Are you becoming too familiar with stress and anxiety? Do you feel that they have turned into a routine, and are now just part of your life? Experts say this is normal, and that we all go through difficult phases. But it is essential to learn how to overcome these negative factors. The world needs us – and we need to find ways to get our equilibrium back.
Nowadays, health is not just about the state of the body. It represents a concept equivalent to our overall well-being. Our personal and professional life depend on it, and companies need to take notice and offer solutions that support employees’ health.
What is employee well-being?
When referring to an employee’s well-being, there are several aspects of their working life that need to be considered: the environment, the climate, and the psychological and physical state of the employee. Once the company takes all of these into account, success will follow.
The environment
With the shift towards online and work-from-home driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more difficult for companies to ensure that employees have a good space, leading to harmony and productiveness. This is not, however, an unsolvable problem, as choosing a different approach and mindset can significantly improve matters.
Based on our own experience, we can attest to the fact that, when it comes to work schedules, freedom and flexibility are effective solutions. Work is no longer defined as a place, but as the activity that each person is free to perform at a convenient time and place, depending on their responsibilities, hobbies, and biorhythms. The focus is on results, not rules.
The climate
A key factor for a good work climate is providing growth opportunities. Investing in professional development, especially in a rapidly changing industry such as IT, offers employees the things that they value highly: respect and appreciation.
In the past two years, Pentalog has created an optimal work and learning from home environment. We provide colleagues with over 330 micro-courses and access to comprehensive e-learning platforms (including Mindtools, O’Reilly, Pluralsight, and Udemy), as well as free classes in French, English and German. In addition, employees have unlimited access to PentaBAR events – tech-oriented series designed for passionate professionals who want to meet and share their knowledge.
Psychological and physical state
Well-being programs are an effective tool that is becoming an increasingly common benefit used by businesses. At Pentalog, we recently launched our “Equilibrium – moving in the right direction” program: an interactive and engaging way for our colleagues to learn more about health and how they can achieve a good work-life balance.
Moreover, in a context where we have just recovered from a two-year pandemic and an unexpected European military crisis, this tool aims to improve emotional well-being and build resilience for the events that inevitably disrupt our lives. For example, in light of events around the (at the time of writing) recent war in Ukraine, one of the webinars focuses on anxiety management. The wellness webinar addressing the body’s natural response to stress was specially dedicated to Pentalog employees.
How does Equilibrium help to achieve balance?
When talking about well-being, it is important to stress that it is not just physical. We have chosen to approach the subject from a more holistic perspective, by involving three connected elements: mind, body, and soul.
Some mind functions do their job independently of the body, while others are linked. Stress – a psychological response to certain conditions – is often reflected at the physical level by headaches. Another response – a result of the interruption of the daily sporting routine to which some people are accustomed – is depression . We are more than the thoughts in our minds – we are also our bodies that need to be respected, our emotions that need to be cared for, and our spirituality that needs to be fulfilled. These things determine ourselves and our health.
Since the impact of working from home primarily affects the health of the body, we’ve designed a balanced calendar that includes sessions to improve posture and create mobility. We have also added sessions that stimulate the heart rate, leading to stronger muscles and developing a harmonious physique – thanks to full-body training and fat-burn circuit. Each session is designed to suit all fitness levels, through strategies and tactics such as progression and regression of exercises, longer breaks, and a slower tempo.
Mindfulness sessions include webinars that address topics for improving daily life and creating a safe environment for everyone. Here, with experts from different fields, we tackle topics such as heart health, financial literacy, nutrition, and more.
After taking care of aspects involving the mind and body, we decided to go further and tend to the well-being of the soul. For that purpose, Pentalog has partnered with a group of psychotherapists who can provide one-on-one sessions to our PentaHumans. This enables our colleagues to overcome difficult situations in their lives through the guidance of a specialist.
Final thoughts
In these uncertain times, the workplace must provide a supportive environment for employees. People need to feel safe, and know that their well-being is important.
Our PentaHumans are at the heart of the company, and we want to offer them every tool and element they need to find and maintain their balance.
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