Wellbeing at Work – Building Healthy Cultures for High Performance

Date: 30 October

Time: 08:30-11:00

Venue: Handelsbanken, Amsterdam

What does it really take to create a healthy workplace in a world where the way we work is constantly changing? As mental wellbeing, psychological safety and employee health become increasingly important topics for businesses, organisations are being challenged to look beyond traditional approaches to wellbeing. From AI and changing workplace expectations to cultural differences and the prevention of mental illness, how can businesses create workplaces where people can truly thrive?

Theme and purpose

The event will focus on wellbeing at work and within business, exploring how organisations can better support both mental and physical health in the workplace. The discussion will bring together different perspectives on topics such as mental health prevention, cultural taboos, generational differences, psychological safety and the impact of AI and other changes in working life on employee wellbeing.

The topic is increasingly relevant for businesses as wellbeing and psychological health receive greater attention, including through CSRD reporting requirements. The event aims to create an interactive discussion around how companies can move from awareness to action and create healthier, more sustainable workplaces.

Key Takeaways & Discussion Points

• How can companies create psychological safety in the workplace?
• How can businesses better integrate mental and physical health?
• How can we prevent mental illness rather than only respond once problems arise?
• Understanding the role of Mental Health First Aid

What to expect

The event will be structured as an interactive breakfast event, combining breakfast and networking with keynote presentations and discussions around wellbeing at work. Guests will arrive from 08:30 and enjoy breakfast, coffee and tea before the programme begins.

Keynote:

Sebastian Gerlach, Life, Mental Health & Business Coach:

Work Culture and Personal Resilience

Personal resilience is a combination of individual skills and the culture we experience every day.

This keynote explores how wellbeing, belonging, leadership, and psychological safety influence the way our nervous system responds to challenge, uncertainty, and change. By understanding our instinctive stress responses, from fight and flight to freeze, we’ll uncover why some workplace environments build resilience while others quietly diminish it. Drawing on insights from Mental Health First Aid, mental health coaching, and corporate experiences at H&M, this session offers a thought-provoking perspective on how culture can create the conditions for people to feel safe, connected, adaptable, and able to thrive.

drs. Yvonne H.M. Escalona RA, YADE Corporate Health.

Yvonne Escalona is a high energy, warm and engaging trainer who brings contagious enthusiasm to every group she works with. Her sessions are highly dynamic and fun. As a financial expert, she knows firsthand what it takes to thrive in a high‑demand financial world, and she now channels that real‑world experience into creating happier, more connected workplaces with YADE Health. She is the founder of YADE Corporate Health, a motivational speaker, a Happy for No Reason Certified Coach and trained over a 1.000 people. Her passion is boosting workplace happiness and helping teams feel more connected.

Following the keynote presentations, the format will shift to a panel-based and interactive discussion, allowing participants to engage with the speakers and explore the key topics raised during the presentations.