This August at MMW we welcomed our newest board member Mette Nørr Gantzhorn. Mette is the owner of Humanicity, a business psychologist and expert within the areas of diversity, inclusion, psychological safety and mental well-being.
She has worked in big corporation like Novo Nordisk as Director - Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, and Ørsted as Head of Global Inclusion & Well-being. Mette lives in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen with her family and has both lived and worked abroad, mainly in Europe.
Recently, Subhi Irshed, Founder & Executive Director, MMW caught up with Mette for a chat and understand what motivated her to join MMW's mission.
"I clearly remember one project coordinator that I had hired back in 2010 who came to me one day and asked how Novo Nordisk felt about employees having purple hair! I honestly didn’t have an answer for that, but it was an eye opener for me in the sense of how important it is for organisations to develop, just as people do, to provide the best possible environment, with psychological safety and an inclusive organisational behaviour. And this is where we still have room for improvement and why I particularly find it important to join the MMW movement as this is the generation that will have power to change things and I want to be an active ally in doing so."
The psychological safety net is key for employees to thrive at the workplace. Safe and healthy working environments are more likely to minimize tension and conflicts at work and improve staff retention, work performance and productivity.
When asked about her thoughts on the importance of mental health especially at the workplace, Mette said, "As a psychologist, I have always been fascinated with human nature, behaviour and well-being. Back at University I chose to specialise in business psychology which, at the time, was a highly overlooked and disregarded area. But when you think about it, most people spend at least half of their waking hours at work and how that time is spent has a huge impact on their well-being. What kind of environment are you working in, what sort of people are around you, what expectations do you meet and not least, what sort of leadership do you receive. All these factors and many more define a person’s well-being and thereby also their performance and ability to grow and develop their talent.
Also, the pandemic experience taught us the value and impact of mental well-being from a new angle, including the different needs from different people. For some the lock down meant less transportation time and more time with family, and for some, predominantly in the younger population, the lock down meant isolation and loneliness.
Today I am dedicated to help organisations understand, appreciate and value inclusion and diversity as drivers of well-being and thereby also innovation and profit."
MMW was founded on the very premise of changing the narrative on mental health by normalizing the conversation around the importance of mental wellbeing. To enable this and move beyond just words to action, we provide mental wellbeing tools and programs to equip workplaces of tomorrow to attract, maintain and enable Millennials’ mental wellbeing to thrive in the new normal.
Subhi piqued Mette's thoughts on how MMW will help make a positive impact in our society. She said, "I think there has been a void in this area, where MMW overall will be able to shine a light on what has been a neglected focus in the aftermath of the pandemic but also as a societal developmental factor in particular.
For employers:
To design the optimal working conditions that will enable the millennial talent to flourish
To increase the awareness of motivation, well-being, psychological safety and other components that we know have an impact of the level of thriving for employees
For individuals:
To support the removal of some of the barriers that face millennials entering the job market today
To support the individual professional in embarking upon their career with tools and tricks on how to navigate expectations and personal well-being at the same"