Supporting employees with a growing network of wellbeing initiatives - Bristol Myers Squibb - Our stories

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wellbeing and family

Supporting employees with a growing network of wellbeing initiatives

 

To do well, and serve well, we must be well.

 

That’s why, around the world, BMS strives to create an inclusive, interactive employee community with a shared goal of living life better. Our holistic approach focuses on four pillars of wellbeing: physical, emotional, financial and life & work, which we support through a wide array of offerings.

Our online platform and mobile app, Living Life Better, provides content grounded in science addressing each of these key areas, and promotes encouragement and support among community members.

BMS has steadily expanded access to the platform, to more than 90% of employees.

This underscores BMS’ commitment to taking meaningful action to support our collective wellbeing and fuel our ability to transform the lives of patients through science.  

Mental health matters: shedding the stigma

Among BMS’ allyship programs is Mental Health Ally (MHA), a volunteer-led initiative that seeks to destigmatize and normalize the conversation around mental health and promote successful management of mental wellbeing. MHA launched at several more sites in 2022 and grew to include about 400 trained mental health allies, an almost threefold increase from the year before.

BMS also launched in the U.S. its Mental Health Resource Guide — a single source for all resources available to help employees find what they need quickly — and is developing guides for other countries.

Additionally, BMS launched a partnership with Rethink Care, a leading app and digital training platform, to teach mindfulness and meditation practices, build emotional intelligence and leadership skills, and manage modern-day parenting. The platform, which is currently available to UK, U.S. and Puerto Rico employees with plans for global expansion, offers additional specialized resources for families raising children with learning, social or behavioral challenges.

Meditation

Working to get physically and financially fit

The focus on mental wellbeing didn’t mean the other pillars took a back seat. On physical wellbeing, for example, seven more countries have gained access to fitness studios and apps for on-demand fitness, meditation, financial health, nutrition and more. Membership has increased to nearly half of eligible BMS employees globally.

Global financial wellbeing services launched in 11 more countries, bringing the total with access to educational financial workshops and other resources to 28. Across these countries, more than 10,000 employees attended workshops to improve their financial literacy, including on budgeting, debt management, saving and investing, preparing for unexpected expenses, retirement planning and much more.

Wellbeing challenges have brought employees together, motivating them to live life better. Two global challenges — focused on inclusive physical activity and on mindfulness and self-care — connected thousands of colleagues across 17 countries. In celebration of Black History Month, we partnered with the Black Organization for Leadership and Development (BOLD) People & Business Resource Group (PBRG) on a step challenge aimed at increasing awareness around social justice and health.

c2c4c - exersising



Recognizing an employee favorite

2022 was the first year that the company’s global holiday shutdown became an annual event, so employees everywhere can plan to take that week to recharge, spend time with loved ones and pursue passions beyond their work at BMS.

Peers and partners are taking note of BMS’ strides in wellbeing. In 2022, the company was awarded the Work-Life Balance Award by Taiwan’s Labor Ministry; recognized as a top Menopause Friendly Workplace in the United Kingdom; and acknowledged as a top healthiest workplace and for outstanding health innovation in China.

Three countries, three different
approaches to Living Life Better

 

Shanghai - Making mental health help a priority in China

Making mental health help a priority in China

On World Mental Health Day, Living Life Better launched the Mental Healthy Ally (MHA) program in China. That November, 30 MHA volunteers from our Shanghai Wheelock office and Minhang plant came together for a two-day intensive certification training on Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

The course, developed by two mental health experts from Australia, covered theoretical knowledge and included group discussion, role play and interactive games to learn how to put first aid skills into practice.

“It’s been so great to see that at all levels and locations, we have an openness in our community to speak to the importance of mental health — making it something that’s okay to talk about,” said Emily Raines, Global Wellbeing Strategy Partner.

Trainees said they gained clarity on misperceptions around mental health and can now more successfully assess their own mental health and the health of those around them. Just like physical First Aid, when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, an MHFA-certified individual can offer immediate assistance before professional help is available. 

 Brazil’s Sao Paolo team celebrated reopening its popular organic garden

How wellbeing grows in Brazil

With the return to the office, Brazil’s Sao Paolo team celebrated reopening its popular organic garden, contributing to wellbeing in multiple ways. 

Each week, cafeteria chefs use the fresh produce to create healthy dining options for employees. 

Employees also enjoy browsing the garden and, with the help of one of the gardeners on the facilities team, picking their own vegetables. Or they can wait for the produce to come to them: once each month, freshly picked produce is made available in the cafeteria for employees to take home.  

Organic waste generated in the site’s kitchen and cafeteria is composted and then used to fertilize the garden without the use of pesticides. On average, 38 kilograms of leftover food are reused daily in the composting process. 

“Our garden has raised environmental awareness among our employees and has even inspired some of them to try it at home,” said Fernanda Pollisson, associate director, EOHSS South America. “Many want to start their own organic garden after seeing how simple it is.”

UK Mental Health Allies partnered with Paws in Work

Dogs come to work and play: United Kingdom

The UK Mental Health Allies has partnered with Paws in Work, which focuses on supporting employee wellbeing through puppy socialization, to bring puppies to the Uxbridge office. More than 80 employees at each event enjoyed stepping away from their desks for a half hour and stepping into a puppy playpen.

Playing with puppies is scientifically proven to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reduce blood pressure, while for the puppies it is an opportunity to increase their socialization with people in a suitable and safe environment.

“It was one of the best work experiences I have ever had in my career,” said Daisy Carey, digital engagement specialist, Engagement & Channel Planning. “I felt so happy and lifted afterward, and it was also so nice to meet colleagues from across the business.”