Supporting our people’s wellbeing has never been so important. Since the pandemic, our people’s needs have changed. People are far more conscious of their wellbeing now, than ever before. The lockdowns gave people little choice by way of going out and socialising, but it did give time to reflect and focus on what is important – our overall health.
One of the key wellbeing initiatives launched since the pandemic has been the development of our Breathe Employee Resource Group. This group of committed wellbeing enthusiasts represent all areas of our business, and feed into the wider wellbeing strategy with their insight of their peers. The aim of the ERG is to enable our people to own their own holistic wellbeing, and to provide them with the tools and resources to do just that. Under 3 strategic pillars – Mental, Physical and Social Wellbeing, the ERG run awareness campaigns and engagement initiatives on specific wellbeing topics such as nutrition, healthy eating, mental health and financial support. They have an active community on MS Teams, which provides a platform for anyone in the organisation to get involved, connect with initiatives and access resources.
In addition to the Breathe ERG, in 2021, Konica Minolta rolled out a choice-based working approach; a model where our colleagues can work where and when they like, balanced with the needs of our customers and business. And whilst this looks different for the various part of our organisation, in most areas, this provides huge amounts of choice and flexibility, allowing for a far greater work-life balance. We have partnerships with several flexible working locations, giving people the freedom to truly work wherever they want.
In 2023, the Wellbeing strategy will be taken up another notch. Firstly, all people leaders in our organisation will be participating in mental health awareness training. This course gives our leaders the tools to be able to support our people at a foundation level, and helps them spot the signs of struggle much earlier. It also educates them on how to signpost to further support, whether that be through our employee assistance programme, or external professionals. Secondly, we want to get more targeted with our offering. Campaigns and initiatives will be launched for different parts of the business, based on the unique needs of our people, depending on their role and the type of work they do. We have access to data and insights, provided through extensive colleague surveys which give us an up to date gauge on current sentiment, allowing us to truly personalise the experience of our people and have a targeted impact on their overall wellbeing.
Adam Romain- Employee Experience & Communication Partner and Lead of our Breathe Employee Resource Group
In addition to the Breathe ERG, in 2021, Konica Minolta rolled out a choice-based working approach; a model where our colleagues can work where and when they like, balanced with the needs of our customers and business. And whilst this looks different for the various part of our organisation, in most areas, this provides huge amounts of choice and flexibility, allowing for a far greater work-life balance. We have partnerships with several flexible working locations, giving people the freedom to truly work wherever they want.
In 2023, the Wellbeing strategy will be taken up another notch. Firstly, all people leaders in our organisation will be participating in mental health awareness training. This course gives our leaders the tools to be able to support our people at a foundation level, and helps them spot the signs of struggle much earlier. It also educates them on how to signpost to further support, whether that be through our employee assistance programme, or external professionals. Secondly, we want to get more targeted with our offering. Campaigns and initiatives will be launched for different parts of the business, based on the unique needs of our people, depending on their role and the type of work they do. We have access to data and insights, provided through extensive colleague surveys which give us an up to date gauge on current sentiment, allowing us to truly personalise the experience of our people and have a targeted impact on their overall wellbeing.
Adam Romain- Employee Experience & Communication Partner and Lead of our Breathe Employee Resource Group