News & Events
12 December 2024
Mainetti Empowers Employee Wellbeing and Community Impact through the Happy Mainetti Campaign
By Phillips Pham, Chief People Officer at Mainetti
We recognize the importance of employee wellbeing, and it has become the cornerstone of our organizational success. The Happy Mainetti campaign stands out as a beacon of our commitment to our Mainetti family.
Launched by Phillips Pham, our Chief People Officer, this campaign prioritizes the mental and physical health of our employees while ensuring sustainable business growth. This initiative fosters a safe, ethical, and inclusive work environment, providing equal opportunities and training programs.
The Happy Mainetti campaign’s impact extends beyond the company, as we have implemented global community initiatives addressing environmental conservation and social responsibility. From planting thousands of trees to combat climate change to supporting food security in New Jersey, Mainetti exemplifies how businesses can be a force for good.
‘Happy Mainetti’ Campaign
‘Happy Mainetti’ champions the belief that people are at the heart of economic and social development and are the key to a thriving business. The project prioritizes the mental and physical development of each employee, all while ensuring the company’s sustainable growth. Through the campaign, we provide a safe, ethical, and healthy work environment for employees, delivering equal opportunity and world-class training. For example, last year, Mainetti launched a Personal Financial Management training program to improve employee knowledge on budgeting and spending.
This campaign began in 2022 when a group of our company’s leaders met with Dr. Ha Vinh Tho, the Program Director of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) Centre in Bhutan, to learn more about what makes a ‘happy organization’. As part of this educational process, Mainetti Vietnam participated in a GNH retreat at Nam Cat Tien National Park. During the trip, we found that Mainetti’s employees treated one another like family, reminiscent of the company’s founders – the Mainetti brothers.
In January 2023, Mainetti collaborated with the Eurasia Learning Institute (ELI) to conduct a happiness level assessment of all employees. Here, Mainetti Vietnam achieved a GNH score of 78 percent. Dr Tho then signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in March 2023, to develop the ‘Happy Mainetti’ campaign. Under the guidance of Dr Tho and colleagues at the ELI, 26 leaders and core members of Mainetti attended a four-day training course on happiness skills in Dong Nai.
By adopting GNH, Mainetti has been able to prioritize the human side of business and give back to our team members. Following GNH Centre’s guidance, we are encouraging our employees to take part in daily happiness activities across its Vietnam offices, such as writing thank-you letters to their parents during the annual Parent’s Day event to practice gratitude. Additionally, Mainetti hosts a monthly sharing circle to practice active listening, an exercise that improves work productivity and communication skills.
Community Garden Project
Since its launch in April 2024, the garden has created beautiful scenery for the area and has provided a source of nutrition through the growth of vegetables, tubers, and fruits. The garden acts as an educational resource for the local community and raises awareness of environmental conservation.
The garden also upholds the circular economy by reusing old materials available in the factory, such as wooden pallets, bricks, and steel sheets, while also taking advantage of existing resources such as rainwater and organic waste. As a proud member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Network, Mainetti is firmly committed to embracing the principles of a circular economy. We are dedicated to minimizing waste and expanding the utilization of recycled materials throughout our operations.
Mainetti’s Global Community Impact Initiatives
We believe that business can be a powerful force for good. As such, we are committed to corporate social responsibility which means that, just as all Mainetti employees are cared for, the wider community and environment is looked after as well.
Across our global operations, our commitment to environmental conservation has strengthened as exemplified by our Global Forest initiative. In celebration of Mainetti’s 60th anniversary in 2021, we planted our first 6,000 trees across six continents – one tree for every employee, representing the importance of both our employees and the natural world. Now, three years later, we have planted over 50,000 trees!
Our partners at Century Box Mainetti also partnered with the Belgian non-profit organization, Graine de Vie to support reforestation efforts and counter the devastating effects of the ongoing climate crisis. By collaborating with Graine de Vie, we have assisted communities facing poverty and hunger, democratizing access to essential cash crops such as fruit trees, cocoa, coffee, and avocados.
As part of our continued efforts to support the wider community, Mainetti also has collaborated with the Community Foodbank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) since 2023 to support their important mission of tackling food insecurity across the state. A team of dedicated Mainetti volunteers worked to sort and package food and essential goods during the Thanksgiving season, and the CFBNJ plays a critical role in facilitating positive change across New Jersey and the 530,000 people facing food insecurity.
Globally, Mainetti employees have wholeheartedly embraced our mission to give back to the communities that have supported us. The ‘Happy Mainetti’ campaign has enabled us to enhance local communities, promote education, support environmental initiatives, and—most importantly—prioritize the well-being of our employees.
The campaign has been recognized in Dr Tho’s book which launched in April 2024, titled Happy Organizations. The book shares the progress of companies in ensuring employee wellbeing according to the GNH, and we are excited to be featured in this important work. Mainetti takes pride in our employees’ efforts to develop top-quality sustainable packaging and innovate recycling processes. Most importantly, we are delighted to see that the Mainetti family is happy and healthy.