We were delighted to take part in the 2019 International Employee Benefits Association (IEBA) annual conference in Brussels in March, joining the event as a major sponsor. The MAXIS team, represented by CEO Mauro Dugulin, Thomas Lienert, Regional Director for the NORCEE region, Paromita Mukerhjee, UK Client Relationship Manager, and Melina Foo, Marketing & Communications Director, were at the Radisson Blu for one of the biggest events on the global employee benefits (EB) calendar.

Alan Watkins, CEO Complete Coherence, opened the conference with a fascinating look at the future of the workforce and the power of harnessing our feelings and emotions to think more creatively. He demonstrated the impact of heart rate variability and how it underpins one’s ability to see and act clearly. Witnessing the impact of this on health and productivity is of particular interest for the EB community at a time when improving employee output and lowering healthcare costs are of ever  increasing importance for businesses the world over.

On a similar theme, James Reid, Head of Employee Benefits at MetLife and Alex Voitovich, Executive Director of Global Benefits at Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., gave a presentation on the importance of financial wellness and how financial stress is impacting the productivity of employees. They explained how it is essential that employers include financial wellness in their overall wellbeing strategy.

These topics are also discussed in our recent whitepaper on workplace culture which looks at how your office environments might be affecting your employees in both positive and negative ways. If you haven’t read it yet then we recommend it. You can download it here.

The record audience for the IEBA conference was active and engaged over both days of the conference, listening to and discussing some of the most significant topics and trends impacting the EB industry, including digital benefits management platforms, EB captives and health and wellness.

The conference also provided, as always, a great number of opportunities to network with key industry figures and we are looking forward to attending next year’s conference.