Wind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies with a major part to play in tackling the climate crisis. In this dynamic and competitive industry, players must continually adapt and innovate in order to maintain market share, and this environment intrinsically brings challenges to the workforce.
The industry places a high emphasis on safety in the workplace. Handling large machinery and working near powerful wind turbines inherently pose a risk – and in offshore projects, harsh weather conditions are an additional risk factor.
Safety training and risk management are crucial to minimise accidents on land and at sea. This places high demands on the work environment, but it also requires skills and attention to employees’ mental and physical wellbeing.
In offshore installations, employees work in fixed shift patterns and may spend weeks or months at a time far from their families. This impacts the work-life balance and, consequently, mental wellbeing.
Howdy assists employees on a range of projects in Europe, the USA, and APAC in monitoring their own wellbeing, and our psychologists and physiotherapists advise employees daily on how to handle challenges in both their private and professional lives. This could be topics such as missing family or the fear of encountering an accident at sea.
Benefits of using Howdy in the energy sector:
Siemens Gamesa is a global market leader across the entire wind spectrum – offshore, onshore, and service.
“Currently we manufacture, install and service thousands of turbines that are up to and exceeding 100m high, with rotor diameters of up to 167m. To achieve this, we implement large-scale projects with many complex components such as logistics, tools and suppliers. Working in this environment is inherently risky, which is why we put the safety and wellbeing of our employees at the forefront of what we do. Our care for our employees is why we introduced Howdy to our Service Offshore UK team.
Having helped several our employees through difficult times, the support Howdy has provided has been invaluable.”
John Carter
Project Engineer – Siemens Gamesa
“Projects in this sector are often complex, high risk and high pressure. I think there is a general understanding that employee wellbeing can and does directly impact decisions that are made on a day-to-day basis, and therefore we have a responsibility to factor this in and plan accordingly.
There are several advantages to Howdy – Employees get to see a real time visual of their mood which encourages them to reflect and hopefully use the resources available. Trained specialists make contact early on when responses suggest the need for support, and finally we as management get an accurate overview of hot spots in our organization and can challenge, investigate and hopefully address the underlying causes before they become more serious.
We feel we are one step ahead, proactively reaching out to our employees via Howdy and it’s nudging mechanism.”
Rob McGill
Manager for Health, Safety and Wellbeing – K2 Management