Save the Date: HERO Forum II & Healthcare Summit + Fall Think Tank

September 16, 2025 | Healthcare Summit & Think Tank

September 17, 2025 | Forum II on “From Incivility to Kindness: The Business Imperative”

International House at UC Berkeley | Berkeley, CA

Mark your calendar for two inspiring days of collaboration and thought leadership in workplace health and well-being.

HERO Forum II on “From Incivility to Kindness: The Business Imperative”

If you believe that the future of work isn’t about extracting value from people but about inspiring them, that workplace culture is our most powerful competitive advantage, and that every interaction is an opportunity to design an environment that unleashes potential and talent, then you won’t want to miss it.

If you want to prepay for registration now, please reach out to the HERO team at admin@hero-health.org.

Call for Presenters

HERO Committees

What’s new with HERO Committees?

Interested in staying ahead of industry trends, contributing to published reports, and building strong connections with fellow professionals? HERO members are encouraged to participate in one or more committees for the additional value accrued in the people you meet, the insights you gain, and the ability to contribute to published articles, white papers, case studies, webinars and other tools.

Here’s the latest update on our current committee activities:

• Education Committee: Seeking CHES and MCHES credentialed individuals and anyone who enjoys critiquing presentations. This committee will crank up in June to review submissions for 2025 HERO Forum II.
• Workforce Mental Health & Well-Being Study Committee: Seeking leaders with a mental health story they’re willing to share.

As a HERO member, you can join a committee today! If you are interested in learning more or joining a committee, please contact Karen Moseley at Karen.Moseley@hero-health.org.

If you want to learn more or join a committee, please contact Karen.Moseley@hero-health.org.

HERO Think Tank

Employer’s Role in Building Guardrails

News reports have been emerging concerning how AI can exacerbate mental health issues due to inaccurate or poorly contextualized advice. Tragic outcomes highlight the importance of stringent safeguards. What role should employers play in the creation of frameworks to ensure AI systems are:

• Accurate: Rigorous testing ensures reliability in diagnoses and recommendations.
• Empathetic: Models are trained to recognize and respond to emotional cues effectively.
• Ethical: AI is aligned with privacy and fairness standards, ensuring equitable access and use.

Notably, companies like Kaiser Permanente and Woebot Health are using AI to scale mental health services, addressing the shortage of trained professionals while maintaining a focus on quality and empathy. Participants in this think tank will engage with AI experts and fellow leaders to explore strategies for vetting AI products and services. Discussions will center on how to:

• Evaluate the ethical standards and efficacy of AI tools.
• Implement policies to mitigate risks and enhance benefits.
• Promote an organizational culture that prioritizes employee well-being.

Join the Conversation

As always, HERO will offer a unique platform for HERO members and health and technology professionals to collaborate and lead in shaping the ethical and effective integration of evidence-informed innovations in workplace health initiatives. Members will leave with actionable insights on harnessing AI’s potential while building robust guardrails to safeguard against its risks. Together, let’s define the future of AI in enhancing employee health and well-being.

Note: This HERO Think Tank description was written with the assistance of AI tools, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Co-Pilot. These tools were used to support research, drafting, and refinement processes, complementing HERO’s human thought leadership. But, certainly, in no way has AI replaced our HERO Senior Fellow Paul Terry’s professional experience or diminished their smarts, creativity or self-esteem.

HERO think tanks are a benefit of membership. HERO member organizations are allowed three representatives for this virtual think tank.

Register Now!

Webinars

NEXT WEEK:

Unseen Challenges: How Chronic Conditions Impact the Workplace and Ways Employers Can Offer Support

May 6, at 1:00 PM EDT | Register | 1 CHES/MCHES Credit Available

Host: Dr. Paul Terry, HERO Senior Fellow

Speakers:

• Gillian SteelFisher, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Director, Harvard Opinion Research Program
• Emma Dewhurst, MPP, Senior Program & Research Associate, de Beaumont Foundation

A new national poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation assesses the impact of chronic health conditions in the workplace, highlighting the toll chronic conditions have on both employers and employees. The poll, conducted among a national sample of U.S. employees, found that three-fourths (76%) of those with chronic conditions need to manage their conditions during work hours. Yet a majority (60%) have not formally disclosed their conditions to their employer. Further, one-third of all employees (33%) say they have helped family members with their chronic conditions in the past year, and nearly half of those helping family members (45%) frequently needed to do so during working hours. This webinar will provide an in-depth presentation of the poll’s findings along with a discussion of opportunities for employers to better support employees who are managing their own or their family’s chronic conditions.

IN AUGUST:

Kindness by Design: How Active Listening Disrupts the Cycle of Incivility

August 13, at 12:00 PM CDT | Register

Host: Karen Moseley, HERO President & CEO

Speakers:

• MJ Shaar, MAPP, HERO Senior Education Fellow
• Wendy Lynch, PhD, HERO Senior Education Fellow

Incivility in the workplace is on the rise, and it hurts all of us. Whether it’s hurtful dismissals or plain disrespect, incivility spreads beyond the perpetrator-victim relationship and undermines the psychological safety of witnesses as well. To combat this toxicity, we need an antidote that not only elevates the quality of our interactions but also spreads quickly and widely. That antidote is kindness.

But how can we transition from incivility to kindness in one fell swoop? The active ingredient that bridges this gap is active listening. When we listen to understand rather than to respond, it becomes nearly impossible to act with incivility. In a world where few seem to have time to truly listen anymore, authentic listening is a precious gift.

Don’t miss this preview of HERO’s September Think Tank and Forum II, as well as an opportunity to learn how simple shifts in communication can dramatically transform your workplace culture!

Sponsored by Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive 1 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Provider ID#101039

HERO Scorecard

NEW! 2024 Progress Report for the HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer © 

In the two years since we published the 2022 Progress Report, new challenges for employee health and well-being have replaced those of the previous two years of pandemic impacts. With challenge also comes opportunity, and HERO and Mercer met it head-on with new tools and insights to strengthen the value proposition for a comprehensive approach to support health and well-being. For example, more than one commentary in this report highlights what the data show are the impacts of remote work conditions on individual health and well-being. We are pleased to showcase these findings and new resources in this 2024 Progress Report for the HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer© (HERO Scorecard).

Member Benefit Highlight

As a Think Tank member, you are part of a select leadership group that is rapidly moving health and well-being toward new levels of acceptance and accountability. Think Tank meetings are an opportunity for professional development that directly impacts your knowledge and skills as a health management professional. The Think Tank meets regularly four times a year, two in-person, and two virtual meetings.

Each organization is eligible to send two individuals to in-person meetings and three to virtual meetings. There is no charge to attend Think Tank meetings. The learning is not limited to those who could attend the session, an unlimited number of people from your organization can view the slides and recordings from Think Tank meetings (in-person and virtual). Slides and recordings can be found in the HERO Hub.

HERO Hub: Resource Center

“Do workplace health promotion (wellness) programs work?” 

Despite substantial evidence supporting the value of best-practice HWB approaches, there is also substantial misinformation. This overview, published in 2014, still holds true and summarizes the evidence base indicating that well-designed, comprehensive workplace health and well-being (HWB) initiatives yield high participation rates, sustained behavior change, improved health and workplace performance, and positive economic outcomes.

While the resource above is publicly available, HERO members also have access to 50+ resources in the HERO Hub around the “value” theme. Log-in required.