Denis Lapointe is Senior Advisor, Health and Wellness at Olympus. He is a seasoned runner and has been involved in the field of corporate health for over 20 years. In this interview, he answers 5 questions related to health in the workplace.
2:26 When you want to promote community health, what is the first step?
“The first step is to do it for the real reasons. Too many companies go into corporate health promotion without knowing what it is really like to promote health.
It is not because the boss is a cyclist that it is motivating for the employees.
The classic example is paying employees for a gym membership. Often, it just comes down to subsidizing those who are already training.
The first step is therefore to fully understand what we are getting into and not to reduce health and well-being by holding a one-off activity. "
4:47 Does participation in a corporate event like Corporate Challenge can be used as a starting point in a health and well-being process?
“Yes, it can be a spark plug, but it doesn't have to be an end.
It should also be taken into consideration that not everyone is interested in this type of challenge.
Companies need to equip themselves with tools and have good support.
It is also necessary to ask "what are the needs of the employees"?
Sometimes, we face companies in which we promote certain facilities for fitness, but on the other hand, in management practices, we notice a gap between speech and reality.
Performance is demanded, which can lead to imbalances.
The most productive people are often the people with the longest life. balanced.
In the current context, that makes perfect sense.
In our society, we value the hyper-performers and we take care of people at the other end of the spectrum, but we value very little those who are in the middle, when they are the ones who make society run. "
11:35 How is the pandemic complicating your health promotion work?
“I obviously miss giving handshakes and feeling the atmosphere in companies.
In the companies with which I am in contact, I notice that the employers have lost their bearings. Before, with a simple hello, you could get the pulse of everyone's mood. We lost these indicators.
The majority of employers have now lost touch with the employee work environment. Some are in a nice closed office with good conditions, while others are working at their kitchen tables, surrounded by young children, roommates or pets.
There are therefore new stressors that have an effect on the quality of life of people who have an employment relationship. We must therefore help the individual to review his relationship with his own health.
The employer's role is to understand this reality.
Some people quickly got used to teleworking, while for others, they have lost their bearings.
It is not by increasing the number of virtual meetings every half hour that we will give energy to our world! "
31:15 Do you see a difference in the response to the pandemic between companies that have integrated a health and well-being approach for a long time versus companies for which it was only a one-off addition?
"I support companies that have been certified by the standard Healthy business since 10 years.
These companies are adapting better to the pandemic. If there was a healthy, collegial, pleasant working environment before the pandemic, that means that we cultivated this chemistry before.
If this chemistry was there before, we can try to continue cultivating it.
Employers for whom this did not exist before are in trouble.
People who were left behind, places where communication was unhealthy, we notice that many people are looking for jobs because they are more on their own. "
34:33 Should companies that have invested in gyms invest in Altterre to equip people? How do you find solutions to do physical activity in front of a screen?
“You know that we manage training centers in companies. At the moment, these rooms are often closed or offer little service.
The mission remains, however.
Yes, we can provide platforms for training at home. For some, it can be a motivator and a date.
The goal is to ignite the flame of physical activity in as many people as possible.
My thing is to suggest that people go for a 40-minute walk every 2 days and then tell each other about the benefits.
From the moment the individual takes note of the advantages that it brings him, he will integrate it into his life.
He will then decide for himself whether to use the platforms or equipment. "
