Holistic Services Group: The Link Between Well-Being and Productivity
“The goal has always been to provide a win-win situation for employer and employee.” – Mischa Weissenberg, Holistic Services Group Workplace Well-Being Specialist
This has always been the mindset at Holistic Services Group, the Australian provider of corporate health, and it is this very form of thinking that has guided the company to become a successful driver of wellness.
In Australia, each state’s government provides a health care system. Unlike in the U.S., it has traditionally been expected for the individual to be responsible for his/her health rather than their employer. But now, following a wave of scientific research, the Australian government has come out in the last few years with the recommendation that all companies should be including some form of wellness program for their staff.
This has been pushed to lower health care costs and promote productivity in the workplace. But while additional research has surfaced, linking employee happiness with company revenue, not all companies have accepted the trend. Enter Holistic Services Group.
“The approach that our company has had towards the market in Australia has been that rather than trying to promote a sense of obligation or a sense that you need to be caring for your employees, the number one thing that we’ve always targeted is the link between well-being and productivity,” said Weissenberg. “It’s becoming more accepted now that there are certain lifestyle factors that go into determining the contribution of an employee, and this focus on company objectives has always been the way we present our services to organizations.”
From Backpacking to Natural Remedies
You would not expect the events of 9/11 in New York, USA to have influenced the founding of Holistic Services Group, but Michael Stone, CEO, says this very day was the catalyst that led him to found the group.
Beginning his career in the field of corporate finance, Stone quickly realized that the industry was not his calling. In search for something greater, he packed his bags and fled to Mexico where he began a year-and-a-half long journey down to the villages of Chile.
“It was during my travels that I met someone in Mexico who I kept in touch with during my travels,” said Stone. “Long story short, he ended up inviting me to work for his hedge fund in New York City. So after I finished my backpacking adventure, I left that jungle to go to the jungle of New York.”
But that jungle was not what Stone was expecting and in turn he found himself dissatisfied with his job. Shortly after, one moment changed the course of history, and with it, Stone’s life.
“I was just one block away at the time [of 9/11] and that was the wake-up call that I really needed to do something that I felt had meaning,” said Stone. “I started to study part-time and take different courses in natural therapies and I finally got the courage to quit my job as a trader and dove into the world of wellness.”
Upon concluding his studies, Stone returned to Sydney and began to implement his knowledge into wellness programs that became corporate yoga and corporate relaxation sessions.
“Back then I would have never called it ‘meditation’ because it was sort of taboo or a strange thing,” added Stone. “Of course, nowadays, mindfulness is all the rage.”
Fast forward to today where Holistic Services Group is recognized as a leading provider of well-being to employers and employees and is expected to continue to see paramount growth as the industry expands.
Tailor-Made Solutions for Excellence
“Whilst we provide a range of services, the core of our business is to offer a complete solution,” said Weissenberg.
Holistic Services Group helps create exceptional workplaces by providing staff with a work environment that encourages joy, creativity, and wellbeing, and thus supports success for both employer and employee.
“We’re not just an ad-hoc service provider, but rather we partner with businesses to create an environment of wellbeing. We do this by surveying staff to really get a key understanding as to what [our clients’] challenges are in terms of segments: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, social, self and relationships,” said Stone. “We’ll then create a 12-month program that we feel will really address the underlying factors and aim for some sustainable, ongoing permanent changes.”
“We’re really looking at the person as a complex organism,” added Stone.
Through a series of workshops, training programs and sessions, Holistic Services Group provides a unique and tailored solution to benefit both employer and employees.
Corporate Massage and Team Building help employees relieve stress and communicate effectively between coworkers, while Leadership Development programs allow employers to hone their emotional intelligence, lead with inspiration and implement cultural change.
“Our adaptability is the number one key,” said Weissenberg. “We have the expertise and the experience running these kinds of projects. Why choose Holistic Services Group? Because we can help deliver services in a way that’s going to suit you and your objectives and because we stand behind the quality of what we’re providing.”
Holistic Services Group in 2015
“Putting people first is what we’re all about, and I think it’s a shift that the workforce – especially a computer-based and office-based workforce – is moving towards,” said Weissenberg.
As the awareness of the link between wellness and productivity continues to increase it is going to affect the way companies do business. In the modern workforce where there is high demand, high pressure and high stress, avenues for individuals to learn how to manage and overcome these factors is essential.
Holistic Services Group is here to provide that avenue with a complete solution.
