Employees get access to the Move To Happiness platform to boost, at their own pace, their physical, mental and social well-being
From Human resources to People & Culture
Borealis is one of the world’s leading suppliers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions, as well as European leader in base chemicals, fertilizers and mechanical recycling of plastics.
The fact that Borealis values human capital became especially clear in July. The HR department was given a new name: People & Culture. “Human resources sounds so cool, so mathematical. Words that we absolutely do not associate with our employees! With ‘People & Culture’ we are returning to the core. People are the most important asset.” Explains Dorien Timmermans, People & Culture business partner for the Beringen and Geleen locations.
COVID-19 puts wellbeing even higher on the agenda
At Borealis, they had been convinced of the importance of health and happiness in the office and around it for much longer. Thus, the company launched its first wellbeing concept back in 2016. In addition, employees can request one-on-one counseling for both work- and private-related issues, specific trainings on well-being are organized, …
Dorien Timmermans adds: “That COVID-19 has challenged all of us, including the Borealis team, is beyond question. The works council and employee surveys confirm this and show the importance of a structured wellbeing policy.
However, wellbeing remains such a catch-all term that it quickly acquires a heavily loaded meaning. With our ‘Happy Deal’ concept (a nod to the Happy meal 😉 ) we want to make the switch from a rather reactive policy to a more proactive one and to do so in a fresh, positive way. Move To Happiness, with its user-friendly ‘Netflix of Wellbeing,’ fits right in that lane”.
Will the commitment be high enough?
“When Move To Happiness came on our radar, I personally was immediately convinced. What impressed me most then, and still impresses me now, is the wide range of possibilities. Because that’s where the biggest challenge lies as an organization. Covering the broad scope (mental, physical and social) of wellbeing is no easy task. Alongside the enthusiasm of the concept, there were also some doubts within the management team: “Will we be able to get our people to work with online content – voluntarily? How will the production team, who do not spend their entire day at the computer, react to this? Won’t the threshold be too high for them?’”
But in the end the freshness, the new approach and the wide range of options offered by Move To Happiness won out over the doubts. Borealis took the chance and chose the convenient plug&play solution that allows employees to get started at their own pace, with their own interests. Many Borealis employees are already working on the Move To Happiness platform with webinars and “start to” programs: exhilarating workouts, calming meditations, tools to sleep like a baby, evolve from a fixed to a growth mindset, boost energy, etc. They confirm: the qualitative offer, brought by different experts, and the user-friendliness of the platform make wellbeing fun and accessible.
What impressed me most about Move To Happiness, even then and still is, is the wide range of possibilities it offers. Because as an organization, that’s where the biggest challenge lies. Covering the broad scope (mental, physical and social) of wellbeing is no easy task.
Getting started with the Netflix of Wellbeing in a user-friendly way
“We’ve been up and running with Move To Happiness for one month now. And although not all doubts are gone yet, we are excited about the evolution! During the monthly status meeting with Move To Happiness, we discuss the activation rate, the topics that are popular, … This gives us interesting insights. Not unexpectedly, we see a much higher onboarding among our white-collar workers compared to the production staff. We are very grateful for the collaborative thinking of Kenneth and An, our contacts at Move To Happiness. They are keenly aware that the success of the program is largely determined by the engagement of our employees. They are quick to respond and take our feedback to heart.
For example, we organized an on-site workshop for our shift workers: Dr. Inge Declercq came to talk about how to boost your sleep when working in shifts. A very interesting topic for this target group. By organizing offline workshops, we reduce the threshold and can refer additional people to the platform.”
27% engagement after 1 month
“In one year, we want to onboard 60% of our employees and have them interact with the videos, tests and E-Books on the Move To Happiness platform. After one month, we are at an engagement rate of 27%, which is nicely in line with the set targets! Employees also inspire each other. A number of meetings have already been concluded with a healthy snack. The winners of the 500g vegetable challenge are only too happy to brag about the dinner they won with star chef Bart De Pooter! And I can only see this evolution continuing: we have a number of fun activities planned to help Move To Happiness raise this percentage even higher. In October, for example, we are organising a major ‘battle of the company’.”
To be continued…
