Wellness in the Workplace
June 2, 2021
Members of Team Caterpillar are located all over the world, which means that cultivating connection and community is important. This is where employee resource groups (ERGs) come in to offer communities of shared interests or passions to drive a culture of inclusion.
ACTivating Wellness
With over 1.4k members located on four continents, ACTivate is an ERG focused on increasing awareness and access to tools for wellness. Its members are people representing all functional areas across Caterpillar who have a shared interest in personal well-being through resources for physical, mental, social and financial health. Chapters focus on things like conservation, plant-based eating, running and more making it accessible and fun for employees around the world to find their community. Led by Logistics Manager Matthew Drown, ACTivate members understand that employees who are happy, healthy and supported yield positive business results.
The events of 2020 placed wellbeing at the forefront for many and ACTivate stepped up to provide resources for employees around the world. “We were operating under the assumption that people were struggling in their own way, so how could we as a group help them overcome that? We took a proactive approach to give employees the tools to strengthen their mental health to mitigate risk factors in their life that could lead to issues.”
From an app for employees to track activities, reduce stress, encourage work breaks and more, ACTivate’s members are given tools to be prepared when challenges arise to encourage resilience. In addition to developing resources, ACTivate’s work complements existing enterprise resources by serving as a connection between resources and employees.
Advocating A Passion
So where does Matthew’s passion for wellness come from? Turns out, it’s a deeply personal connection. “My father had quintuple bypass surgery at 50 and there’s a strong family history of heart disease and high blood pressure. I didn’t want that to be me, so I took up physical wellness to combat that.” Matthew also began coaching recreational sports, which ignited his love for inspiring wellness in others. When Matthew’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, Matthew leaned heavily on the mental wellbeing resources ACTivate provides employees to help him get through those tough times.
Matthew says, “I enjoy bringing people together and helping them grow. It is very rewarding to see people and realize that they feel better now than they did a year ago. It’s something that I can do at work that fuels a deep passion for me. My personal connection to ACTivate inspires me to help others make that connection to resources when they need them.”
At Caterpillar, the people behind the work are the driving force for good throughout the enterprise. Join the team and find your community today.
