Huld is a Workplace for Wellbeing®

MIELI Mental Health Finland has awarded Huld with the Hyvän mielen työpaikka® badge. The badge was awarded as a recognition of our company culture, which supports the mental wellbeing of our employees and encourages its constant development. Huld’s values are humane and bold, and according to a workplace survey, this is truly what we are. 

The Hyvän mielen työpaikka® badge is used not only as an encouragement but also as a tool for promoting mental wellbeing in Finnish companies. It helps to evaluate how much attention is being paid to the mental wellbeing of our employees both at the workplace and in their personal lives. 

“The badge is a recognition for Huld’s commitment to promoting and strengthening the mental wellbeing of their employees and encourages to develop workplace practices and structures to be more mind-friendly”, summarizes Sirpa Väänänen from MIELI Mental Health Finland.

What Does the Hyvän mielen työpaikka® Stand for at Huld? 

Huld’s goal is to do everything we can to support the wellbeing of our employees and their ability to work. In addition to that, we have a zero tolerance on harassment and discrimination. Therefore, we are not pleased if even one of us experiences harassment or discrimination. We are committed to making diversity visible in our everyday life, for instance, by giving a voice to different experiences and raising awareness about diversity. 

“We have people who are at different stages of their lives, and we feel that developing leadership is an important part of helping people enjoy their work and have energy for it. I hope that mental wellbeing could be as visible a part of wellbeing as physical wellbeing is, and that in the future, it would be as easy for people to talk about their challenges in life as it is talking about a broken leg. Our values – humane and bold – guide everything we do. Our work community is characterised by a culture where people trust and respect one another, act fairly and are easily approachable”, says Susanna Pirinen, the Director of Human Resources at Huld.

Promoting Mental Wellbeing at the Workplace Demands Constant Effort 

Huld is a part of the Peace of Mind network (Mielenturvaa-verkosto) which aims to make mental wellbeing a visible part of the everyday life of employees. At Huld this means, for example: 

• Not forcing people to come to the office. However, everyone is very welcome to do so if they wish. 
• Using flexible working hours, flex leave as well as having a possibility to work shorter days. These are factors that help people tremendously in planning their life and fitting working hours to better suit their family needs and spare time activities. 
• Following the principles of coaching in management and leadership. All or our managers have been trained to use the early prevention model with its interaction and people skills. 
• Enhancing openness and communication. It is important that people are not left on their own with their challenges but can instead talk about them with their colleagues and boss.

”The Hyvän mielen työpaikka® badge is valid for one year at the time. To get the most out of it, it’s best to regularly follow up on how the plan is progressing. After all, the best workplaces tend to stand out by taking care of the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees in a holistic and systematic manner, constantly striving for improvement.”, says Sirpa Väänänen from MIELI Mental Health Finland. 

The Hyvän mielen työpaikka® badge is maintained by MIELI Suomen Mielenterveys ry, which innovated and implemented the badge concept in the Hyvän mielen työpaikka -project (2019–2020) of Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The goal of the project was to develop Finnish working life and public health by providing tools for creating solutions for workplaces that promote mental health.