The initiatives developed by the Açotubo group aim to prevent, identify and monitor any psychological or emotional conditions that affect the lives of its employees
The White January campaign, which entered the health calendar in 2014, invites people to reflect on the importance of care and prevention of emotional illness, which already affects about 1 billion people, according to the Pan American Organization of Health (PAHO). In a recent study carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and six other national universities, 40% of the Brazilian population had frequent feelings of sadness and depression, another 50% of the same population had constant anxiety and nervousness. In another WTW survey, stress is identified as the factor that most impacts the workforce (83%), followed by depression, anxiety (82%) and physical inactivity (69%). These data show the need to create a culture of mental health care among companies as well.
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Protecting the health of employees is one of the priorities of the Açotubo Group, which has a program to deal with the matter, as a result of the various transformations related to the organizational culture that the company has been implementing in recent years.
Grupo Açotubo has been developing new actions since the beginning of the pandemic
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has been developing actions, in partnership with the consulting firm Nova Visão, responsible for supporting the development of the program, and with the company's occupational physician, Orlando Leoncio Junior, who already performs periodic exams to monitor the health of the Group's employees, and has also focused on the issue of mental health in order to monitor and, above all, offer the necessary support to anyone who has any type of emotional problem.
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Larissa Bassi, business partner of Açotubo's human resources sector, emphasizes that one of the company's mottos is caring for people and protecting the mental health of employees is one of the management's priorities. “These issues were already on the radar of the HR department, but with the pandemic we worked hard to develop concrete actions to offer emotional support to our employees”.
Renata Amorim, a psychologist at Nova Visão, a consulting firm that helps Açotubo implement the program, explains that the first step was to raise awareness among leaders so that managers in each sector understood the importance of taking care of mental health and how the issue impacts the organization.
“This was important for the employee to feel more comfortable in participating. Generally, as the company grows, it loses this care with the team. This is the great differential of Açotubo, which has an HR that works with open doors and, in addition to this sensitivity, seeks to improve care for people”, emphasizes Renata.
Collaborators feel encouraged to participate in conversation circles, organized to be a welcoming and listening space
After this work, employees were encouraged to participate in conversation circles, organized to be a welcoming and listening space. As a result, meetings are held every 15 days to address topics such as depression, burnout, grief and anxiety, issues that have permeated everyone's lives, especially in the last two years.
In each conversation circle, participants answer a self-assessment questionnaire and, depending on the result, the employee will be individually monitored by the medical department, and, if necessary, referred for individual psychological counseling. “Something quite common identified during conversations is the employee's search for information with the aim of also helping a friend or family member. Therefore, the service and benefits of the program go beyond conversations and go beyond the company’s premises”, explains Renata.
There are countless reasons for an emotional imbalance, such as compromised physical health, trauma or a financial crisis. With this, the Group understands that taking care of the employee's well-being should be an action promoted throughout the year and that it also requires encouraging the adoption of good habits. In this sense, other programs with practices that can help in this objective, such as encouraging the practice of sports, advice on diet care and an anti-smoking program, will be implemented.
“More and more our actions go beyond speech and demonstrate the certainty that the motto “care for people” is already part of our corporate culture. In 2022 will be the year in which we will further strengthen this maxim”, concludes Larissa Bassi.
About the Açotubo Group
With 47 years of activities, the Açotubo Group is recognized for its portfolio, services and solutions in steel distribution. The company has five business units, namely Tubes and Steel, Fittings, Stainless Steel, Integrated Solutions and Anchoring Systems (Incotep), with strategic units positioned in different regions to serve all of Brazil.
With constant investments in technology and infrastructure, the company aims to serve customers with agility and quality in all their needs, regardless of volume. It values its employees as a driving force for development and has social responsibility as one of its main pillars.