Subsea engineering company combines emotional education, psychological support, and incentives for physical activity in initiatives focused on employee care and engagement
More and more professionals around the world expect their employers to promote well-being both inside and outside the workplace. This is one of the findings of the Panorama do Bem-Estar Corporativo 2026 (2026 Corporate Well-Being Outlook), released by Wellhub based on a survey of more than 5,000 workers across 11 countries. The results show that 47% of respondents expect more from their employers than they did the previous year. In Brazil, 89% of professionals consider well-being initiatives to be just as important as salary itself.
Physical activity and nutritional support rank among the most desired solutions cited by survey participants, with 24% of respondents identifying them as priorities. Therapy or counseling, workplace flexibility, and financial well-being resources follow closely at 23%. At the same time, the survey highlights that offering these resources does not necessarily guarantee their use: 51% of respondents point to a lack of time as a barrier to exercising, while 26% cite a lack of motivation.
Building benefits that make a meaningful difference in employees’ daily lives has become one of the main challenges for Human Resources departments. At Seagems, a Brazilian subsea engineering company, the response has been to combine different initiatives, including emotional education, psychological support, mental health prevention, and encouragement of physical activity. The strategy aims to align these initiatives more closely with employees’ needs and to approach well-being as an ongoing commitment rather than a series of isolated actions.
“Simply offering a benefit is not enough. One of the greatest challenges is ensuring that the resources available are accessible, relevant to employees, and fit into their daily routines. That is why we work across different dimensions of well-being in a complementary way, combining prevention, information, specialized support, and encouragement of self-care,” says Glaucia Maciel, Human Resources Director at Seagems.
Emotional Health as an Ongoing Commitment
Among the company’s initiatives is its Emotional Education Program, which addresses topics such as anxiety, stress, depression, and the development of a healthy work environment.
This effort is complemented by psychological support services and mental health awareness and prevention initiatives, as well as Oriente-me, a solution made available to employees and their dependents that provides access to online consultations with psychologists.
The objective is to expand support options while also taking a preventive approach, offering employees resources to recognize the importance of emotional well-being and access specialized assistance when needed.
In this process, listening to employees and monitoring their perceptions also play an important role. For the Human Resources team, understanding how different initiatives are being used and embraced helps assess employees’ needs and identify opportunities to better connect available resources with the realities of those working at the company.
Encouraging Movement and Self-Care
On the physical health front, Seagems has also introduced VIK, a platform that encourages and rewards employees for engaging in physical activities.
The initiative serves as a complementary component of the company’s well-being strategy and addresses one of the key demands highlighted in the Wellhub survey. At the same time, it tackles one of the challenges identified by the study itself: turning the intention to take care of one’s health into a sustainable habit within daily routines.
According to Glaucia, this is a critical factor in ensuring the long-term effectiveness of these initiatives.
“In the offshore environment, talking about well-being is also talking about safety. Employees working offshore experience a very specific reality, with extended periods away from home, close interaction with teams, and routines that require constant attention and decision-making. That is why our approach must take these particularities into account and provide forms of support that contribute to employees’ physical and emotional health throughout their entire journey,” she adds.
Seagems’ experience reinforces a discussion that has been gaining traction among Human Resources professionals: the greatest challenge is not simply expanding the number of programs available, but rather encouraging employees to use them and ensuring that these benefits effectively meet their real needs.