Biocartis: a caring employer through a centralised and inclusive approach
Biocartis is an innovative molecular diagnostics company committed to revolutionising molecular testing with its unique proprietary Idylla™ platform. Biocartis employs a workforce of approximately 450 employees, of more than 30 different nationalities. The company has a presence in more than 70 countries through both direct and indirect sales channels, including an extensive network of distributors.
The request
Biocartis promotes wellbeing and acknowledges the importance of a workplace that fosters positive physical and mental health so that workers can deliver their best performance. They operate in a rapidly changing environment that requires flexibility and resilience. To this end, they have increasingly focused on the wellbeing of their employees in recent years. By empowering their employees to excel, they have helped them to work safely and efficiently, in particular during the pandemic. The company was looking for a partner that could provide the necessary support for this, which is how they ended up collaborating with AG Health Partner.
The cooperation in a nutshell
Wellbeing has always been a point for attention at Biocartis. Their wellbeing policy evolved in step with their annual growth: from more spontaneous ‘work hard, play hard’ initiatives such as summer BBQs and sporty lunch breaks, to a more structurally embedded policy, based on four pillars: my body – my mind – my connections – my environment.
Thanks to My Health Partner, the existing vision on wellbeing was then translated into a customised, evidence-based programme in a sustainable manner. During the first wave of the pandemic, mental wellbeing became a major priority, which is why online workshops on mental resilience were organised. Upon returning to the office – at least part-time – in 2021, Biocartis played the ‘Healthy Hybrid Habits’ card in order to make optimal use of every dimension of the new way of working. Authenticity, productivity and focus were all addressed.
2022 was about pursuing their wellbeing policy by continuously adding new information to the platform, in addition to regular newsletters to keep employees engaged and informed about new initiatives. Employees were also challenged to keep a log of their daily activities as part of a game-based approach: they took a virtual journey around the Biocartis world! The objective was to connect physical activity, connectivity and sustainability.
The story
The importance of wellbeing at work is not just endorsed by the HR Department at Biocartis. Senior management and the company’s people managers also realise the importance of a workable wellbeing policy.
The coronavirus pandemic has raised awareness in several areas such as business continuity and proper management of business risks, cost-effective practices, and so on. Many business practices and processes have evolved during the pandemic and are expected to increase Biocartis’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and respond more appropriately to crises. This also includes continuous attention to the (mental) wellbeing of all of the company’s employees.
The dedicated Wellbeing Manager and the scientific approach, both to maximise the ROI, immediately convinced the Biocartis management. As main point of contact, the Wellbeing Manager proceeded to present concrete, creative ideas throughout the cooperation to promote engagement in wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Manager thinks actively along with Biocartis and comes up with concrete, creative ideas to put wellbeing in the spotlight and to increase engagement
Susy Spruyt
Biocartis as caring employer
Various initiatives were launched in parallel at Biocartis. We wanted to make sure that we could reach all employees, regardless of whether they usually work from home or on site. Our centralised wellbeing solution My Health Partner would serve as the basis for this long-term approach, gather all its wellbeing initiatives and also keep a finger on the pulse of the needs and interests of its employees.
The online workshops of the Healthy Hybrid Habits programme taught home workers how to enhance their mental wellbeing. In this way, Biocartis was able to prevent hybrid working from resulting in bad habits. All relevant topics were covered, from ergonomics to break time and productivity. For the employees on site, we organised sessions on physical wellbeing, in which good sleep hygiene was the main focus. Why? My Health Partner focuses very strongly on constant measurements, which enables the Wellbeing Manager to capture actual needs and make adjustments when initiating new actions. In this case, self-assessment tests filled in by the on-site workers population highlighted sleep hygiene as a point for attention.
« Our hybrid way of working is key to our long-term success and a good match for a diverse organisation like ours: working on location in teams, combined with targeted remote working, while improving the work-life balance for everyone. » Susy Spruyt, Head of People & Organization Biocartis.
Management and follow-up have consequently become very clear and transparent for the HR Department. The company can now grow in its wellbeing policy and expand it step by step. The fact that this can all be done in cooperation with the same partner means that everything runs very organically. As long as everyone continues to get the most out of the new way of working!
The same process was pursued in 2022, with a stronger focus on physical health. The Globetrotter Challenge launched in April 2022 made this all the more true while fostering a stronger connection between colleagues. Employees travelled around the (Biocartis) world virtually by registering their daily movement activities. Here also, My Health Partner acted as a 'one stop shop' for wellbeing. What's more, this challenge was fully personalised for Biocartis to maximise participation and involvement. To keep it extra fun and even exciting, a competitive ranking among colleagues was set up.
Even after the COVID-crisis, the company continues to actively invest in wellbeing. Because they realise more than ever that their employees are their greatest asset. Caring for employees is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a cornerstone of what Biocartis does every day.
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About Biocartis
Biocartis offers innovative diagnostics solutions with its unique proprietary Idylla™ platform. This patented platform provides highly accurate, reliable molecular information based on virtually any biological sample, in virtually any environment. Biocartis offers tests for oncology, a field in which Idylla™ can make a real difference as a decentralised mini-lab. The Idylla™ tests on the real-time platform provide health professionals with the information they need about the driver mutation very quickly and easily, giving cancer patients much faster access to the most suitable personalised treatment. Employees are the company’s greatest asset at Biocartis. That is why they encourage a work environment and inclusive corporate culture in which every employee is valued, heard and acknowledged as part of a community that is passionate about delivering fast, user-friendly molecular diagnostics solutions for patients worldwide.