HOW TO MAKE A COMPANY MORE FAMILY AND PEOPLE FRIENDLY?
Learn about the best practices of companies involved in the #2h4family #4human campaign organized by the Humanites Institute and participate in our employer contests!
There are many opportunities for an employer to make a company earn the title of “family and people friendly.” Not only are companies devoting more and more time to creating an organizational culture that will foster wellbeing, but they are also involving employees in its co-creation. There is also a growing popularity of studying the needs and expectations of employed people regarding their combination of work, family and private life.
Sense of meaning at work
Most of our jobs are related to production or services: we package goods, write algorithms, paste data into an Excel table. Only 28% of employees at large companies have a high sense of meaning at work – these figures come from the latest edition of the Humanites Institute’s #WELLBEING Best Practices Report – People and Technology. In small companies, this result is more than double (64%). In turn, American anthropologist David Graeber, in his book “Work Without Meaning. A Theory,” cited research showing that 37 percent of Britons and 40 percent of. Dutch see no sense in their work – and these were results even before the pandemic, during which many people redefined their relationship with their place of employment.
Employers therefore face quite a challenge – how to make employees deeply intrinsically motivated to work for the company or organization under such conditions? This is a key issue. The success of a company, its innovation and competitiveness is primarily determined by the commitment and creativity of its employees.
Intrinsic motivation is 54% higher among those with high (vs. low) levels of well-being at work (Humanites Institute Survey: Well Working 2022 r.).
Among those who engage annually in the global movement to change the culture of work and life, Two Hours for Family | Humanites, are those who can respond to this challenge.
Best practices of companies involved in the #2h4family #4human campaign, organized by the Humanites Institute.
Each year, the Humanites Institute team has the pleasure of learning about examples of such actions during the Family/Human Friendly Company competition (for more information, visit the competition website). And also during the #2h4family campaign, the first Polish wellbeing campaign that has achieved great success internationally. Employers from more than 59 countries take part in it, which means that the Polish campaign is present in every third country in the world!
#2h4family/4human is a campaign that aims to counter the global trends of loneliness, depression and relationship crisis, and to encourage employers to build a good work culture for multidimensional human development, where companies can achieve their business goals and people have a sense of meaning and development.
Here we will share our thoughts from reading the reports submitted by companies on the implementation of the Two Hours for Family/Human action. Their creativity pleasantly surprises, the level of commitment is extremely heartening, and the results are fantastic. Below are stories about a small part of this landscape.
Endless inspiration
AMS celebrated International Day of Families for several months. There was a webinar on nonviolent family communication for employees, numerous contests and amenities – such as electronic greeting cards for Mother’s Day. Family Integration Zone, etc. Tauron was not left behind, preparing a photo contest for its employees, an online yoga class, a contest for a video shot with one’s own phone and other attractions.
We will also not leave out entities that may not have prepared extensive, multi-week activities, but also did a good job. VanityStyle installed a special box in the company for compliments, which female employees could exchange among themselves. Signify approached the 2022 action motto – “Our pets and shared moments” – with an exceptionally open heart. It organized a collection of needed items for the shelter in Pila. Employees and workers were able to donate gifts to those pets who were a little less fortunate to meet people on their way. The possibilities are many – as many as the people (human and non-human) who need our help.
Exceptional celebrations
Several of the #2h4family participants to date deserve special mention. These companies and organizations have taken strongly to themselves the message of the campaign, which aims to bury divisions between employees and executives, individual departments within the company.
During one edition, the National Museum in Krakow decided to reverse roles. Serial employees were relieved of their work duties for two hours to spend that time with their loved ones. Their tasks were taken over by executives. Visitors to the museum on that day had the pleasure of being guided by the Deputy Director for Strategy, Development and Communications, among others. The Humanites Institute’s team fell in love with this venture, which allowed those higher up the organizational hierarchy to realize the challenges that rank-and-file employees face on a daily basis. And those in turn were able to make the most of their free time.
A very interesting initiative that sensitized the team to community issues was undertaken by ZWAE. It prepared a special board game entitled. “Discover Pomerania with us,” thanks to which employees and their families could not only spend time on fantastic entertainment, but also learn something about their region.
We were also delighted by the campaign launched by Burda Media Poland. Taking advantage of the fact that the company is a media corporation, the #2h4family message decided to carry not only among female employees, but also among female readers. The message was presented in such diverse media as “My Cooking,” “Elle” and “National Geographic.” In each case, the topic was covered from a different angle and in each case – very interesting!
Examples include KGHM, which, during one of the editions of #2h4family, decided to target foster families (psychological counseling and training to improve parenting skills), as well as organized a conference for parents on the risky behavior of children and adolescents in the postmodern era and an event with the Family Relationship and Animation Zone. In addition to activities strictly for families, the company also opted for a number of charity events in which employees participated, being able to satisfy their need to change the world for the better.
Leśny zakątek, in organizing a company picnic, decided to use products supplied by local producers and widely publicized this to employees.
What else besides that? Contests with prizes, family picnics, children’s tours of their parents’ workplace, but also grandchildren’s workplace tours for seniors! Encouraging female employees to document time spent with their families on joint trips or sports activities, and much, much more! There is not space here to list all the ideas and describe their implementation, but to every company and organization that, at least during one edition, decided to be with us and carry the idea of closeness, deep relationships and prevention of loneliness, depression and relationship crisis, we want to say a big thank you here – to the entire Humanites Institute team. Together we are moving blocks and changing the world into a more inclusive, friendlier and, to say the least, better place!
More examples of the implementation of the Two Hours for Family/Human actions submitted to the annual “for implementation” competition can be found here: “Contest Finalists. Good Practices”.
We invite you to this year’s contest for the implementation of the action: contest page. There are great prizes to be won: a bike from KROSS, family vouchers to the Trampoline Park “I love to jump”, books, candy, ASK ME cards. Show off how you celebrated the #2h4family #4human action!
Two Hours for Family/Human is perfect for employers who are serious about systemic social change and are planning their HR, CSR and ESG strategies for 2024 right now.
Companies interested in our (different) competition for Family and Human Friendly Company, please visit: competition.