Borealis fully embraces People and culture

Borealis, a global leader in advanced and circular polyolefins solutions, as well as a European market leader in basic chemicals, fertilizers, and the mechanical recycling of plastics, has always valued human capital highly.

This commitment became even clearer in 2022 when the HR department was rebranded as People & Culture. Dorien Timmermans, who was the People & Culture Business Partner for several Borealis locations, explains: "Human resources sounds so cold, so mathematical. Words that we absolutely don’t associate with our employees! With 'People & Culture,' we return to the core. People are the most important asset." 

Wellbeing at the forefront 

Borealis has long been convinced of the importance of health and happiness at work and beyond. The company introduced its first wellbeing concept back in 2016, offering one-on-one support for both work and personal issues, along with specific training sessions. 

Dorien Timmermans adds: "The past years have been challenging, especially with Covid-19. The works council and employee surveys confirmed this and highlighted the importance of a structured wellbeing policy." 

However, wellbeing can often become a buzzword with heavy connotations. With the 'Happy Deal' concept (a nod to the Happy Meal 😉), Borealis aims to transition from a reactive to a proactive approach to wellbeing in a fresh, positive manner. Move To Happiness, with its central platform, fits perfectly into this approach. 

Ensuring high engagement  

"When Move To Happiness came onto our radar, I was immediately convinced. What impressed me most was the wide range of educational content and SDG campaigns. This is where our biggest challenge lies as an organization. Covering the broad scope of the social pillar of ESG is no easy task. Alongside the enthusiasm for the concept, there were naturally some doubts within the management team: ‘Will we be able to get our people to engage with online content voluntarily? How will the production team, who don’t spend the whole day at a computer, react? Will the barrier be too high for them?’ 

In the end, the fresh perspective and broad offering of Move To Happiness overcame the doubts. Borealis took the plunge and chose the convenient plug-and-play solution, allowing employees to engage at their own pace and with their own interests. 67% of Borealis (Mechelen )employees are now active on the Move To Happiness platform, participating in energizing workouts, relaxing meditations, tools for better sleep, evolving from a fixed to a growth mindset, boosting energy, and more. They confirm that the high-quality offerings, delivered by various experts, and the user-friendly platform make wellbeing and sustainability enjoyable and accessible. 

Insights and data 

“In our monthly status meetings with Move To Happiness, we discuss activation rates, popular themes, and more. These discussions provide valuable insights. Unsurprisingly, we see higher onboarding rates among our office staff compared to the production personnel. We are very grateful for the proactive approach of our contacts at Move To Happiness. They are well aware that the success of the program largely depends on employee engagement. They respond quickly and take our feedback seriously. 

For instance, we organized an on-site workshop for our shift workers, where Dr. Inge Declercq discussed how to enhance sleep while working shifts. This was a very relevant topic for this group. By organizing offline workshops, we lower the barrier and can further direct employees to the platform.” 

Meanwhile, 67% of employees (Borealis Mechelen) are active on the platform. 

Good content but no engagement?

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