Hayley Hughes MS, CN, LMHC, joined TPG in 2023 as the practice lead for our PartnerWell division. She has been dedicated to the mental health and wellbeing field for the last nine years. After practicing as a clinician, Hughes felt that employers were uniquely positioned to support employee health. With TPG, she will be expanding organizational wellbeing initiatives for our clients with an emphasis on mental health, wellbeing, and culture.
First off, welcome to TPG! You were brought onboard in 2023 – how’s it been so far?
I had always heard good things about The Partners Group, and I agreed with the company’s values and mission. The phrase “purpose-driven,” which TPG uses at all levels, is a phrase I have said throughout my career, so there was some true alignment.
Everyone here has been phenomenal – TPG is something special. There is an energy in the halls, I’ve felt it throughout my first few months. And our Wellbeing Coordinator Jenna Rudolph is just amazing, a total rockstar and so capable; we have strategic ideas we’re putting into motion for 2024 and beyond.
Where did your interest in health and wellbeing originate?
Growing up, my parents were passionate about wellbeing – we were encouraged to eat organic foods, to move to stay healthy, work hard, and be invested with family and friends. It inspired me to pursue a career where I could help people be healthier. Today, I am a licensed clinician and I’m dedicated to taking a holistic view of mental health, nutrition, and wellbeing. I attended Bastyr University, which is one of the only schools in the nation to combine mental health and nutrition into one master’s program.
I transitioned into organizational wellbeing consulting after practicing as a clinician. I felt this was a huge opportunity to support people from a systemic lens. I mean, we spend more than a third of our lives at work! I wanted to explore how consulting with employers could make a difference. I have consulted with clients all over the US. I’ve also led mental health trainings for hundreds of companies, and each time, I am reminded of how much people truly care about one another and want to learn how to best support each other and their teams.
What are your current department goals?
Ohhhh . . . . So many goals! We know that employees everywhere are struggling, and the workplace wellness space is saturated with “solutions.” It is overwhelming to navigate and to understand what will drive meaningful, lasting change.
So our overarching goal is to help our TPG and PartnerWell clients first define their wellbeing purpose and then figure out how to move the needle decisively and with intent. Jenna and I want to get granular with our clients on the things that really matter to improve our clients’ health and wellbeing. One example is the importance of recognition being essential in combatting employee burnout and functioning better overall as an organization. Another example is helping employers identify programming that focuses on intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic. We know that is much more sustainable in the long term.
With PartnerWell, TPG supports workplace wellbeing using a systematic approach. We can drive and influence wellbeing at an entirely different level, through the pillars of workforce culture, proactive wellbeing, and mental health.
How has your industry changed in the past few years?
As we’ve said, people are struggling with their mental health more than ever before. However, employers are becoming more and more open to addressing it and are leaning into subject matter experts for aid, which is great.
Another change is that costs have become egregious – they are running hot, due to fallout from COVID. So it is important to be mindful of that for our clients and their employees. We all need to take a pause and think carefully about why people are unhealthy and ask the big questions about how we can reform the space. People are struggling to proactively engage in their health, despite having more advanced technology, comprehensive science available, and endless programming opportunities.
TPG has acknowledged this change and has already been working toward it. PartnerWell strives for meaningful, sustainable transformation in the workplace wellbeing industry. The work that Jenna and I do is not just an ancillary “value-add” for our clients – we see it as being essential for our clients. Why wouldn’t you want to take good care of your most important asset, which is your people?
How do you see TPG innovating and leading the way?
I can think of several ways. TPG is focused on making what we do accessible for all. We target leadership meaningfully, so that there is total buy-in. We use innovative methods of gathering tangible feedback from employees to drive influence. And finally, not a lot of brokers out there have someone who practices as a licensed mental health clinician on staff, like TPG does.
As you know, TPG leans into our five core values – play well with others, own it, be curious, have fun and live well, and be a champion. Which of these is currently resonating with you?
Hmmm. Well, I love them all. But what I really love is that our leaders and teams actually live them and believe in them. It’s real, and you feel it.
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For enquiries about how our PartnerWell division can assist you and your team, contact Hayley Hughes and Jenna Rudolph at partnerwell@tpgrp.com.
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