We talk to Jonathan Bunn, communications director at Metlife, about what he's going to be discussing at this year's World of Learning and how the communications and HR teams at his organisation work successfully together.

Tell us about your panel discussion at World of Learning.

I am participating in a panel discussion on employee engagement. In particular, I will be focusing on how MetLife seeks to engage its employees across EMEA with its regional strategy. My challenge centres on driving engagement in a culturally and geographically diverse region, demanding more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

How does communications cross over with the HR function?

Aligning my communications team closely to our colleagues in HR is critical to our success. We’re both focused on driving employee engagement and know that companies with engaged employees are more productive, more profitable and have a lower turnover. One particular element where we have worked closely with HR, is training to build the skills and capabilities of our leaders to be able to engage more effectively with their teams.

What are your industry's challenges in the next 12 months?

Looking specifically at EMEA, political instability, the regulatory environment and the ongoing macro-economic situation are all areas we are focused on.

What do you think the themes to come out of this year’s event will be?

The drive to social continues – so gamification, using digital and technology, online collaboration etc.

Jonathan Bunn is communications director EMEA at Metlife. He is taking part in a panel debate on employee engagement at the World of Learning Conference which takes place 30 September – 1 October at Birmingham’s NEC.

Read our other World of Learning interviews, with Patricia Riddell & Ian McDermott, and Cheryl Clemons.