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2022 Insights

THE WELLNESS GAME

Published in partnership with Warsaw Business Journal

In these turbulent times, never before has the subject of employee wellbeing received so much attention. But more than just a fleeting trend, the topic has be- come a dominant issue that stands to change the very way the world works…

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It’s been a while since CEEQA last convened, and much water has passed under the bridge. Quite rightfully, history will ultimately remember the pandemic years in terms of the millions of lives lost – however, and in a direct reflection of the times we live in – the resultant economic havoc will also bear more than just a footnote.

Yet for all of that, cracks of light emerged during the height of the coronavirus, many of which appeared to promise a brighter future. Faced with uncertainty and adversity, people the world over responded in an unexpected manner – amid talk of ‘a big reset’, we witnessed instances of kindness and humanity come to a fore.

Perhaps naively, people saw hope, a hope that found itself swiftly shattered with the murder of George Floyd. Again, we were reminded of mankind’s capacity for cruelty and of the bitter ha- treds that exist within our society. These negatives have been ampli- fied yet further to impossible new highs with the ongoing horrors occurring in Ukraine. As people, it appears we have learned little.

However, this would not be the entire truth. Though clearly paling against the brutalities played out each day on our news screens, a sometimes subtle process of work-place betterment is taking place, a process that stands to revolutionise not just the way we work but also how we fundamentally function and act as human beings. As far-fetched as this might sound, it is these steps that are being taken that could yet stand to shape the future of our planet – to follow simple logic, better, happier people make for a better and happier world.

THE BIRTH OF WORK- PLACE HAPPINESS
Given the tumult that has followed, it is tempting to look back on ‘the lockdown era’ as a false dawn that failed to deliver on the unwritten assurance of better times ahead. But this would be disingenuous, for on many levels we have seen progress – and never has that held truer than in our places of work.

Faced with a quite unprecedented situation, employers found themselves dealing with a work- force working remotely – initially, misgivings abounded, but in many instances these soon gave way to pleasing surprises: against the preset odds, several firms found them- selves reporting increased output, improved communication and a heightened sense of teamwork. Forced as the circumstances may have been, ‘the great experiment’ provided ample proof of what many knew already: that adopting a more flexible approach guided by an awareness of employee wellbeing had the potential to reap dividends.

Whilst covid accelerated the shift, for many this way of thinking presented nothing new. For decades, the Nordic nations have danced to this very tune – spidering out from philosophies first born in the 1950s, these countries have long enjoyed dynamic economic development underpinned by a workforce given the right space and tools to find an optimal work- life balance.

In more recent times, this model has been given fresh impetus, not least by the New Zealand business- man Andrew Barnes. An advocate of the four-day week, it was on his behest that his firm introduced an 80-100-100 rule in 2018: offering staff the chance to work 80% of their former hours in return for 100% productivity and 100% of their pay, the trial was an over- whelming success and was made permanent soon after. When Mi- crosoft Japan trialled this concept the following year, productivity increased by 40%.

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Now firmly committed to bringing his practises to a wider audience via his non-profit NGO (co-founded with Charlotte Lockhart), Barnes has been lauded as a pioneer: “The five-day week is simply outmoded, a relic of a now distant era,” he says. “Much like the spinning jenny and the telegram, the five-day week is obsolete – but it persists because it is mistakenly believed to be optimal for the economy. It isn’t. The four-day work week has proven to deliver as much, if not more, productivity while improving lives: individuals, families, and entire communities.”

WHAT MAKES US HAPPY?

The switch to a four-day week can be considered the most radical strategy of all when it comes to improving employee wellbeing, but this is not the sole method to gather steam. Gaining in popularity long before covid, the concept of hybrid working has also continued to crest by connecting the benefits of remote working with those of being present in the office.

THE MONEY OBSESSION HAS LEFT US, AS PEOPLE, SPIRITUALLY DEHYDRATED. FOR TOO LONG, WE HAVE SEEN PEOPLE TREATED AND TURNED INTO LITTLE MORE THAN CAPITAL PRODUCT.

