Psychology Magazine launches Mind.You, a platform about happiness at work for the business market. Mind.You is a learning and inspiration platform that aims to increase the physical and mental vitality of employees.
It is organizations and employers that take out a subscription with Mind.You for their employees. They log in to an online environment where they can create a personal profile. By means of a self-test, an inventory is made of the needs and wishes of the employee. Then users receive advice for a tailor-made program. Each program contains e-learning modules, inspiration and in-depth content and microlearnings. The offer is regularly supplemented and is always up-to-date. And content, advice and teaching materials are always based on scientific research, one of the core values that Psychology Magazine stands for.
Business services
Mind.You is a platform where various existing brands of publisher WPG come together. Yoga tv takes care of the physical matters and the editors of Psychology magazine create the content. Mind.You also uses the current e-learning platform with which Psychology Magazine Academy has been successful for years. Employers can extend Mind.You with coaching for employees through the network of Coachfinder, which Psychology Magazine launched in 2019.
Existing WPG brands are the basis of Mind.You
If the content of existing WPG brands is so central, then why was a new brand chosen? Sterre van Leer, editor-in-chief of Psychology Magazine, gives the answer: “Because we serve a new target group, with a new offer: an online learning environment for personal growth, offered by your employer. On Mind.You, employees will find online training programmes, microlearning, videos and book tips on frequently requested themes such as work stress, assertiveness, energy and talent development. We are indeed grateful for the content and experts that we already have in-house with the WPG brands.” Van Leer emphasizes that the distribution of content and services in particular is different. “Your personal learning offer is behind a personal login.”
Investing in employee happiness
Van Leer emphasizes that a B2B target group is very interesting for Psychologie Magazine, a media brand that until last week focused mainly on consumers. “Organizations are made up of people, and if those people are doing well, your company is stronger – it’s as simple as that,” says Van Leer.
Now that it is difficult to find good people in so many sectors, investing in the growth and happiness of employees has become a necessity. “Using our professional knowledge and our network of experts, we can develop sensible interventions for this, and we also have the coaches who can provide face-to-face support. In addition, Psychology Magazine is a widely read magazine among HR professionals. We are therefore a well-known sender for decision-makers in the workplace,” says the editor-in-chief.
Online learning environment
Publisher WPG is now targeting a business target group that is willing to pay to give employees access to Mind.You. Van Leer: “The basis is the online learning environment, but the package can be expanded with coaching trajectories. We can offer qualified coaches from the Coachfinder coach pool throughout the Netherlands. And supplement it with inspiration sessions, workshops by experts and incentives for employees.”
I have nothing against tear-off calendars, but a tear-off calendar is not going to change your life.
Services as an extension for your media brand
While many magazines think of extensions mainly of events, e-commerce and the production of other paper products, such as calendars, diaries and specials, Psychologie Magazine seems to always choose the angle of service. Why is that? Van Leer: “Because you can do so much more with this brand than just provide entertainment. I have nothing against tear-off calendars, but a tear-off calendar is not going to change your life. An insightful training or a satisfying coaching trajectory does have that potential. And what is really of value, people are willing to pay serious money for that; that also makes the choice of services interesting.”
Making a difference
Sterre van Leer and her team developed a strategy in which the main focus was on how Psychology Magazine can make a difference. “If there are 30,000 coaches in the Netherlands and no one can find their way in that jungle, can’t we guide you there? And if we have developed rock-solid online modules that help you deal with stress or adversity, can’t we give them to a wider audience than just the fan base of our own brand?”
She adds that Psychology magazine also makes specials and an agenda. “But this year we also added a Focus Planner to help you achieve your annual goals. That is immediately another great incentive for the Mind.You user group”, says the editor-in-chief.
Invest in an engagement manager
The question is whether adding an arsenal of services still has consequences for the editorial team? Van Leer: “That certainly has consequences! We already had editors and freelancers in our team who focused on e-learning, e-health and microlearning, and we are now focusing more on that. E-learning is really a different sport than content editing. Certainly in this domain, where you not only want to transfer knowledge, but also encourage self-reflection and behavioral change.”
Mind.You is of course about a very specific segment within psychology. Namely, well-being at work. The launch of Mind.You therefore also requires knowledge of HR and involvement in the themes that play a role in the workplace. “That is why we have invested in an engagement manager: someone who maintains close contact with the participating companies. Someone who can also tweak the programs offered and who helps organizations to prioritize personal development and vitality internally. That is immediately distinctive for Mind.You, because with it we actually support HR, instead of just offering access to a platform,” explains Van Leer.
Expand Mind.You
The first plans are already being made about the future of Mind.You the day after its launch. Sterre van Leer explains that the next logical step would be to further expand Mind.You. “I would really like it if we could deepen that HR support, and if we could develop programs for specific target groups. Teachers, for example, or healthcare staff. Professional groups that are in high demand, and who also work with people; I see a great match there with Psychology Magazine.”