At Cygnific, we believe that a thriving workplace starts with happy, healthy, and connected colleagues. Earlier, we talked about the importance of well-being at Cygnific. To show our dedication to this topic, we organised a well-being month around the theme ‘Connect & Disconnect’. Throughout February, our Amsterdam and Enschede offices transformed into zen zones, offering everything from massages and meditation workshops to yoga, pub quizzes, karaoke, and freshly made smoothies. For the first time, Cygnificans had dedicated time to step away from their desks and invest in their well-being.
Why? Because well-being isn’t just a perk, it’s essential. When we take care of ourselves and each other, we create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to be their best. And that’s what Cygnific is all about.
Connect & Disconnect
When thinking about well-being, we often think about terms like ‘me-time’, ‘self-care’ and ‘alone-time’. They imply that well-being is something you do for yourself and by yourself. But that should not always be the case. Look at Diego’s running club in our previous article for example. He works on his physical as well as his mental and social well-being when running with colleagues. In fact, almost all sorts of well-being we talked about earlier have a social aspect as well. And there’s a simple reason for this. At our core, we’re social beings who crave contact and connection. Social connections improve mental health and reduce stress. Engaging with each other allows us to share our concerns, experiences and ideas. In-person connections also create a sense of belonging and community, which is essential for our overall well-being.
A look back on well-being month
So, what did we do during well-being month? Yoga sessions, massages, singing karaoke, meditations, pub quizes, workshops on loss and grief, menopause, music and wellbeing, humour, and the list goes on and on. The better question is, what didn’t we do? We can definitely say that we connected with each other and disconnected from work. And the effects? A well-rested workforce that is ready and energised to tackle the rest of the year.
Some workshops definitely stood out in the programme. One was a workshop on grief and loss. We’ve asked our HR Health & Well-being Partner, Sabrina Kathusing, how HR came up with the idea of organising this workshop:
“As an HR team, we have been working for some time on topics that can have a major impact on colleagues, such as loss and grief, but also menopause. Our goal is to make these topics discussable and to support colleagues with relevant information and appropriate initiatives.”
When we asked Sabrina about the purpose of the workshop grief and loss, she mentioned the following:
“Loss is a universal theme that everyone must deal with at some point in their lives. Our colleague Angelique Tramper (HR Advisor) graduated in this subject and she facilitated the workshops. Grief is different for everyone; it is not a linear process and cannot be captured in fixed phases or timelines. Moreover, the intensity of grief does not depend exclusively on the nature of the relationship. Furthermore, loss is not limited to the death of a loved one. It can also involve the end of a relationship, changes in health or other major life events. Whatever the loss, acknowledging and giving space to grief is an essential part of the process and we as an employer can contribute a lot to this.”
How we go forward
This is not the last time we paid attention to our well-being this year. Our Managers will keep talking about well-being with their team members. And the most popular activity of well-being month is here to stay. Our Massage Therapist will keep visiting our office twice a month to offer our colleagues the ultimate relaxation break.
