A practical, modern solution for new hybrid work models: a testimonial for Yogist
We spoke with Christophe Malapert, Director of Human Resources at Kyndryl France, and Sandrine Durupt, Director of Communications at Kyndryl. They told us about Yogist’s support for the company, which has been in place almost since Kyndryl’s inception. Let’s get right to the heart of the matter.
In your opinion, what are Yogist's strengths?
Response from Christophe Malapert:
Yogist workshops are very easy to set up and are very modern. Everything is done right at your desk—it couldn’t be simpler for a company. We don’t need to set aside a meeting room for our Yogist breaks, which help us stay in the right frame of mind for work.
This approach is therefore well-suited to the business world; the method is very pragmatic and practical.
Chabot is also a modern system that’s very easy for anyone to use and adapts to each individual.
“The Yogist method is perfectly suited to the corporate world; it’s pragmatic and practical.”
How do employees view Yogist in the workplace?
Response from Christophe Malapert:
Among our employees, there is a core group that participates in all Yogist workshops held at the office; these are people who immediately embraced the Yogist method. Beyond this core group, a wider circle of employees participates on an ad hoc basis. Today, we can say that the exercises are now well known to participants, and that the method is appreciated and well understood.
Response from Sandrine Durupt:
We’ve noticed that people who have attended the sessions keep coming back! And we’re making the most of these sessions to ensure as many people as possible can participate: they’re hybrid, with some employees joining via video conference and others attending in person.
In what context did Kyndryl turn to Yogist?
Response from Christophe Malapert:
Our CEO, Philippe Roncati, was impressed by Yogist’s presentation at a business leaders’ conference. At that time, we were already considering our approach to hybrid work. It’s important to note that Kyndryl was founded at the end of the pandemic; so, as a new company, we wanted to think through our inevitably hybrid work model.
So, in 2022, we signed an agreement with the labor unions to establish the terms and conditions for remote work at Kyndryl. Among the questions that needed to be addressed were:
- What would our offices look like?
- Why would anyone come to work on-site?
- What do we do differently at home?
Almost immediately, the underlying issue of quality of life at work (or remote work) came to the fore. Yogist seemed to us to be the right way to support this evolution in the workplace, both on-site and when working remotely.
In practical terms, what does being a Yogist at Kyndryl look like?
Response from Christophe Malapert:
In the first year of our partnership, we opted for a model that was common at Yogist at the time: monthly sessions where our teams came together. We offered them Yogist workshops they could do in their office chairs at work or at home. The goal was to teach them how to manage their busy days filled with post-COVID-19 video conferences by providing tips to make their days more enjoyable and giving them breaks to relax. We found the approach interesting and useful.
We have since continued to refine this model, right up to the present day: We invited a few employees, on a voluntary basis, to undergo training in the Yogist method. This would allow them to master the exercises and lead the workshops within the company themselves. Currently, two employees are in the process of becoming certified.
The idea is to integrate the Yogist method into the company’s routines, especially during our management sessions where teams come together. Our goal is to have one of our certified Yogist instructors lead Yogist exercises to enhance the seminar day or work session. We place great importance on making the method a regular part of the routine; we want managers to be able to incorporate Yogist breaks into their own team meetings.
In addition to that, we plan to launch the Yogist chatbot, which will empower each employee to manage their own health. Here’s how we envision it: for example, an employee has neck pain; it’s the end of the week, and they’re at the office. They type their concern into the chatbot interface, which then suggests several exercises to relieve it. It’s an approach we really like!
A few words about Kyndryl
Kyndryl was spun off from IBM in September 2021. At that time, 90,000 IBM employees joined Kyndryl. The French division has 1,200 employees, some of whom came from IBM’s consulting and infrastructure services divisions, while others have been hired over the past two years. Kyndryl is a digital services company (DSC) that provides infrastructure management services in an industry that has evolved significantly in recent years, in partnership with hyperscalers (AWS, Google Cloud, etc.). Kyndryl’s many employees are spread across a dozen locations throughout France, and Yogist brings them together during breaks.
