Article by EEUAS
There is a lot of talk about a working environment that supports the employee and his or her work. It is equally essential to maintain and promote the employee’s physical, mental and social health. In order to receive positive outcomes, such as having employees who are both healthy and actively contributing, it is essential for all stakeholders to play their respective roles, including employers, creators and developers of public spaces and the environment, i.e. the city or town, and the employees themselves. The majority of us are aware of what actions employers can take to ensure a healthy working environment. However, there are ample opportunities for enhancing the development of public spaces as well. Walking paths for meetings, outdoor workplaces, quiet spaces, sports events for everyone, community engagement, health exhibitions and training sessions are just a few of the options available in smart city Ülemiste, to encourage employees to adopt healthier habits. When employees prioritise their well-being, it leads to improved job performance, more successful employers, and an overall enhanced appeal for the smart city.
Ülemiste City is the only town in the world that has its health model, which describes how the mental, physical and social health of talent is supported here – which must and can be done by the town’s developers, employers and also the talents themselves. The Ülemiste City Health Model, created in cooperation with the University of Tartu, is like the beating heart of the campus, as the good social, physical and mental health of talents is the basis of great ideas, successes and development. However, as you know, taking care of one’s health is a continuous process, and improving habits must start within yourself. As a community and developers of the campus, we want to contribute to healthy changes. We believe in and constantly enhance health promotion, improving health services, building attractions that support physical health on the campus, cultivating a sense of community, inviting the community to participate in various challenges, and developing the campus with mental, social and physical health in mind.
What additional efforts can be made to promote health, and what initiatives are currently underway in Ülemiste City? To support social health, the city has created indoor and outdoor areas where it is possible to relax and communicate with colleagues and other people during work breaks. City developers enhance the importance of social health and a sense of community through various networking events that bring together specialists in the field to get to know each other, share experiences and find suitable solutions. However, the most considerable support for social health is undoubtedly community events, which provide an opportunity to increase the sense of belonging, create healthy cooperative relationships and feel good with others.
Promoting mental well-being presents a significant challenge for all parties in a world facing growing crises. In such a complex global landscape, addressing and enhancing mental health requires concerted efforts from individuals, communities, and institutions. Ülemiste City values a relaxing green environment and has created green oases both inside and outside that offer opportunities for both rest and work. So-called silence or quiet spaces and materials on mental health are available to everyone – seminars, lectures, experience cafes, articles, and more. Ülemiste City also has its health conference, where approx. Thirty specialists share practical and science-based advice to both employers and talents on how to take care of the social, mental and physical health of themselves and their employees.
To support physical health, we have a walking meeting trail, which invites talents to move while working, along with a health exhibition created in cooperation with the Health Museum, with many attractions (trampolines, swings, balance tracks, stretching walls, etc.). It is possible to rent headphones with a microphone, with which you can calmly walk and chat with your smaller team without others disturbing the meeting.
On a separate note, Ülemiste City is recognized for spearheading numerous community sports challenges. For instance, activities like stair runs, exercise weeks, training sessions, bicycle races, triathlons, bench tournaments, nighttime running competitions, and a wide range of other events occur within the campus. People with diverse interests and abilities have the opportunity to engage in physical activities and push their limits.
Promoting health topics is one of the overarching activities to raise health awareness and motivate people to pay more attention to their health and make conscious improvements in their health behaviour. Our health centres support the implementation of our health model – offered services ranging from preventive health checks and examinations to health insurance give talent the opportunity to take care of their health in every way, with the help of top-level specialists.
These examples represent just a portion of the initiatives taken by the city’s developer to promote the well-being of its talents. We are also pleased to note that local companies are actively participating in this endeavour. Many offices, for instance, organise sports competitions, host health seminars and training sessions, assess and analyse psychosocial risk factors, and implement improvement measures accordingly. Massage chairs are standard, as well as additional health insurance for your employees and, for example, subsidies for sports activities.
The modern future citizen is increasingly conscious of their health and values the support provided by both their environment and their employers. Therefore, in the future, cities and companies must actively contribute to creation and the fostering conducive work environments and improving public spaces to advance overall well-being.
