Creating a workplace where we want to work - focus on employee well-being

Community building, employee health, good morale - these are the goals of the SMEs that have won the first prize in the "Employee Wellbeing" category of the Generali EnterPrize competition in recent years. Consciously caring about and investing in employee wellbeing helps with retention - particularly valuable after a long learning curve - and also builds the employer brand, which is particularly important when operating in smaller towns, as word of mouth often spreads. We've put together a snapshot of how winning SMEs are building towards this goal.

In recent years, employee wellbeing has become an increasingly important focus of companies' HR strategies, as labour shortages have become a crucial issue for companies in many areas, making it crucial to attract and retain staff.Employee wellbeing is a key issue in organisations with people-centred leadership. When people have a higher sense of well-being at work, they are able to develop their potential, become more creative, productive and manage stress more easily, and so the effectiveness and productivity of organisations is improved.

At the same time, employees are also becoming more aware of their choice of workplace, with more channels for information about potential employers, so it makes a difference what the employer brand says. For the younger generations, work-life balance, sustainability and the ability to identify with their employer in terms of their values are of paramount importance.

Community and good practices

"We create a workplace where we ourselves would like to work as employees." - says Dr. Mária Ladóczki, one of the managing directors of Ladó-Rec Kft. The family-owned waste management and shredding company has been in business for more than 30 years and is now in its second generation of management. The 45-strong company is all about developing community and a collaborative team, not just a few times a year, but on an ongoing basis. Mária Ladóczki stressed that it is also important that employees actively participate and even initiate time together. And social media posts about different events and activities strengthen the employer brand of the company and also build the expectations of those who apply to them. The CEO said that it also helps them to communicate the values that are core to them, and if someone is not receptive to that, they can get to grips with it in time.

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Ladóczki Mária

Awarded in 2021, the application included driver training and study abroad, in addition to health screenings, bike shopping and a family day. The manager says there is always room to improve professionally and gain useful knowledge, which is why they incorporated the training into their application. As he indicated, they also learn from the feedback they receive through the open door policy and encourage constructive criticism as a way to improve themselves. He stressed that there is no 'done deal' when it comes to building a good workplace and organisational culture, and that good practices are always useful. It is therefore very good that the application has a follow-up, that there is a follow-up and that they have the opportunity to integrate into a community with similar values and mindsets.

Focus on care, employee retention

In Kiskunhala, there seem to be progressive SMEs that are doing what they can for employee well-being. In 2022 and 2023, Halas Tűzvédelem, a family company like Ladó-Rec, started operations in 1991 and now employs 30 people. Mónika Szabó, the company's managing director, underlined the motto that defines their entire activity: "Today's care is tomorrow's guarantee." As she said, it is important for them to have a common wavelength and harmony with the new employee even at the recruitment stage, as the learning process is not easy and not short, so it is important for them that the employee envisions his/her future with them in the long term.

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Mónika Szabó

"It's important to have a good community, to work together in a team with a good atmosphere, but doing serious work. For this, integrity, unity, humour and sustainability are essential." "And the tenders also provide a framework for trying to shape the company culture not just out of emotion and instinct, but also give us criteria for development." The company used the money from the tender for community building, community development (family day, health day), the purchase of an electric bike and water purification equipment in the spirit of sustainability, among other things. In terms of return on investment, the manager highlighted the good atmosphere, low turnover and the impact on the employer brand.

Employee well-being - tender award HUF 4 million

The General EnterPRIZE competition is open to companies that aim to implement programmes that improve the quality of life of employees and their families in the category "Employee Wellbeing". This category supports projects that, for example:

- Health promotion programmes (e.g. sports activities, health screenings)

- Provide training and education for employees.

- Provide recreational programmes to help achieve a work-life balance.

The aim is that the programme, which will be implemented by winning the grant, will make employees feel better about their workplace and thus more motivated and productive.b9]

Colleagues are an important part of corporate sustainability

The other EnterPrize-winning company from Kishunhalas is Ganzair Kompresszortechnika Ltd, which won in the Employee Wellbeing category in 2023. Fabiola Kopasz, the company's marketing and strategy manager, and Dr. Filoméla Kopasz, HR manager, spoke about the activities of the company, which employs almost 100 people, and the role of the human factor in a sustainable organisational culture. The company, a successor of Ganz MÁVAG, has a history of more than 30 years. The compressor technology company is involved in the compression of industrial gases and provides technology for green hydrogen production and storage.

The family-run company is made up of many family members: father and son, brothers and sisters, couples working together. The employee referral programme, which has been successful for many years, is one of the reasons why personal involvement and shared value creation are important in building a company culture. People are strategic to sustainability.

Detention is vital for a company that operates on a knowledge base and works with shortages of skilled workers such as engineers, technicians and technicians, so it is also crucial from a business perspective that colleagues find an attractive perspective for their present and future. It takes a long time to learn the ropes in the company, up to a year to learn how to install a compressor type. This means that a wide range of knowledge is present in the company. The new technology and challenging tasks are motivating for young people, and the great experience of older people is in great demand, which means a very conscious building process, stressed the company's HR director. Dr. Filoméla Kopasz also pointed out that it is precisely because of this diversity that a wide range of knowledge can be picked up outside the framework of the particular position in which one is working. There is interoperability, so you need to build on both collaboration and acceptance of each other.

Team building at Ganzair

The human pillar of sustainability involves many factors. In addition to workplace well-being, DEI (diversity, equal opportunities, inclusion) and training development, social responsibility, health and safety, human and workers' rights are all included. Fabiola Kopasz stressed that the employee's vision and the company's vision are closely linked and ideally support each other. Business success, social benefit and personal success are inseparable. Sustainability is a commitment that needs to be embedded in the way businesses operate and permeate everyday life.

From the competition prize, the company has, among other things, created a community space, a canteen where colleagues can spend lunch time together, and a screening day with the Kiskunhalas Health Promotion Office, focusing on health and prevention with a high participation rate. An indoor bicycle storage was built, ergonomic equipment, a swimming pool pass was purchased and team-building programmes were organised. As the leaders said, an additional benefit of the competition is that the winning businesses, as part of the EnterPrize community, have the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, which inspires and empowers.

The Generali EnterPrize sustainability competition was launched four years ago by the international Generali Group, with the Hungarian Generali Insurance Company joining the initiative.

The aim of the competition is to support small and medium-sized enterprises in various sustainability initiatives. This year's application period will run until the end of June, with 3 categories for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Picture of Ganzair's cycling adventure