Travelers Institute^®: Forces at Work^℠ Initiative

Having navigated through a pandemic, rapid technological changes and more, business leaders today know that taking care of and investing in their employees is as important as ever to their organization’s success. It is against this backdrop that the Travelers Institute began offering a range of virtual programming to help the company’s business partners, its customers and the broader business community better navigate today’s most pressing workforce issues.

Since 2020, nearly 120,000 people have joined nearly 80 programs examining workforce topics that are connected to worker well-being, such as:

Labor market dynamics. Exploring demographic, economic and social trends impacting today’s labor force.
Leading and managing. Sharing personal stories and experiences from C-suite and other leaders that illuminate what leading and managing feel like today.
Talent and people. Providing a practical look at how leading organizations are hiring and retaining talent, managing different generations in the workforce, creating opportunities to upskill and more.
Physical and mental well-being. Learning how to better care for ourselves and each other through nutrition, exercise, stress management and more.
Risk management and insurance. Understanding the latest insights from the insurance industry on mitigating employee-related risks.

In 2025, the Travelers Institute expanded on this work by hosting 18 workforce wellness educational programs under its new, formally named Forces at Work℠ initiative. These included in-person symposia in Phoenix, Arizona; San Ramon, California; New York City, New York; and Foxborough, Massachusetts. More than 400 insurance agents, brokers and business professionals benefited from keynote presentations and moderated discussions featuring Travelers experts, as well as senior leaders from the Center for Workplace Mental Health, The Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital and Yale School of Medicine. Attendees also received resources, including Investing in Mental Well-Being: A Guide for Employers, a white paper published by the Travelers Institute that explores the importance of mental health in the workplace and introduces strategies employers can implement to help create a supportive and thriving environment.

In April 2025, the New York Stock Exchange^® (NYSE) invited the Travelers Institute to ring the Opening Bell^® to recognize and celebrate the crucial work the Institute has undertaken to build awareness of the importance of workforce well-being and worker mental health.

The event included a keynote presentation on the state of mental health in America by Dr. Jerome M. Adams, the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and Executive Director of Purdue University’s Health Equity Initiatives and Center for Community Health Enhancement and Learning. The keynote was followed by an in-depth panel discussion on how organizations can support mental health among their employees, featuring:

Dr. Adams.
Ramona Tanabe, President and CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
Rich Ives, Senior Vice President, Business Insurance Claim, Travelers.

The second panel included a moderated discussion on the intersection of technology, talent and the labor market with:

Dan Helfrich, Principal and former Chair and CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Mojgan Lefebvre, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology & Operations Officer, Travelers.

This signature event had a live audience of approximately 200 people, with more than 2,200 people watching via livestream in a special episode of the Wednesdays with Woodward^® webinar series. The event extended to the NYSE’s Floor Talk interview series, where Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute, discussed the launch of the Forces at Work initiative and shared insights on how employers can support employees’ mental health.

Forces at Work content was highlighted prominently throughout the 2025 Wednesdays with Woodward webinar season, including episodes focused on stress-relieving practices for busy professionals, the benefits of sleep, leadership and influence, and negotiation strategies that also strengthen professional relationships.

This programming helps Travelers demonstrate its thought leadership on these topics and empower its business partners with information designed to help them run their organizations more effectively.

Related resources

Travelers Institute^® white paper: Investing in Mental Well-Being: A Guide for Employers
Travelers Institute^® webinar: Forces at Work℠ Symposium at the New York Stock Exchange
Travelers Institute^® webinar: Strategic Connections: Short-Term Negotiation Tactics for Long-Term Success
Travelers Institute^® webinar: Find Your Calm: Stress-Reducing Practices for Busy Professionals

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Wednesdays with Woodward^® Webinar Series

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Distracted Driving – Every Second Matters^®

The Travelers Institute launched the Every Second Matters education campaign in 2017 to help combat distracted driving.

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