a dream that I can do both and still have time left in the day to live a balanced life. I feel trusted by my managers that I can continue to deliver quality work and, more importantly, I feel loved by my kids when we greet each other ‘good morning’ every day and kiss goodnight every night.

What does ‘flexible work’ at Willis Towers Waton mean to you?

To me, flexible working is #adulting. I am trusted by the organization to deliver quality work, on-time while balancing other personal responsibilities. I’m thankful to the organization for having a progressive mindset and entrusting us to be productive colleagues, whether we’re physically together in the office or at home.

How has Willis Towers Watson made flexible working easy for you?

I appreciate the communication provided by local leaders and Global Operating Committee that working from home is the preferred approach at this time. The organization has been flexible to the reasonable needs of colleagues as well as our clients where possible.

As part of the local HR team, I have learned to appreciate the consistent message of care and warmth from our leaders during this pandemic and I’ve seen this translate to sustained excellent work from our colleagues.

What tips/tools would you recommend to others working from home at this time?

Mental resilience is important. I have typically seen my house as a place to rest and unwind. It’s been a journey of mental resilience to understand that things have changed now.

Compartmentalizing has also really helped me. Having a dedicated place to work made me more aware when it is time to work vs time to rest. Recently, I decided to wear the same clothes, scent, and watch as I would normally in the office, and change into more relaxed clothes when I’m done with work.

Seeking help is critical. At certain times during our local community quarantine, I had to ask for the help of my family members to keep our house clean, bathe the kids, and of course taking out the trash. I certainly do not mind doing these things, but it has been humbling to admit that I could not do it all by myself (at work and at home).  Now, with even my 5-year old daughter and 9-year old son pitching in at home, I’m thankful that we’re all doing our fair share!

Seek help and be thankful.

What have you learned from this ‘new normal’ so far?

Looking at this new normal with a glass-half-full mindset, I can certainly see how to be a better colleague and father at the same time.

Learn more about our different roles and business areas here.

You recently participated in a panel event as part of this year’s ‘Dive In Festival’ (the festival for Diversity and Inclusion in Insurance) – what topics did you cover?

I was invited to discuss Willis Towers Watson’s approach to Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) in Germany, particularly on the topic of equal and fair pay from the following teams’ perspectives:

• Human Resources
• Leadership
• I&D Council
• International governance, which provide cross-organizational guidelines to embed fair pay best practice
• Works Council, which oversee that fair pay best practice is carried out throughout Willis Towers Watson in Germany

The discussion also focused on the 2017 fair pay law that was introduced in Germany and how the companies that participated in the panel had to adapt in order to comply with the guidelines of this law.

Why was it important to you personally to participate in the panel?

My role as the HR Services and Recruitment Lead for the DACH region requires me to be the liaison between the teams and stakeholders mentioned above, that’s why I’m involved in fair and equal pay conversations on a regular basis. However, this topic is not new for me. Throughout my professional career I’ve fought to close pay gaps that might exist between men and women, so I’ve been able to see the evolution that global companies have had in this area, particularly in Germany. For me, this panel represented an opportunity to share my insights on the evolution of equal and fair pay, especially regarding gender but of course also, race, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.

What makes you proud to work at Willis Towers Watson?

One of the things that makes me a proud Willis Towers Watson colleague is our unwavering commitment to I&D and how teams globally go above and beyond to action this commitment. For example, in Germany we implemented an infrastructure that includes processes and tools that help us focus on embedding fair pay best practice throughout the organization and across all professional levels.

How do you champion Willis Towers Watson’s values?

By always upholding Willis Towers Watson’s I&D commitment in all my HR functions and responsibilities. This has made me live our values to the fullest with a focus on:

• Promoting teamwork
• Being a client-focused colleague; HR and the business have the same overall goals
• Strengthening our reputation as an equitable employer of choice
• Respecting other colleagues’ ideas, contributions and personality

What are your hopes/aspirations regarding the panel topic for the future?

My hope is that we continue to discuss how closing the pay gap is part of creating an inclusive, fair and diverse work culture and environment and take steps to address this. Willis Towers Watson is globally committed to I&D. This also includes raising awareness about any potential pay gaps between men and women and sharing knowledge on how to address this.

Is there anything else you want to share about the panel discussion or topics that were discussed?