Crucially, despite all of this ‘the office’ itself has not been made irrelevant and has in itself become a core consideration. Once seen as the realm of Google and rebel media companies, today the need for dynamic office environments that spur creativity and nurture wellbeing has become a major issue.

Andrzej Pośniak, managing partner of the international law firm CMS in Poland, says: “The
last few years have seen things like mentoring, health insurance and an awareness of wellbeing become mostly standard, albeit with some firms being more committed than others. At CMS, we go beyond that, and our forthcoming move to Warsaw’s landmark Varso Tower is part of that commitment.”

“We don’t want only to talk about wellbeing; we want to make things really happen,” Pośniak continues. “Our new office will soon undergo the process of WELL certification. We believe that the creation of a work environment that is fully certified is key – it demonstrates that we implement an internationally recognised standard.”

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Like never before, buildings have begun to matter, a point highlighted by Karolina Radziszewska, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Skanska’s office development unit in CEE: “We develop healthy buildings that support the various needs of our employees (and the employees of our tenants), both in terms of physical ability (our offices are certified as ‘Buildings Without Barriers’) as well as in their preferred ways of working (our offices combine spaces for individual and collaborative work). A healthy building is one that offers optimal conditions in terms of air quality, temperature, acoustics and other factors that impact employee effectiveness.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGY

Given the complexity of the subject, a multi-pronged approach to worker wellbeing is finding favour around the world and can be demonstrated by the innovations adopted at Deloitte Poland. Of these, particularly notable has been their so-called Employee Assistance Program offering 24-hr psychological support, profes- sional legal advice and financial consultations to employees and their immediate family, as well as their Global Mental Health Podcast series aimed at sharing stories and highlighting personal journeys with regards to mental health.

However, these have been further supplemented by various other projects such as eLearning actions that ‘Support Mental Health at Work’, virtual health weeks, motivational activities such as sport, additional days off designated as ‘chillout days’, the possibility of sabbatical leave for longer-term employees and the marking of World Mental Health Day.

AS FAR-FETCHED AS THIS MIGHT SOUND, IT IS THESE STEPS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN NOW THAT COULD YET SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET…

What has become transparently obvious is that it is no longer enough to bury the subject of wellbeing under hollow platitudes and witless management babble – it is imperative that the vision is defined.

Karolina Radziszewska of Skanska says: “we have a systemic approach to caring for our employees’ wellbeing. Aside from offering the right set of benefits and having the relevant procedures and standards in place, we have been developing a dedicated wellbeing strategy that includes elements of supporting our colleagues’ mental health (e.g. through individual sessions with psychologists and psychotherapists or webinars) and physical health (e.g. by applying the highest H&S standards, arranging office-based workouts to simply ensuring that the office snacks are healthy and aligned to all dietary needs).”

“Beyond that, we support our employees in finding and main- taining work-life balance, as well as helping them if they experience burnout or need a longer break for non-work related reasons by offer- ing them so-called regeneration leave, or sabbatical.”

There is no single shoe that fits all, but it is telling that so many firms hailed for their employee wellbeing adhere to similar formulas before tailoring them around their own requirements.

“To ensure a friendly workplace for our employees we organise events such as webinars focused on health and work balance,” says Robert Dobrzycki, the CEO and co-owner of Panattoni Europe and India. “We also organise various competitions for team building

and have spacious, well-equipped offices around Poland. Moreover, we provide a Benefits Platform that give employees benefit points and also have an Employee Assistance Program in place that allows em- ployees to focus on their physical and mental health, finances and suchlike. This can run to differing levels, depending on the extent of emotional support they need.”

DIVERSITY MATTERS

Many that read this will recall the stale homogeneity of yesteryear’s office – but this, too, is changing, even in CEE, a region once seen as a traditionalist bulwark of neo-conservatism. Politically, some nations remain resistant to modernising their ideologies, so it is encouraging to see that the private sector has often broken the ground that politicians have feared to tread – and where this is concerned, the topic of diversity is a case in point.

