Let’s start by introducing Bluehost. This hosting company is number 3 in Dublin. Considering the amount of companies that are based in Irelands capital, you can imagine how much work the 50 employees of Bluehost have. Especially since they are not only providing domain and hosting services. They are also taking care of online marketing campaigns, like Google Ads campaigns, influencer campaigns and SEO campaigns. Usually, the more competition there is, the more stressful the job is. And since this company’s market is very competitive, the employees are under a lot of stress. It’s even so bad that 5 employees suffered a burn-out last year. Since that’s 10 percent of the workforce, Bluehost decided to do things differently this year to make sure their employees stay healthy.
An employee called William
One of Bluehosts employees, William Ferrell, had been on holiday to India with his girlfriend. They are what you can call the hipster type and went to India to become one with their souls. Once in India, they found Tao Zenchi pretty quickly and they loved it. So much so that immediately upon arrival at work, William told all of his colleagues about this place. Including his boss. He and the company directors were already considering many ways to improve employees wellbeing. They thought about introducing smoothies at work, giving employees half a day a week of and many more things like that. But it was only when William talked about his experiences in India, that something just clicked. It was not a coincidence that William had been one of the people with a burn-out and was therefore an expert on how it felt and how to get better. After hearing his story, the directors decided it was worth the try and contacted us almost immediately.
The best idea ever
When the Bluehost director called us, his idea was to pay a one-week vacation to our centre for every employee. The only problem was that he didn’t know how to finance it. He said that if the shareholders would now where the money was going to go, they would never approve of it as there were many cheaper alternatives. So we suggested the monthly vouchers to him. The way it works is as follows; Bluehost buys monthly vouchers for every employee. This entitles each and every one of them to follow as many of our classes as they want. The classes will take place in a special decorated area within the Bluehost office where one of our teachers will be displayed on a big screen. Through a webcam she can see the people in the room and offer them help when necessary. It’s almost as if the teacher who is in India and the students from Dublin are in the same room. When the director heard the idea, he called it the best idea ever and made it happen.
Results after 6 months
As you have probably heard, yoga is very good for your mind and body. So it’s not a surprise that people that have consistently been following our classes have been noticing the benefits. During the first month, every employee participated actively and was full of great resolutions. As it always goes, the months after say some groups slowly but surely backing out. Most of them with excuses that they had to work. However, a core group of 20 employees remained and with great results. Two of them were on the verge of a burn-out before starting our yoga classes. After 6 months of yoga they feel reborn. The other employees are not as extreme, but they do feel a significant stress reduction. Tanya for example, she is a young mother and now feels like she is much more patient with her two little children. Hillary is another example. Besides her stressful job, she had to take care of her mother with Alzheimer. Never getting any time for herself. These hours of yoga, as she says herself, have saved her life. And then there’s Billy, who had severe trouble not falling asleep at night. With these yoga classes he has found his rhythm again. This has made him, and all of his colleagues, more productive at work. Bluehost is definitely going to continue with this program for many years to come.