Employees of Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) gathered at Owl Hill – this is where the “Wellbeing Fest” organised for the first time took place. The creator of the idea and the organiser of the event, Kauno kolegija Welfare Manager Smiltė Juraitė, notes that the idea of ​​organising such an event arose in order to give employees the opportunity to communicate in an informal environment and thus get to know each other better, to meet colleagues from other faculties and academic departments.

‘We wanted to bring all this into the idea of ​​creating community wellbeing so that the event includes education on personal health, active physical activity classes, and creative and recreational activities – everything that helps to relax, establish informal relationships with colleagues, and finally – increases employee engagement and loyalty to the organisation,’ shares S. Juraitė.

As organisations increasingly take care of the wellbeing of their employees, Kauno kolegija HEI also took a step towards these changes a year ago by creating the position of Welfare Manager.

‘Exactly a year ago, we started thinking more about employee wellbeing and its components. We fully understand that taking care of employees’ physical, mental and emotional health is a cornerstone for success, and this is especially important when the organisation is in a phase of significant changes,’ says S. Juraitė.

Vice Director for Organisational Development Dr Inga Stravinskienė notes that a focused, proactive and positive community will always achieve more sustainable performance results.

‘Caring for the wellbeing of the community is not only about fair wages, social guarantees that create a secure tomorrow. This is also about taking care of the community’s emotional and physical wellbeing. The position of Welfare Manager at Kauno kolegija HEI allows more quality attention and work to be devoted to these areas, mobilising the community and directing it towards the achievement of the common goals of the institution,’ shares Dr I. Stravinskienė.

S. Juraitė adds that satisfied and happy employees can achieve better results: ‘We work to create an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and supported because that’s when we can boldly move forward and properly use the professional potential of our employees.’

New initiatives to foster employee wellbeing

Over the past academic year, several new initiatives have been implemented for employees, from monthly meetings with experts sharing knowledge about emotional and physical health, afternoons for new employees, to a summer camp for employees’ children, and the opening prayer, silence and meditation room.

‘We started organising Community Hours, during which employees not only listen to lectures on physical and mental health care but also informally communicate over a cup of tea during meetings. In order to take into account the family obligations of employees, we organised a Christmas party and a summer day camp for employees’ children. We also held an afternoon for new employees, worked in a woodshed, held a community event discussing gender equality and the role of women in business, politics and higher education, and to meet the needs of staff and students to rest, practice mindfulness techniques or pray, we set up prayer, silence and meditation room. You won’t be able to list everything…” – S. Juraitė names the new initiatives and activities.

She points out that the goal of organisational wellbeing is a sustainable, constantly supported and consciously strengthened positive state of employees. Objective factors include working conditions, financial security, health and development opportunities. Meanwhile, subjective well-being factors pose more challenges and are perceived very individually, such as psychological safety, happiness, fulfilment, sense of esteem, positive interpersonal relationships, employment of personal qualities in daily activities, etc.

Labour market analysts and HR specialists increasingly agree that there is an indisputable link between the wellbeing of employees and the success of the organisation, therefore the aim is to create and foster an environment where the health and well-being of employees are considered inseparable from the goals.

‘Not only the conducted studies confirm that a consistent focus on strengthening the organisational culture helps not only to improve the performance of employees, but also promotes innovation and better adaptation to changes, especially in the academic environment, so we will continue to look for ways and means that increase the feeling of satisfaction with the working environment, contributing to better employees’ wellbeing and better work results,’ says Welfare Manager S. Juraitė.