“An important element of our wellbeing strategy is creating an inclusive environment for
our employees so that they feel welcomed, valued and respected irrespective of their background, perspective or preferences,” says Karolina Radziszewska of Skanska. “We have conducted a number of awareness sessions and trainings (e.g. in inclusive language) and are in the process of finalising an audit across four markets in CEE to make sure our benefits offer is inclusive for employees living in same-sex relationships.”

Continuing, Radziszewska adds: “Skanska was founded on the belief that every decision we make impacts people and communities – this is why we put humanity at the centre of everything that we do. This belief translates into our core values: care for life, acting ethically and transparently, being better together and having a customer-first mindset. We champion an inclusive culture of openness, fairness, trust and respect, where all people feel a sense of belonging.”

This ingrained culture that permeates Skanska has been remarked upon across the sector, though there others also that have been cited for their positive outlook. Never short on receiving adulation, Panattoni have likewise done much to shift the industry forward into the future.

IT IS NO LONGER ENOUGH TO BURY THE SUBJECT OF WELLBEING UNDER HOLLOW PLATITUDES AND WITLESS MANAGEMENT BABBLE – IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE VISION IS DEFINED.

“Creating a friendly environment for those employed in our devel- opments also means multi-level support for Panattoni’s own team,” says Robert Dobrzycki. “The company promotes equal opportu- nities, respects diversity and does not discriminate according to age, disability or gender, which can be seen in its staffing structure – half of the company’s managerial positions are taken up by women.”

Granted, all this leaves itself open to cynicism and accusations of political correctness. Does any of this actually even matter, some will ask. The answer is a resounding yes. Where diversity is concerned, it has been consistently proven that a diverse work environment aids companies looking to evolve, in- novate, create and ‘problem solve’, and that’s before we even begin to dwell on matters relating to fostering a more positive workplace culture.

AND WHY HAPPINESS COUNTS

Where once the boardroom could have been viewed as an impenetrable bastion of simmering machismo, the world has changed. True, dinosaurs can still be found prowl- ing the higher echelons of man- agement, but the modern reality has demanded this change. Though results still dictate the bottom line, it is a fool that discounts the value of worker wellbeing especially see- ing that the two have become so intertwined.

“It might sound like a cliché, but a company’s value really can be defined by its people,” Andrzej Pośniak says. “In our business, that’s particularly relevant. If our lawyers are unhappy, that will have a knock-on effect making it impossible to grow or achieve our goals.”

In essence, it has dawned that happiness and success go hand-in-hand.

While Pośniak is quick to caution that there is no single route to long-term success that can apply to each and every company, he is keen to praise the path his own firm has taken. “The people in our team are high achievers, and, likewise, they each have their own ambitions and objectives. They want to grow. If an event suddenly happens that is completely outside our control, such as a global pandemic, it is vital that the more senior team members step in to help those that might struggle. We are proud to have created a work environment that fully embraces the team spirit, because we at CMS understand that only together can we achieve our goals.”

CAN WE QUANTIFY WELLBEING?

Where workplace happiness is concerned, suspicions linger as to its quantifiable value. Data can, after all, be easily manipulated to serve differing agendas; as such, even the most detailed academic studies associated with wellbeing have the potential to present skewed conclusions.

Nonetheless, evidence affirming the value of happiness is by no means anecdotal. “We fully sup- port and encourage a ‘feedback culture’,” Andrzej Pośniak says. “This source of direct information allows us to understand if our initiatives are working. Additionally, they help us structure them in the best way possible – there is no guessing, we have first-hand feed-back and we can easily draw the conclusions that really matter.”

Furthermore, another benchmark has also emerged. “According to findings published by ELSA (the European Law Students’ Association), we have become ‘the most desirable’ place to work. That this next generation of lawyers actively aspires to join our practice demonstrates that what we are doing does actually work,” Pośniak says.

