Hi all,
This extra edition of the newsletter is completely dedicated to Mental Health. We hope you feel happy, valued, and safe both at work and outside of work. This may not be the case, for example, due to mental problems such as stress, anxiety, or somberness. You're not alone with that! As much as 17.5% of the inhabitants of the Netherlands suffer from mental problems. Through the activities and information sharing during Mental Health Awareness week, HelloFresh wants to raise awareness about the challenges of mental problems, offer tips on how to improve your mental well-being, and to detect possible problems in time.
In this newsletter, you can find information about the HelloFresh Mental Health & Vitality benefits, recommendations for a getaway, information for more grip on your finances, a tip from Larry the Lime, and much more!
Take care of yourself!
It is important to monitor your mental health, how can you improve it?
Eat (&drink) Healthy
Our food choices not only affect our physical health but also our mental well-being. To eat healthier and improve your mental well-being, below are some tips:
Choose for fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. These are nutritious products
Drink about 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day
Avoid sugar, soda, fruit juice, and alcohol as much as possible
The Voedingscentrum provides more tips and tricks to start eating healthier, check it out!
Get to bed on time!
Sleeping well is one of the most important to do to feel good about yourself. Sleep allows your brain to properly process the information and emotions of the day and makes you remember things.
At night, your brain is, as it were, cleansed and prepared for a new day. A good night's sleep can make you feel good during the day.
Stay active!
Regular exercise can be good not only for your physical health but also for your mental well-being. Try to get some exercise daily, even if it is just a short walk. Yoga, dancing, cycling, or exercising at the gym are all great options to improve your mood and reduce stress.
Be Kind to yourself: Give yourself grace and understanding when things don't go as planned. No one is perfect and it is normal to experience ups and downs in life. Be kind to yourself, just as you would be to a good friend.
Does it give energy or does it consume energy?
Energy consumers and energy providers are things that sip energy or give you energy. Think of financial worries, quarrels, insecurity or just freedom, fun, and love. It can't hurt to occasionally examine what your energy consumers and energy providers are. Then you can consciously deal with the.
Saying no
Some find it difficult to say “no. Do you recognize yourself in this? Then you run the risk of doing more than you care to. Every time you say “yes” to something, you say “no” to something else. For example, your own quality time.
Of course, you can't just say 'no' to everything. But it's okay to be a little critical of what you say 'yes' to. Remember the following points: saying 'no' is not meant personally and realize well that it is okay to say 'no'. It is also an answer!
What's the HelloFresh Mental Health Benefits menu?
OpenUp
Access to (anonymous) sessions with psychologists
OpenUp is an accessible, 360 mental well-being solution where HelloFresh employees can anonymously book a session with a certified psychologist. OpenUp provides quick and approachable access to psychologists via phone, online chat, and video consultations. It's a preventative measure aimed at tackling mental health issues in their early stages. Are you struggling with a major or minor mental health problem? Is it something personal or work-related? Are you looking for one-off advice or a number of appointments? You can discuss whatever is bothering you with the OpenUp psychologists (completely anonymous).
As said, this is completely anonymous, accessible, free of charge, and within 24 hours.
You just go to their website https://openup.com/ and book your session.
*Only applicable for office
Headspace
Exercises for Mindfulness, Meditation, Sleep and Stress
Mindfulness has been shown to help people stress less, focus more, and sleep soundly, and Headspace is your personal guide for this. With hundreds of guided exercises for meditation, sleep, focus, and movement, their app can help you start and end your days feeling like your best self.
What will you have access to?
Hundreds of guided meditations on stress, self-esteem, relationships, and more;
Sleepcasts, music, and bedtime experiences for good nights and better mornings;
Start your day with The Wake Up: a new, bite-sized daily video series designed to make you smile;
Train your body and mind at the same time with Move Mode: quick workout videos and guided cardio;
With your HelloFresh or Green Chef email address, you can enroll for a full (free) membership via this link.
Go check it out!
Goodhabitz
Access to more than 100 trainings
Did you know that learning new things makes you more productive, more sociable and it even improves happiness?
With your HelloFresh email address, you have unlimited access to over 100 online training courses of GoodHabitz. Training about personal strength, leadership, language, communication, commercial skills and much more!
Mental Health tip from Larry the Lime!
Speak up!
Speak up & Confidential counselors
We find a pleasant and safe working environment important:
undesirable behavior (such as (sexual) harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence or aggression) isn’t part of this.