The panel discussion was very valuable because we were able to share our experiences and learn from each other. The fact that the panellists were from a very diverse range of disciplines (HR professionals, works council members, consultants, freelancers, authors, etc.) helped to introduce a myriad of insights, perspectives and pain points that otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to identify and discuss.

I believe that the most important takeaways from this panel discussion were:

1. Fair pay creates value: while some leaders might think that embedding fair pay best practice may negatively impact an organization’s financial performance, the result is the contrary. Fair pay means that your workforce is motivated and committed towards the growth of the company.
2. Sharing knowledge helps to close the pay gap: openly discussing the challenges on the topic of fair pay in events like Dive In create great opportunities for companies and thought leaders to share knowledge on how to close the pay gap globally and throughout the industry.

We must focus on creating more opportunities to exchange ideas, insights and approaches to make fair pay the common practice!

Learn more about our different roles and business areas here.

This year, the HR Rising Star Award recipient is Talent Advisor for Talent & Rewards, Anna Stonelake. Anna shares her experience on finding out that she had won and her insights on working at Willis Towers Watson.

What was your initial reaction to hearing you were nominated for and won the award?

It was a very surreal moment and one I will never forget! Our Chief Administrative Officer and Head of HR, Anne Bodnar, invited me to an online meeting to share the great news. I wasn’t aware I had been nominated (as this is the process for the HR Rising Star Award) so it took a few minutes to sink in. I felt very overwhelmed, humbled and honored that I had been recognized by my fellow colleagues. Since winning the award I’ve learned from different teams across Willis Towers Watson what a positive and inspiring impact Gail had on the colleagues she worked with, I am so glad her memory and legacy continues to be honored through this yearly award.

What are your interests or hobbies outside of work? Have you developed any new hobbies or interests since the onset of COVID-19?

I have two young children (four and six years-old) so they keep me very busy, but when I am not running around trying to keep them out of mischief, I enjoy renovating our house. It was built in 1903 and it hadn’t been touched for 30-40 years when we bought it six years ago. It has been a labor of love (and stress) ever since, but we are nearly there, just the garden to finish now!

Since the onset of COVID-19, I have a newfound appreciation for the outdoors. My family and I are lucky to live in a village with lots of countryside on our doorstep. My local gym has been shut on and off for most of 2020, and to counter this I now enjoy running three times a week and walking in the local woods at the weekend with the family. It’s surprising how sticks, mud, bikes and puddles can keep children entertained for hours, and fresh air really does help to clear your mind.

How has Willis Towers Watson supported you in unlocking potential in your career and development?

Since I joined Willis Towers Watson just over two years ago, I have been given opportunities to get involved in lots of different projects and initiatives across HR. I feel lucky to have such supportive colleagues to bounce ideas off, discuss challenges with and ask for advice. I have always been encouraged to try and improve the way we add value to the businesses we support and believe having this freedom and encouragement to think creatively has really helped me grow as a professional.

Gail E. McKee impacted the lives of many colleagues. Is there someone who has had an impact on your career, and can you describe how they have influenced your career growth?

It is very difficult to choose one colleague, within our HR function there are lots of strong female leaders based all around the world that inspire me. I have noticed over time that all have very similar leadership values: a strong work ethic, compassion, pragmatism, fairness and a positive energy which is very compelling.

If I had to choose one colleague, it would be our Global Talent Business Leader for Talent & Rewards and member of the Willis Towers Watson Global Inclusion & Diversity council, Suzanne McAndrew. Suzanne is a very inspiring leader and colleague. Her leadership style is open, positive, creative and direct, and through our interactions and partnership she inspires me to be a better version of myself professionally. I am always thankful for her feedback and insight.

I am also a strong believer that your support system outside of work impacts how you perform professionally. To that degree I think my husband has been amazing at supporting me to focus on my career and in helping me balance my personal and family commitments, especially in the past six months.

What do you think it takes to succeed in Human Resources at Willis Towers Watson?

Willis Towers Watson offers fantastic HR career opportunities if you have a positive attitude, strong work ethic, curiosity to learn, confidence and energy to question/challenge the status quo constructively. You also need to be a strong team player; in my experience you will not be successful if you try to do everything yourself, particularly when there are so many HR colleagues with a wealth of experience that you can reach out to for help and advice. The support network within Willis Towers Watson’s HR teams is fantastic, but you need to put the effort in to build your own network and always be willing to help one another out.

Learn more about our different roles and business areas here.