Though tangible results remain subject to debate, other gauges have done much to suggest that wellbeing is more than a buzzword.

“The immediate effect of well- being can be noted via the impact it has on work efficiency and the team as a whole,” says Monika Stołowska of Deloitte Poland. “We already know that when the team thrives, we all thrive – therefore, understanding the condition of the team is of critical importance and we can measure that via various indicators: performance, accom- plished goals, etc. But we can also monitor results through an HR perspective by looking at the num- ber of sick days, overtime figures, turnover and, of course, listening to feedback.”

THE WIDER PICTURE

Anxiety, isolation and depression all came under the spotlight during the darkest days of covid. To its enduring credit, the real estate sector responded tellingly through the way in which it reacted to employee needs – a tipping point was reached, and the reaction was, by-and-large, both noble and selfless.

As rapid as this progress has been, these are early days yet. More needs to be done. Respect, responsibility, diversity and deeper community engagement all have larger roles to play. The subject of burnout also demands to be addressed.

The foundations, though, are already in place, buoyed by the growing realisation that wellbeing can boost results. As welcome as this news is, it is vital that we should not be shepherded by greed; workplace happiness runs to something deeper – it runs to creating a better society. Saliently, this should be achieved through actions that are sincere rather than guided by profit; only then can we, as people, truly flourish.

Idealistic as this might sound, already some firms have taken a lead on this, not least Skanska: “as corporates we are responsible not just for our employees but also for the communities we operate in,” says Karolina Radziszewska. “Apart from caring for the wellbeing of our teams and their families, we can and should make sure we have a positive impact on the world around us. On a micro-level, at Skanska’s CEE office development unit we work closely with the members of the local neighbourhoods while developing our new office projects, listening to their needs and then trying to support them.”

This, says Radziszewska, has been achieved via the introduction of surrounding greenery and, even, sports facilities, not to mention ensuring that the retail sections of office buildings serve a valued function – for instance, by includ- ing convenience stores, restau- rants, cafes or gyms.

“On a macro level we use our skills and resources to support broader social needs,” adds Radziszewska. “We are very happy that we were able to create a safe space for several hundred Ukrainian refugees in one of our downtown Warsaw office buildings, and aside from that we’ve continued to promote the highest ethical standards. We stand up for the rights of marginalised groups and, as an example, continue to cooper- ate closely with LGBTQ+ organisations in Poland.”

A DOOMSDAY SCENARIO?

Employee wellbeing has already surpassed ‘trend’ status and become enshrined as a fact of our daily lives. But whilst its significance has been commonly accepted, much stands to change. “We are still in a period of learning and adapting,” says Mark Rea, Managing Partner at Sentient Consultants. “There will be more chang- es, but what this hybrid involves remains open.”

Of concern, progress could face something of a freeze as other matters come to a head. “We are mov- ing into a very challenging period with inflation, interest rates, the war and supply side issues all presenting a unique set of pressures that we have not faced before,” warns Rea.

Could these problems stand to undo the work that has been done? That is unlikely given that employment wellbeing has become such a long-term objective, but it could see ESG issues temporarily side- lined as more pressing problems emerge.

A FINAL THOUGHT

And with that in mind, it is apt to leave you with the words of Richard Hallward, CEEQA’s founder and CEO: “The money obsession has left us spiritually dehydrated. For too long, we have seen people turned into little more than capital product. We bear a collective responsibility for ‘crushing the magic’ that exists within each of us,” he says.

Hallward continues: “In our own way, we at CEEQA hope to redress that. From the very outset, the CEEQA Gala has been a premium evening where the world of big business meets spectacle, magic and entertainment – where we celebrate achievements, achievers and connect, socialize, share and remind ourselves about the good times of our past and present.”

In a nutshell, CEEQA has and always will stand for happiness and wellbeing; maybe now is the time to ask, does you firm as well?

 
 

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