A Alice, a health plan for companies, launched the second edition of the “Pulso RH” study. The material’s theme is “Corporate health: what is the influence of managers?” and was carried out in partnership with BP – A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, Ifood Benefícios and Grupo Fleury.
Conducted by Opinion Box, the survey interviewed more than a thousand people between March 25th and April 5th. Of the total respondents, 46.8% are managers and 53.2% are not. In companies that care about the health and well-being of employees, 88.1% of respondents agree that their manager presents good examples of health and well-being. In companies that don’t care, the number drops to 41.3%.
“What caught our attention the most in the research is that when managers set good examples of health care and well-being, they improve their team’s engagement, motivation and culture. In total, 76% of professionals are proud to work in companies where leaders set such good examples. Furthermore, 74% of employees recommend the company as a great place to work in this scenario”, comments Sarita Vollnhofer, CHRO at Alice.
The impact of leadership by example
The study also found that 77.3% of respondents believe that the manager presents good examples of health and well-being. Within this total, 64.4% classified their own health as positive. “In other words, if the manager sets good examples of health, the team also tends to identify their own health as positive. On the other hand, when those led do not receive good examples, only 43.3% classify their health as good”, highlights Sarita.
Of those who believe that leaders set good examples of health, 87.7% feel that the company demonstrates that their well-being and health are important. For Sarita, this factor also impacts the professional’s health and helps them to better separate their professional and individual lives, achieving greater peace of mind, well-being and health. “The result reinforced what we had already analyzed in the previous edition: when the company cares about the health and well-being of its team, engagement more than doubles. Now, we see more specifically the role of management in this dynamic”, highlights the executive.
The executive director of People, Customer Experience, Marketing, Sustainability and Social Impact at BP, Maria Alice Rocha, highlights that there is a lot of value in daily care and a culture of well-being that should be offered to employees in general, as this is directly linked to the way each one will relate to customers and their surroundings , creating remarkable daily experiences and, consequently, a win-win for everyone. “The entire employee journey is important, from the selection and admission process to ongoing support for their physical and mental health. Offering total care and looking at health in all its dimensions: emotional, social, financial and intellectual, makes the individual well and this creates value for everyone”, says the director.
For Natalia Ubilla, Head HRBP – Fintech & Groceries at iFood Benefits, corporations have a decisive role in the health of employees. “It needs to be one of the pillars in the people management process within companies, with advantages that go beyond the well-being of the team and positively impact the companies’ business results. Taking initiative in this regard reduces turnover rates, promotes talent retention and improves engagement levels with benefits that go beyond the professional aspect and transform people’s lives”, he states.
Edgar Gil Rizzatti, president of Medical, Technical, Hospitals and New Links Business Units Fleury Group, believes that having knowledge about employees’ perception of health and corporate well-being is an extremely important factor. “The influence of leadership makes all the difference in the health of the work team and, consequently, the company. As the numbers show, promoting a healthy and productive corporate environment is positive for everyone involved”, he considers.
Most offered benefits
The survey also asked respondents about how the company they work for contributes to employee health and well-being. Respondents could select more than one option and these were the top five responses selected:
- Provides a health plan (34.2%);
- Allows people to take regular breaks throughout the day (26.6%);
- Provides benefits for nutrition/physical activity and encourages the sick person to actually take time off work (both responses at 26%);
- Has a work environment and management practices that guarantee the well-being and psychological safety of employees (24.4%);
- Facilitates flexibility and organization of one’s agenda (24.1%).
Some benefits do not depend solely on the people who lead, but others, such as psychological safety, can be directly influenced by management. “In this sense, the leader has the role of working with didactic and transparent development and communication processes, especially feedback, to avoid generating unnecessary anxiety, for example. In addition to company-wide performance evaluation seasons, it is important to provide empathetic, constructive and constant feedback, whether positive or for improvement, on specific projects and activities. This way, the person gets the chance to continue what they are doing right and adjust what needs to evolve, so that the performance evaluation does not become a surprise with a potential negative impact on mental health and engagement”, says Alice’s CHRO.
In addition to hiring health resources for the team, the executive also recommends analyzing whether they are the best possible. “When we think about health insurance, we need to ensure that this benefit includes adequate coverage for medical appointments, mental health and other needs. Furthermore, a plan that can measure and generate data, monitor the evolution of beneficiaries’ health and provide personalized care with a focus on prevention, in addition to being excellent for the team, also makes HR’s life easier so they can focus on others needs of employees”, explains Sarita.
According to the executive, companies and leaders also need to worry about other aspects, such as making the work model more flexible. This is because, after the establishment of remote work during the pandemic, some companies returned completely to the in-person system.
“The research reinforces that making this model more flexible can bring more benefits to the health of professionals, in addition to their engagement, and that this is already seen by people as essential for their own health. At Alice, for example, we have an office that was designed for the hybrid model. Our managers have the autonomy to organize the routine with their teams, this involves face-to-face meetings and at the same time, depending on the area, we give our team flexibility to work from home a few days a week. It is one of the ways we found to intentionally promote connections and at the same time save time and energy so that these resources can be spent on what brings people more health and happiness”, concludes Vollnhofer.
