Be Bright

Nurturing employee well-being in the new year

Award-winning strategic marketing agency TeamAsia has reaffirmed its commitment to the well-being of its employees, the company announced. Recognizing the pivotal role that a healthy and engaged workforce plays in achieving organizational success, TeamAsia remains steadfast in fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Brock Chisholm, who served as the first director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), “Without mental health, there can be no true physical health.”

Recognizing this intricate interplay between the mental and physical dimensions of well-being after the holidays, TeamAsia has continuously prioritized and nurtured the mental health of its employees through the following practices and strategies:

Work-life harmony

It is an established practice, backed by policy, among TeamAsia employees to set boundaries between work and home and take breaks for their mental and physical health – from something as simple as lunch breaks and time blocks where team members don’t disturb one another, to regularly filing leaves and health checks.

Employee-engagement activities

All smiles for TeamAsians during their Hawaiian-themed Christmas party

TeamAsia also utilizes employee engagement activities such as the quarterly Town Hall, which provides the latest updates on business goals, as well as other programs or important announcements for the agency; the weekly and monthly Pop-Up, where the team gathers for short updates, quiz and movie nights or virtual escape rooms, to bond and connect; and Jedi Sessions, or teach-back and knowledge-sharing occasions.

There are also regular team get-togethers, such as summer activities; a mid-year break when the team takes a short breather to catch up on rest and rejuvenate for the next half of the year; and year-end activities, such as parties and an agency shutdown.

Satisfaction surveys

TeamAsia routinely conducts surveys to check the pulse of its employees and see what type of activity best fits their needs. “Since we’re now in a post-pandemic situation and have transitioned to hybrid setups, we make sure to find environments that meet the demands of our employees and provide the means for our teams to join in,” said TeamAsia Marketing Manager Erika De Leon. “We host online and offline activities, whichever is more accessible to our employees.”

Open Space and Buddy System

TeamAsia Senior Human Resources Officer Beverly Aguila described Open Space Sessions as smaller assemblies that encourage employees to discuss anything outside of work. She said they are essential to cultivating a welcoming atmosphere for every team member, fostering transparency, collaboration, and a sense of inclusivity.

“These sessions are an hour-long, no-agenda and no-fuss time together where everyone is encouraged to speak what’s on their mind and what’s in their heart in a safe space,” she said. “In tandem with this, we encourage our teams to keep a buddy system so we can check on each other and make sure no one’s being left behind.”

TeamAsia’s Halloween party dubbed TAkot 2023: McScary Night

Quarterly check-ins and mentoring sessions

“We also conduct quarterly check-ins with each employee, catching up on the self, work, and anything that the employee would like to share,” said Aguilar. “We also have open and easy access to our mental health consulting partners, GrayMatters Psychological and Consultancy Inc. and COMPSYCH, which provide quality mental health care services based on ethically sound and value-based practice in various disciplines of psychology.”

TRE sessions

Other wellness sessions also include the Trauma and Tension Release Exercises or TRE sessions led by TeamAsia Managing Director Bea Lim, who has been certified to conduct these, both online and onsite. These can be in the form of yoga sessions, breathing exercises, and the like.

“We believe in the saying, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup,’” said De Leon. “In the transition from face-to-face to remote work during the pandemic, and now easing into a hybrid setup, the company has consistently rolled out programs and looked out for the team’s mental health, proving that our employees are our most important secret sauce in our company so it’s crucial for us that their overall well-being is maintained.”

Prioritizing employee well-being in the workplace is an imperative that TeamAsia, as an organization, holds dear. By placing a premium on the mental and physical health of its team members, TeamAsia not only cultivates a positive and supportive work environment but also recognizes the intrinsic link between a thriving workforce and organizational success.

The investment in team well-being stands as a testament to its dedication to creating a gender-inclusive workspace where individuals flourish, driving collective success and resilience in an ever-evolving professional landscape.

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Chris Layugan