UK 
United States
Big Interview | Hannah Awonuga, Group Head of D&I and Partner, Knight Frank on driving a legacy with 'purpose'
Hannah Awonuga of Knight Frank charts her HR career...
Katja Meeuwsen-Nass
VP of HR at ASICS EMEA
“A sound mind in a sound body” is the motto of ASICS – and it’s reflected in the culture of wellbeing we create for our employees, says Katja Meeuwsen-Nass, EMEA VP of HR...
Katja Meeuwsen-Nass
VP of HR at ASICS EMEA
“A sound mind in a sound body” is the motto of ASICS – and it’s reflected in the culture of wellbeing we create for our employees, says Katja Meeuwsen-Nass, EMEA VP of HR...
Sportswear manufacturer ASICS and ‘Succession’ star Brian Cox recently launched an iconic campaign ahead of World Mental Health Day to promote the impact of desk-based work on employee mental health.
The #deskbreak movement (pun intended) is based on studies completed by ASICS of employees across the globe, which found that when office workers add just 15 minutes of movement into their working day, their mental state improved by 22.5%. Applied over a week, stress dropped by 14.7%, productivity climbed by 33.2%, and calmness and resilience rose by 28.6%.
In a follow-up interview with Katja Meeuwsen-Nass, VP of HR at ASICS EMEA, HR Grapevine learns more about the inspiring, embedded, and impactful culture of employee wellbeing championed at the company by leaders and employees across the business—not just legendary Scottish actors.
Can you tell me more about ASICS’ #deskbreak campaign?
ASICS is an acronym for anima sana in corpore sano, which translates to “a sound mind in a sound body.” It’s what we stand for as a company with our products but also internally. When I first heard about the #deskbreak campaign, my initial thought was that we already move at ASICS. Do we really need it?
But actually, it’s just another way from my perspective as VP of HR to shine a light on what’s important for our people. For people who feel pressure with deadlines and so on to take that break and move. There’s research behind it: The average person sits for 11 hours a day on average and I was shocked by that. But just 15 minutes of movement is enough to make people more productive, more engaged, and happier. It’s a great way to help our employees!
What can lead to employees feeling unable to take a break from desk work?
Sometimes the work pressure does build. In the employee's mind, it's better to power on and get stuff done, especially if they see other leaders doing that. It makes them stay seated at their desk and research shows that’s not always good. Productivity goes down and focus goes down.
At ASICS we have a natural affinity with a lot of our people for physical wellbeing because of what our company does. But a couple of years ago we created a wellbeing framework that includes physical and mental wellbeing, but also financial, and social too
Katja Meeuwsen-Nass | VP of HR at ASICS EMEA
So, we're trying to highlight that it is good for your mental wellbeing to take that break, showing how it can help you feel more productive and focused afterward. But we must lead by example. We’ve asked our executive and leadership teams to share their desk breaks internally or on LinkedIn so people all over the company can see their boss is doing it or their manager is doing it, so it’s ok!
How are you creating a culture where employees feel confident to take breaks at ASICS?
At ASICS we have a natural affinity with a lot of our people for physical wellbeing because of what our company does. But a couple of years ago we created a wellbeing framework that includes physical and mental wellbeing, but also financial, and social too.
We know when we look at our employees we can help them with the physical. It won’t be a surprise that we have run clubs that we do, sponsoring events, giving away bibs, encouraging our employees to participate, and running other sports classes.
But we don’t just do that, there are other policies too. We encourage employees to take lunch breaks whenever fits in their diary, and although things like that sound cliché, when we implement them and lead them by example – you can often see our CEO in the gym during the work day – it makes wellbeing part of the day-to-day work at ASICS.
