Trollhättans Stad made mental training part of the working week
What began as a pilot in one department became a commitment for the whole central team of the education administration. With one short shared session a week, measurement before and after and a clear decision to continue, the city built a habit that held.
improved stress management
increased mental wellbeing
The starting point
The central team of the education administration is a stable workplace with low staff turnover, among both employees and managers. But one parameter always stood out in the annual employee survey: perceived stress. The city wanted to give a group of employees lasting tools to handle stress and demands, and chose to start on a small scale so the effect could be measured before anything was rolled out widely.
How we set it up
The programme opened with educational workshops on the basics of mental training. The group then trained for three months with one live session a week via Zoom, a 30 minute session that requires neither changing clothes nor special equipment. Between sessions there were recorded sessions to use freely. One success factor was that the Wednesday session became a standing calendar invitation, so the group logged on and trained together.
”We chose to give a group of employees the chance to try mental training, so we could give them lasting tools to handle stress and demands coming from different directions. Our staff feeling well is a gain both for them and for us as an employer.”
The result
After three months, the majority of participants said their wellbeing had increased, and that they felt more satisfied having gained better focus and concentration. The measurement showed 47 per cent improved stress management and 28 per cent increased mental wellbeing. Almost everyone had taken part in the shared training every week and were keen to continue training as a group.
”Through the training I feel that we have become more closely knit as colleagues and got to know each other better.”
improved ability to manage stress after the programme
increased mental wellbeing among participants
And one honest parameter
The employee survey in autumn 2023 also showed lingering stress, linked to not always feeling able to keep up and to the difficulty of planning the work. Mental training does not solve a heavy workload on its own. But since participants were so positive and the session results so good, the city chose to offer more employees the same opportunity during working hours.
What happened next
What began as a pilot became a broader commitment. More people in the central team got the chance to train during working hours, and those who had tried it carried on. For Trollhättan, mental training became a recurring part of the working week, not a one-off effort.
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Trollhättan's set-up builds on our Mental fitness programme, with education, led live sessions and measurement before and after.
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