Mindful Moments: Beating Stress at Freeletics
At Freeletics, we believe you only do truly great work if you love what you do. Making sure our team is happy, healthy and motivated to come into the office every morning is a top priority to ensure we do the best work we can to help people all over the world.
Workplace stress has undeniably been on the rise across the board over the last decade. Previous studies in the USA have shown that in 46% of cases, stress is caused by workload and 20% of the time is due to balancing work and personal life. But it isn’t always just down to the amount of work that needs to be done. Surprisingly, in 2019, 80% of the US workforce reported feeling stressed because of bad communication within their company. Something which should be easily fixed by organisations and needs to be addressed.
So why is stress an issue? Because it has both a human and financial impact in the workplace. Chronic stress can lead to a range of illnesses, anxiety and burnout, not to mention the strain it puts on morale and motivation in the team. Looking beyond the personal impact, these side-effects of workplace stress also negatively affect the organisational performance of the company. A catch-22 that no one will benefit from.
Stress-Busting at Freeletics
The startup life is notorious for being fast-paced, “always-on” and incredibly stressful. And while this can be true for some, at Freeletics, we take active steps to help our team decompress and let go of the stress of their everyday work. We have big goals and ambitious timelines, but we don’t want toachieve them at the cost of our team’s wellbeing. This is why we are always looking for new ways to beat stress at Freeletics:
#1 Exercise and Healthy Eating
Being Freeletics, this is a given. We make a point of supporting the physical wellbeing of our employees by making training equipment and healthy food freely accessible every day at the office. In stressful times it’s easy to start eating unhealthy junk food or go for the fastest options, which is why we stock the fridges with fresh produce and make it quick and easy for everyone to cook healthy meals in the office kitchen. Physical exercise is a great way to relieve stress, as it increases the level of some hormones, dopamine, serotonin and endorphins in the body. The Freeletics HQ is kitted out with a training area and lots of equipment to make it easy to fit exercise into a busy schedule, even if it’s just a short bodyweight workout from their Freeletics Coach or 15 minutes on the treadmill.
#2 Weekly Yoga
It can be difficult to make time for yourself when you’re stressed, or to know how to properly wind down and let the busy day go for a while. This is why we introduced our weekly yoga classes in 2018. For 90 minutes, employees of any experience level can enjoy a peaceful, guided yoga session directly from the comfort of the office and leave feeling relaxed and recharged.
#3 Positivity and Communication
At Freeletics, two of our company values are respect and communication. We respect each other as part of one team and we strive to always communicate clearly and proactively. This is essential to reduce stress, conflict and unnecessary work in the office, so we make sure important information is always readily available company-wide and keep communication methods direct, quick and simple. In addition to this, we aim to foster a positive working environment with a strong community spirit. This helps the team to feel happy and motivated at work, even during stressful times, and we make a point of showing recognition for both individual and team efforts with honorable mentions and regular company events and parties. Getting great work done is important, but it’s just as important to take the time to celebrate the team’s work and achievements as well.
#4 Round the Clock Support
No matter the situation, there is always an open ear to help at Freeletics, whether it’s within the individual teams or someone from our supportive HR team. But sometimes things just become overwhelming and finding the right person to talk to is a bit daunting. We believe that everyone should have access to the support they need, whatever they are going through. This is why we offer a confidential and impartial wellbeing hotline, available for free 24/7 to all employees for all topics, whether personal or professional. And when things come up, which is inevitable, our flexible working policy means it’s no problem to work from home for a couple of days if needed.
#5 Collaborative Initiatives
We took Stress Awareness Week as the perfect moment to launch a new initiative encouraging the team to actively reduce stress and be more mindful. With the end of the year (and the most stressful months in the Freeletics calendar) in sight, this was the perfect opportunity to pilot a new initiative together with the team. On one hand, our HR team wanted to convey to the company that it is totally acceptable and even encouraged that employees take time for themselves in their busy work schedules, and on the other hand, they wanted to find out how open the team was to meditation and relaxation initiatives in the office. So for the week, daily meditation sessions were shared with the team and a room in the office converted into a peaceful haven where anyone could go to spend a few minutes meditating, relaxing and letting go of the stress of the day. Feedback from our employees helps us to build on these projects so we can provide the right tools to support the mental wellbeing of every member of the Freeletics team.
Why do so much to combat stress at work? Because at Freeletics, our most valuable asset is our team. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And as a company that wants to help people lead happier, healthier lives, this starts right here in our home.
Want to learn more about the team and daily life at Freeletics HQ? Then find us on LinkedIn or follow @LifeAtFreeletics on Instagram. If this sounds like just the kind of team you need in your life, check out our open positions now.