We know it is not always easy to speak up if something feels wrong. You might feel anxious or uncomfortable, because your concern is at odds with the instructions of one of your seniors, relates to a co-worker or simply because you do not know all the facts. But this is what proactive ownership is all about. If something needs fixing you need to speak up, because it is important.
How do I report a concern?
If you experience harassment you can always report this to your manager and/or HR. Would you rather do this anonymously, it can be done through a Google Form: Anonymous Feedback Channel. The form will be directly sent to the Director People and it cannot be traced who sent the message. All messages will be treated seriously and confidentially.
In addition, we have internal confidential counselors who can also be asked the initial questions or concerns of employees who are confronted with undesirable behavior and who want to talk about it. Within HelloFresh Benelux, Marjolein Boukens (marjolein@hellofresh.nl) and Maarten Bastings (maarten@hellofresh.nl) are the internal certified confidential advisers.
Rather talk to someone outside HelloFresh? We also have an external confidential adviser who you can approach if you feel that you cannot be helped further internally. Her name is Josje Smeets (josje.hellobetty.nl) (0031 (06) 54986670) All messages and reports will of course be treated confidentially.
What's the HelloFresh Vitality Benefits menu?
*Only applicable for employees with a contract of indefinite duration
Bike Lease Plan
HelloFresh values its employees' sustainable approach to mobility. For this reason, HelloFresh encourages the use of a bicycle by employees to become more sustainable and vital together with you as a company. HelloFresh offers you this bicycle leasing scheme, getting the company bicycle back on the road.
We have partnered up with Hellorider, Van Mossel,and Liemers Fietsen to offer you the opportunity to lease a bike.
Check for more information about the requirements, the costs and applying, via this link.
Classpass (Gym)
ClassPass is a monthly subscription service that provides you with access to tens of thousands of different studios, gyms, and wellness offerings. Upon signing up, you receive a certain amount of credits each month (cycle). With this subscription, you will also receive extra credits each month and the payment will go via your salary.
We have four different plans for you to choose from and you can change or stop your subscription every month. The costs of the subscription will be deducted from your gross salary, meaning that on average you’ll have a discount of around 37%!
Check for more information about signing up via this link.
Bedrijfsfitness
We encourage you to stay active and want to make this as accessible as possible. We have partnered with Bedrijfsfitness Nederland to be able to give you easy access to gym memberships. Choose from 3500+ sports locations (e.g. yoga, swimming, bootcamp, fitness, or CrossFit)
The amount of the subscription we will deduct from your gross wages. By doing this, your gross salary is lowered, resulting in less wage tax. That means a discount of (on average) 37% !
Check for more information about signing up via this link.
Recommended! A getaway for your mental health
What nature does to your body and mind, no medicine can compare to that. Just five minutes in the outdoors is enough to make you feel happier, get a better self-image, and drop your blood pressure. This can be done with for example walking, biking, boating, or gardening.
The easiest way to be outdoors is walking: in the Netherlands, we have a lot of variety of natural areas throughout the country. Plan a day (or a part) to spend time with a lovely walk in a nature area of your choice. Alone, or with your family or friends. Here are some recommendations in the area:
Bentwoud; between Zoetermeer and Boskoop. For more information click here
Reeuwijkse plassen; between Gouda and Reeuwijk. For more information click here
Rottermeren; between Zoetermeer and Rotterdam. For more information click here
Groene zoom; between Lansingerland and Zoetermeer. For more information click here
Balijbos en Bieslandse Bos; between Zoetermeer en Delft. For more information click here
Nieuwe Driemanspolder; between Zoetermeer and Leidschendam. For more information click here
Meijendel; Wassenaar. For more information click here
More grip on your finances? Check Nibud for tips and tools!
2,000,000 homeowners have insufficient savings to make their homes more sustainable
of households in the Netherlands struggle to make financial ends meet
people with financial problems reported to debt assistance in 2020
Do you want to get a better grip on your finances or are you curious about how much to save for a buffer?
Nibud is a very well-known and respected non-profit organization in the Netherlands that gives information and advice on the financial matters of private households. Their mission is to contribute to family welfare by promoting a sound way of money management. Check the website of Nibud for tips and tools about your administration, budget, tax, affordable housing, saving money, control your spending, and much more!
SAVE THE DATE: Information-market May 17
Don't forget to mark this Friday, May 19 in your calendar! We're wrapping up the week with an Information Market! Join us to explore a variety of resources aimed at promoting your overall well-being. Enjoy healthy snacks, learn about company fitness initiatives, discover lease-a-bike programs, and even receive financial advice from a budget coach to help you manage your finances more effectively.
The market will take place in front of the reception at the main entrance and takes place from 11:00 until 17:00H