In a phase of necessary physical and social distance, Decode reinforced the proximity of its team by creating the position of Happiness Manager. With 100% of its employees working remotely since March 12, Tânia Santos was appointed in the same month to enhance well-being, motivation and internal union. Managing collective happiness through creative initiatives and implementing transparent communication in real time has become a priority for Decode in times of uncertainty, adaptation and generalization of a new mindset.

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Tânia Santos is a Master in Human Biology (FCUL), Coach certified by All Can and also has the international certification of Chief Happiness Officer, made in Denmark with one of the greatest specialists in the area, Alexander Kjerulf. His career has been made mainly in the area of ​​Human Resource Management for Innovation and Technology companies. Its mission is to promote and enhance the well-being and happiness of the collective through techniques and scientific knowledge in areas such as Positive Psychology, Neuroscience, Coaching, Mindfulness and Nudge. It is already implementing measures that help employees: to promote a better work-life balance; to bet on your personal development; to increase productivity; to gain more engagement and to have superior interpersonal relationships.

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The challenge of working on the team's well-being remotely and in quarantine and after has been stimulating. Initiatives have already been implemented, such as online coffee breaks, meditation sessions, various activities called Happy-Challenges, pop-up initiatives aimed at enhancing the relationship between employees (Fun-Times), brainstorm meetings to give the whole team the opportunity to get involved in the process and individual or group coaching sessions.

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For João Reis Fernandes, Executive Director of Decode, “The position of Happiness Manager has been idealized since the beginning of Decode. Since October 2019, we have been trying to have teams working in a decentralized, flexible way, remotely or mixed, placing a bet on work-life balance and personal and professional development. The creation of this position was an objective that was foreseen as soon as certain objectives were reached, which were defined early on. The conditions we are experiencing today, a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, led us to decide to accelerate the process. We were fully aware of the challenges that Happiness Manager would have, since it is a position typically marked by actions of physical proximity, but we know the team we have and the culture we share well, so it was our full conviction that people would join and help the initiatives to be well received. And the reality is that this has happened and the effects are being felt.”

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