In a straightforward reflection on employee wellbeing, Diana Delca, Country Managing Director at Concentrix, revealed how the company abandoned a rigid, process-oriented wellbeing strategy in favor of a more integrated, holistic model. Speaking during Work Compass HR Conference organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest, Delca explained the pivot stemmed from high-pressure demands for productivity and efficiency in their sector.
“The wellbeing approach in our environment is indeed of utmost importance. Why? Because the pressure on productivity and efficiency is very high,” Delca said. “A few years ago, we tested a process-based wellbeing approach because everyone in our industry was saying we needed to make things simple for employees, help them reach their maximum potential, and deliver peak productivity and efficiency.”
The initial strategy mapped wellbeing interventions to key moments in employees’ career journeys. However, after two years of testing, it became clear the model wasn’t working. “We tested this system for two years and realized something wasn’t right. After the first year, we thought we’d missed something in the initial assessment. In the second year, we said it couldn’t be—we’d learned our lessons. But it still had to work,” Delca recounted.
Open discussions with employees, segmented by generations—including over 45% Gen Z and emerging Gen Alpha—uncovered the flaw. “From those open talks, we understood one thing: We got the approach wrong. Why? Because wellbeing isn’t a process. Wellbeing, in its natural translation, is about feeling good. It isn’t measured in metrics, but in how attached our employees are to the organization’s goals and the shared purpose of their team,” she emphasized.
The shift to a holistic, integrated system focuses on fostering attachment to company values rather than business objectives alone. Delca outlined three core elements: trust, clarity, and behaviours.
“Trust was the first element—we assessed where we stood and where we wanted to go together. That ‘together’ word was incredibly powerful for both our leadership and employees,” she said. “It shaped our shared mission: where we’re starting from and where we want to arrive. Once we had clarity on the destination, identifying the ‘how’ was simple—through collective intelligence, balancing the organization’s needs with employees’ needs. Leadership acted as the bridge.”
Clarity defined roles and paths forward, while behaviors emphasized balance. “We aim for equilibrium between employees’ needs, our clients’ needs, and the organization’s needs,” Delca noted. “As employers, we must ‘delight our people’ because they are the ones who will delight our customers.”
A millennial herself, Delca shared a personal perspective: “Millennials are oriented toward balance. They need equilibrium between job and personal life. I’ve reached a stage in my career where I’m seeking that balance to give my maximum potential at work while recharging for my personal life. We believe balance is essential—neither extreme is good. Give what you can on any given day, and think long-term goals, not just short-term ones.”