Why is employee well-being so important?

The business world is complex and uncertain. To remain competitive and sustainable, the company must constantly evolve, which can lead to more intense and sometimes difficult periods. It is therefore essential to establish a culture of benevolence within the company, focusing on elements that generate well-being such as recognition, collaboration, team spirit, autonomy, inclusion, etc.

Indeed, a "Better Living at Work" program that looks after employees' well-being generates commitment and performance. Feeling fulfilled at work stimulates everyone's potential, brings creativity, optimism and positive energy, all of which enable people to give the best of themselves.

These information pages will help you to understand how, as an individual, you can look after your own well-being and contribute to that of your colleagues, to understand what well-being at work is and how it translates into behavior in everyday working life. 

The "Better Living at Work" program reflects this belief, and implements strategies to improve the health and quality of life of its staff.

Everyone wins in a culture of improving life at work. So let's get started!

It's impossible to live without stress. We all experience stress, and that's perfectly normal. Have you ever noticed that stress can be positive or negative? Indeed, everything is based on subjective perception.

Stress is a natural process that can be positive, also known as positive stress or Eustress: for example, when you are challenged and have to step out of your comfort zone, but this will help you to acquire skills, evolve and grow. 

Negative stress or Distress: stress becomes negative when you are exposed for too long to a period of stress, challenge or uncertainty, without any period of rest. Rest can be a stress-free period, such as doing things well, or receiving recognition, even if you fail in your challenge (and it can happen!). If you have the support of your manager, your colleagues, your customers, to do better next time, and there are no reprisals, stress won't become negative.

• If you feel that you are facing difficulties you can not manage, if you can not organize or prioritize your work
• If you detect negative changes, even small, lasting more than 15 days, in :
  • Mood (irritable, sad, depressed, angry...)
  • Behaviors (isolation, detachment, distance,...)
  • Performance (working as always but with lower efficacy - real or perceived)
  • Lifestyle (eating disorders, sleep disorders,...)
  • Lack of concentration and energy, headaches, dizziness, panic attack
  • Stomach issues such as acid reflux and ulcers, change in appetite leading to weight loss or gain
  • Suppressed immune system leading to high levels of inflammation and illness
  • Joint pain and lowered bone density, muscle tension, tightness
  • Increased heart rate and blood pressure leading to increased risk of high cholesterol and heart attacks
  • Sleep disorders, mainly sleep deprivation such as insomnia, due to feeling tense and anxious.

Identify and use your personal resources : each one is different; know yourself to make better use of your strengths.

• Think about your feelings and thoughts 

Give them a name. Observe where they are located in your body. What are the causes? Think with perspective. Define what you can do (in your perimeter of action or influence) to decrease risk factors and increase resources. Accept what is outside of your perimeter of action.

• Speak out

Express your concerns to your manager. If you need support : speak with a physician, nurse or psychologist (see info below)

• Organize and prioritize
  • Plan your tasks (no matter how small) and estimate how much time you'll need.
  • Prioritize, especially in case of urgency. Decide what the most urgent task is (important vs urgent)

Manage your work-life balance

• • Take breaks and make time for yourself
  • Set a clear time that marks the end of the working day
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle
  • Good sleep - lack of sleep adds to stress
  • Nutrition - practice better eating habits
  • Exercise, walking and movement generate endorphins (which provide a good mood) and promote better sleeping
• Socialize
  • Connect with people, stay in touch with your loved ones.
• Focus on the present (avoid excessive thinking of negative aspects of either the past or the future)
  • Enjoy what you are doing at each moment, be positive and see the good side of things, express gratitude and be kind. 
• Relaxation
  • Mindfulness, deep breathing, cardiac coherence. Being calm will help you have more clarity and make better decisions.

• The workload assessment - This tool can help you identify your workload difficulties and initiate a discussion with your manager. 
• Pulse surveys -  conducted three times a year, these surveys will help us assess our well-being at work.
• The Employee Assistance Program which offers:
  • 5 sessions with a psychologist for personal and professional topics per participant and per topic. 
  • Global Wellness Questionnaire: a brief online assessment of the user's well-being, focusing on risk factors that have the most negative impact on health. 
  • Work/Life Services: help finding resources/solutions to practical problems: find childcare solutions/housing solutions for elderly parents/find an attorney/…
  • Individual mindfulness coaching sessions
  • Wellness Coaching : on health topics such as smoking cessation or weight control 
  • Life Coaching: to navigate life transitions and maximizing personal and professional well-being : Change/Transition Management, Time Management and Organization, Career Development, Work/Life Balance, Personal Growth and Development. 
  • Return to Work for New Parents 
• The mobile working wiki page with all support materials : one of the components to play on to generate well-being at work.

The Syensqo Group recognizes the fundamental importance of work-life balance as a guarantee of a better quality of life and better company performance. By means of this charter, which is applicable in its establishments, Syensqo undertakes to promote a culture, a work organization, a management style and behaviors that encourage this balance. In an international context and one of rapid technological change, this charter is a pragmatic reminder to everyone of the good practices to be respected.

Having a special interest in well-being at work allows you to take care of yourself but also of your colleagues and your organization. It allows you to be an actor of your well-being and of your fulfillment. There is no better person than you to take care of you. Obviously the company is responsible for our well-being, but by being aware and attentive, it allows us to act upstream, to prevent risks, to identify or help others to anticipate and avoid problems. All together we contribute better than alone. Well-being is everyone's business!