Why Mental Health Drives Performance – Daniela Seabrook, CHRO Adecco

It’s a simple truth that Daniela Seabrook, Chief Human Resources Officer at Adecco Group, has carried throughout her career – from clinical psychology to leading HR at one of the world’s largest staffing companies.

In her conversation with our CEO, Dr. Nick Taylor, on Lead From Within, Daniela explained why mental health isn’t just an HR initiative. It’s the foundation of leadership, culture, and sustainable performance.

Daniela’s path into HR leadership wasn’t a straight line. She studied clinical psychology with an interest in youth and forensic work, driven by a belief that environment shapes outcomes. Later, she combined that background with organizational psychology and HR leadership roles in industries from life sciences to technology, always keeping people, purpose, and wellbeing at the core.

That blend of science and practice now guides her work at Adecco, a global staffing and talent solutions firm with nearly 70,000 employees across more than 60 countries.

Too often, wellbeing strategies wait for problems to surface – responding to stress, burnout, or absence. Daniela argues for a different approach. One that’s preventative and proactive, where organizations don’t just support people when things go wrong, but create the conditions for them to thrive from the start.

This philosophy has influenced Adecco’s inclusion and wellbeing framework, which extends beyond traditional HR programs to embed mental health into culture, values, and leadership expectations.

For Daniela, psychological safety isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s the foundation of a high-performing team.

“If people can’t speak up, share ideas, or admit mistakes without fear, performance will stall.”

Creating safety, she says, means leaders showing vulnerability and treating everyone equally. That’s what unlocks the best in teams.

Her conviction comes not just from research, but from lived experience. Growing up as the child of immigrants in Switzerland, Daniela knows what it feels like to be excluded. That shaped her commitment to inclusion and to building workplaces where everyone feels they belong.

Leaders often ask: how do you balance wellbeing with delivering results? Daniela’s take flips the question: you can’t separate them. Sustainable performance depends on wellbeing.

She’s candid about her own practices, too. Daily walks in nature, quality time with family, listening to her body’s signals, and knowing when to reprioritize.

It’s a reminder that resilience doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from building habits that keep leaders grounded and able to support others.

No organization is immune to transformation – whether driven by global disruption, new markets, or emerging technologies. Adecco is no different. Daniela sees HR leaders playing a crucial role in helping people navigate uncertainty with clarity and care.

During COVID-19, that meant prioritizing wellbeing in unprecedented ways. Now, it means helping people embrace technological shifts while keeping humanity at the center.

The conversation touched on technology, but Daniela’s focus stayed grounded in people. She believes HR must champion environments where inclusion and mental health aren’t side initiatives, but part of the DNA of performance.

Her message is clear: the future of work won’t be won by the organizations with the most data or the newest tools. It will be led by those who put people first, create safe spaces for them to thrive, and build cultures where wellbeing and performance move in step.

What makes Daniela’s story powerful isn’t just her expertise. It’s the lived experience she brings – from growing up as a child of immigrants in Switzerland, to navigating transformation across industries, to now shaping Adecco’s global people strategy.

Her call to leaders is simple, but profound: mental health isn’t a side initiative. It’s central to leadership, culture, and performance.

That’s a challenge worth taking on.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube and hear the full story, in her own words.