Joinuz

At OpenUp, we strongly believe that a key component in the workplace is to create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings. We are proud to say that we are not the only ones working based on this philosophy.

Companies like Joinuz, which prioritise the sense of belonging of all employees share the same mission: to make mental well-being accessible to all employees. Roxanne van der Zee, Director HR & Organisation at Joinuz, explains the company’s challenges and gives us some insights into the partnership with OpenUp.

What made you choose OpenUp?

At Joinuz we care a lot about the health of our employees, mentally and physically. We already provide a lot of healthy choices for our team (bootcamp, healthy free lunches, massages, meditation rooms) but we felt like we didn’t offer enough to support the mental health of our team.

What features of OpenUp are most valuable to your company?

We’ve noticed that over the years more team members suffer from ‘burn outs’. Most of the time this is not only work related and often employees don’t have the urge to discuss these issues with HR. That is why we wanted people to have the opportunity to talk to a physical coach, anonymous, as much as they want. Hopefully this improves their well-being at work and at home.

Why did you decide to invest in mental well-being as a company?

Our CEO’s Tristan van Heerdt and Norbert Koenen are two health lovers and they have implemented their healthy DNA into the Joinuz DNA. When they heard from our HR department that a service like OpenUp existed, they immediately said, that’s something we should do!

What is the goal of Joinuz when it comes to mental well-being in the workplace?

Joinuz wants to create a safe and open work environment where everyone feels like they can be themselves. Mental well-being shouldn’t be something you can’t talk about; our team should feel free to share the good and the bad times together and open up to each other.

How did OpenUp impact your company culture?

Joinuz already has a very open and caring culture. The fact that we’ve partnered with OpenUp has made our team even more aware that there is no shame in asking for help or talking about mental health issues. Also, when we notice a colleague has a bad day, we can easily say, have you tried talking about it via OpenUp?

What has the feedback from your employees been like since you began offering OpenUp?

Our team has reacted very enthusiastically about OpenUp! At first, they didn’t think it was possible to talk to lifestyle coaches and physical coachen at any moment for free but now they love it. And even family members from our team can use OpenUp, which they love.

Can you describe your personal experience with OpenUp?

I’ve used the lifestyle coach from OpenUp. It was a very nice conversation with very practical tips about health that I can implement easily in my day-to-day life. The fact that you can book a consultation online is so easy and I can book an appointment anytime I want. I can recommend more people using it.

What do you think makes the partnership between Joinuz and OpenUp successful?

The fact that the Joinuz DNA is all about a healthy lifestyle and a good work balance, the DNA from OpenUp matches perfectly. Two companies caring so much about mental well-being of their employees, fits perfectly.

What would be your advice to other HR professionals considering a mental well-being solution?

I think it’s very important that HR professionals are aware of the mental well-being of their teams and that it’s important to hand them the right tools to make sure sickness and burnouts don’t happen as often. Sometimes colleagues don’t feel the urge to discuss their personal issues with HR, OpenUp is a very easy to use and anonymous platform and I would definitely recommend it.