75 percent of the founders and employees of civil society organizations, i.e. social enterprises, activist networks and NGOs, regularly consume alcohol or drugs to cope with their stress. And 70 percent of them want professional support for their own lives (cf. Severn and Murphy Johnson, 2020). Over half (55 percent) suffer from burnout and depression.
The betterplace well:being program is aimed at precisely this target group, which is so important for society. When it comes to facing up to the overwhelming challenges of our time, we particularly need those who are socially committed and those who work in the social sector. At the same time, it is precisely these people who are particularly challenged, because on the one hand they try to cushion the impact of crises and emergency situations on the whole of society, and on the other hand they are also affected by crises themselves. Like all of us, they also have to face the constantly changing framework conditions of their work. In addition, the sector suffers from often precarious and project-based financing.
After the first year of the programs, we conducted an interim evaluation and summarized the results of the exploratory, theory-building research. We were able to get an intermediate picture using questionnaires on the workshops, focus group interviews and observations by the trainers.
What stresses people in the social sector?
Using the questionnaires for our workshops, we were able to determine that ¼ of those surveyed experience at least three of the specified stressors. In detail, we have the following picture:
60 percent are stressed by the size and complexity of the societal challenge.
Uncertain planning is a stress factor for 40 percent.
31 percent strains uncertain financing.
25 percent are burdened by a high degree of psychological strain in the target group of the commitment
3 percent are stressed due to experiences of discrimination
Other stress factors mentioned were: personal insecurity, high complexity of the tasks, time pressure, role insecurity, high responsibility, communication problems and pressure to perform.
When asked about the impact of stressors, respondents responded as follows:
Approximately half of the respondents suffer from depression and lack of motivation and/or physical pain such as back, headache or stomach ache after stress.
Other effects are anxiety (45 percent), irritability.
Aggression (35 percent)
31 percent of those surveyed had trouble sleeping.
40 percent of those surveyed chose at least three of the named effects.
Where does the well:being program start?
The aim of the programs betterplace well:being and co:lab, launched in 2020, is to enable committed people to work healthily, collaboratively and effectively. In cooperation with the company health insurance companies BKK VBU, pronova BKK and Salus BKK, the betterplace well:being program aims to promote holistic health skills and, in particular, an awareness of the need for mental health. As part of this model project, we also hope to gain insights into how we can create a regenerative culture in coworking and what requirements and solutions are available. The knowledge and experience generated should be transferred to other places and addressed to other target groups so that a signal effect is achieved.
Both the well:being workshop series and the co:lab workshop series consist of five beginner workshops. Both begin with two identical basic workshops on self-contact and the right to exist. This is followed by other focal points for more in-depth study. In the well:being series, workshops 3 to 5 support those involved in dealing with stress and overload and are intended to protect their mental health in the long term. Leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, demarcation, inner focus, satisfaction and motivation are promoted, as are the skills for reflection, self-location and self-management. In the co:lab series, workshops 3 to 5 focus on interpersonal skills. Ability to deal with conflict, empathy and compassion, curiosity, openness, multi-perspectivity and tolerance of ambiguity.
How are the programs accepted?
Although most of the activities took place online, contrary to what had been planned, they still took place as planned. As far as the number of participants is concerned, the value is within the expected range. So far, 27 of a total of 35 planned well:being workshops have taken place and over 300 participants have been reached in the first year.
The activities were accompanied by communication measures (blog posts, social media posts, the preparation of a podcast series).
The participants found out most frequently (41 percent) from colleagues, via the newsletter (15 percent) or via social media (13 percent).
Composition of the participants
The composition of the workshop participants was queried using questionnaires.
On average, the participants rated the workshops as very good (4.1 out of 5 points). The participants were able to give an evaluation after each workshop. Opinions were collected on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). On average, the well:being workshops (1-5) were rated with a (4.5). Overall, the participants mention the high quality of the structure of the workshop series, the content and the high level of competence of the trainers.
The participants in the focus group interviews mention that people with previous experience in the field of well:being can also benefit from the content and brush it up. The preparation of the “quintessence” is easily remembered through various graphic representations, so that the participants can easily refer to it in everyday life. The exchange in the so-called “dyads” (groups of two) is also perceived as a valuable tool for inner work.
Do awareness and skills change as a result of participating in the workshops?
According to focus group interviews and free text answers in the questionnaires, the participants gained a deeper understanding of wellbeing.
Over 70 percent agreed that they understood the content conveyed. A conscious handling of situations of being overwhelmed is also repeatedly described in the interviews.
This series of workshops helped me to strengthen and expand my self-contact and self-reflection.
Based on the skills they have acquired, the participants should find out for themselves what they individually want and don't want.
We start with the various relaxation and wellness methods. Because for our target group, a yoga course can become a further burden and many of the challenges cannot be breathed away. We make inner tensions talkable. This results in different next steps for each person individually. This can be quite a difficult decision or a challenging conversation that helps people.
Furthermore, the participants should learn the ability to recognize the motivation for their actions and the signals and limits of their body.
Since taking part in the workshops, I have been trying to be more aware of my body signals. I have it more on screen and give them more space.
What results for the actions of the individual?
71 percent of the participants indicated that they integrated the contents of the workshops more often into their everyday lives, used the skills they had gained for reflection and actively paid attention to their well-being.
And then I often noticed that I had to think about what I had learned in everyday life. So aha: Right now I'm in a field of tension between two different needs. … I was then able to reflect on that in everyday life.
Are the participants healthier and happier (in their work) as a result of the skills they have learned?
This important question is on the last step in the Outcome section of the impact ladder, which we use as a yardstick. After all, 44 percent of the participants from the well:being workshops state that their wellbeing has improved as a result of the workshops. 48 percent state that they do not know whether their wellbeing has improved. Only eight percent cannot feel any improvement in their wellbeing.
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Fig. Effect staircase from the course book Effect of Phineo
I noticed that after the workshops (well:being) I was more resilient and I felt an ability to set boundaries. Outsiders also noticed this.
The wish arose to set up a "practice group" in order to be able to apply the content more easily after the workshops. These could prevent an effect that some participants have described half a year after completing the workshops, namely that it becomes increasingly difficult for them to access the findings the longer the workshops are in the past.
Nevertheless, some inputs could be transferred into everyday life, e.g. taking the meta-perspective in conflict situations or challenging situations, feeling "saying no" as an inner connection, staying with yourself and not losing yourself in the other person, perceiving stress in the body, push -and to feel and differentiate pull effects when it comes to decisions. If several participants from a work team took part in the workshops, a structural change in the team could be initiated. It was also observed that the needs of others were perceived more strongly. After six months, more attention was also paid to observing and reflecting. Participation in the workshops strengthened the self-confidence of some participants in the long term.
There have been isolated reports that colleagues do not always understand the topic of wellbeing. It is suggested to target these individuals using a different strategy as these people would most likely benefit greatly from it.
Conclusion & Prospects
Thinking further, the content not only serves socially committed people, but also a broader public. When an individual knows more about wellbeing, they can share that information and inspire others by living the new beliefs. The analyzes made it clear that the majority of women take part in the workshops. A higher participation rate of male participants would be desirable, as they represent a relevant subgroup of our working world. A new set of skills and a new culture can be carried and lived at all levels. It should also be mentioned that men are considered a “hard to reach” group in the healthcare system. They participate less in prevention offers and more often do not feel addressed. It is important to monitor this and adjust the offers accordingly. It would be desirable to reach a more diverse target group, not only in terms of gender. In order to consolidate the content learned and to be able to observe long-term effects, we aim to continue the programs beyond the funding period.