Let’s all take a breather

You’ve been well-known on the real estate market for the last twenty years. Why have you now set up a foundation in an entirely different sphere?

Paulina Krasnopolska, the vice-president of the Portus Vitae foundation: In 2017, after 21 years spent in consultancies, including almost 14 years at CBRE and over seven years at JLL, I decided that I wanted to work from home to a different daily rhythm and spend more time with my children and family. For a few months I worked as a freelancer for such companies as Skanska and CBRE. Then, in 2018, I joined Reed Midem (now called RX France), which is the organiser of the Cannes real estate fair. Then the pandemic came along and a few months later I was diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy, I was left very weak and had no hair. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My very old friend Ewa Dąbrowska then approached me and said that we had to set up a foundation to promote diversity mindfulness and wellbeing in companies.

How does your foundation operate?

We work on two levels – for companies but also as a charity. We believe that diversity policies and being mindful are the best ways to ensure employee wellbeing. For example, we draw up and implement diversity strategies. Firstly, we carry out a survey and conduct interviews about diversity that then lead to more in-depth interviews, and on this basis we devise the diversity strategy. And then, divided into project groups, we introduce it to the company. We devise and teach courses on mindfulness and also organise field workshops and courses for parents with small children based on the principles of Jesper Juul. We also hold meditation courses for companies. Portus Vitae can be translated as ‘harbour of life’ – and we believe that everybody should have some rest in their lives. We want our foundation to be a port of call for those who need support. Our activities include raising and distributing funds for those suffering crises due to career burnout, depression, phobias and mental illness. We want to do good and help others. Our own experiences, which also include depression, phobias, career burnout and cancer, have given us the ability to devise programmes for other people who suffer from these conditions.

Have employers’ attitudes changed?

This concept used to be limited to Fruit Thursdays, gym memberships and private healthcare, Eventually, friendly workplace strategies were being promoted and rest areas began to appear together with larger kitchens, raised desks and comfortable chairs. The attitude of employers towards wellbeing and mental health has been gradually evolving, while the isolation period during the pandemic has led to significant changes in how this issue is perceived. It turned out that caring for workers was not only a trend but more a priority that almost every company has to act upon. Importantly, health, psychological strength and worker wellbeing are not just issues for large corporations, but increasingly often they are issues affecting small and medium-sized businesses.

What do you exactly understand by the term ‘employee wellbeing’?

Wellbeing comprises a number of basic elements: strength and the feeling of being capable, the work-life balance, work satisfaction, team building, trust, pride in your work, health, as well as addressing the effects of feeling burdened and negative behaviour. The Portus Vitae foundation, in collaboration with researchers from three universities, has developed a set of tools to comprehensively examine all the areas I’ve already mentioned. Based on these, our researchers can then prepare their recommendations or a full company report.

Does the real estate sector differ from others in this regard?

Such needs are universal, but we can adapt our surveys to examine certain areas in greater detail, such as for manufacturing firms – but our assessment procedure requires that we use standardised tools to assess personal strengths (resilience, the feeling of personal effectiveness), as well as the burden of work, job satisfaction and wellbeing.

What’s the biggest challenge in your work?

Most probably it is that we are not yet able to implement all our ideas. Ewa doesn’t have the time and I haven’t finished my convalescence. However, we’re trying to do what we can, while at the same time taking care of ourselves. In the future we also want to devise a package of activities to support the psychological wellbeing of young people. We are both mothers and realise that young people can feel lost. We work with some fantastic specialists from various fields: mental trainers, mindfulness trainers, psychotherapists, youth coaches, communication teachers, academic teachers and specialists in diversity. I’m pleased that we’ve managed to do so much in the last year. We signed our founding charters in May 2022 and by August we had completed all the registrations. Of course, we are supported in this by some superb volunteers, without whom it would be rather difficult for us.

And what about your holiday plans?

I love spending time with my family and friends. We’re going to Greece – we’ve been going back to the same place for many years. Then I will spend some time in Masuria, after which I’ll be travelling around Europe in select company. Seven places in seven days, finishing up with a rest in Portugal. I love Portugal. I’m trying to learn Portuguese, I cook Portuguese food and I’m learning about the culture of the region. I want everyone to think about themselves and learn to let themselves go, so that they look after themselves over the holidays.

Interview: Elwira Soćko