dstelecom, a DST Group company in Braga, has been recognised as one of the Best Places to Work for Wellbeing in Portugal, it was announced today.

In a press release, Great Place To Work explains that ‘this recognition aims to distinguish companies that have placed well-being at the centre of their culture and have made their employees experience high levels of well-being in their work environment’.

This experience was assessed across six key dimensions of employee wellbeing: work environment, personal/professional life balance, psychological stability, fulfilment at work, interpersonal relationships and financial security.

According to the same source, Best WorkplacesTM, in order to provide a great experience for everyone, ensure the physical conditions necessary for a healthy working environment (96 per cent), are marked by strong interpersonal relationships (93 per cent), not only between colleagues, but also between leaders and those they lead, and promote a balance between personal and professional life (92 per cent), through flexibility policies.

But there are also opportunities for improvement in these environments, both in terms of psychological stability (89 per cent) and financial security (83 per cent), particularly with regard to the coordination of people and the management of tasks, which can lead to work overload and increased stress, and fairness in salary policy, which is very much conditioned by the current economic and social context, marked by inflation and rising living costs.

Companies from seven different sectors were honoured: Information Technology (5), Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (3), Hospitality & Tourism (2), Financial Services & Insurance (2), Commerce & Distribution (1), Professional Services (1) and Telecommunications (1).

To be eligible for the Best Places to Work in Wellbeing, companies must first be Certified™ as a Great Place to Work. This distinction is based on employee feedback on the 18 well-being statements in the GPTW methodology questionnaire, which is combined with an assessment of the policies and practices that promote health and well-being.

‘Although we are honouring the Best Places to Work in Wellbeing in Portugal for the first time, we have always supported and distinguished companies that prioritise the wellbeing of their employees. This has always been a feature of the Best WorkplacesTM that we recognise every year. With this award, we want to focus on promoting the health and well-being of employees, especially with regard to mental health, considering that mental illness will be one of the main problems of our century,’ says Maurício Korbivcher, head of Great Place To Work in Portugal, quoted in the press release.

The other companies honoured are Peaceful Evolution, Goldenenergy, Hilton, Mind Source, Noesis, CA Seguros, Merck, Retail Consult, Viatris, Present Technologies, InterContinental Lisboa, MetLife, Crossjoin Solutions and Novo Nordisk.