Region: Maribor & wider Podravje region, Slovenia
Target Group: MSMEs and small entrepreneurs
Focus Areas: Staff well-being, talent retention, workplace mental health, SME competitiveness

Many Slovenian MSMEs, particularly in the Styrian region, struggled with employee turnover, burnout, and lack of internal HR capacity to support staff well-being. Traditional training programs often overlooked the human factors influencing productivity and retention.

Solution: “Zdravo delovno okolje” Programme
The Styrian Chamber of Commerce launched a holistic support programme that:

-    Combined training, consulting, and peer learning for MSMEs
-    Focused on building healthy, inclusive, and productive workplaces
-    Integrated occupational health, leadership coaching, and team communication strategies

Key Features:
-    Tailored Workshops
-    Short, sector-specific training on stress management, communication, conflict resolution, and mental health literacy.

Experts supported MSMEs in developing internal well-being plans adapted to their size and sector. Monthly roundtables brought MSMEs together to exchange strategies and challenges, fostering peer learning.

An online resource hub was created with practical guidelines, checklists, and HR templates for well-being initiatives.

Participating MSMEs reported a 30–50% reduction in absenteeism and increased staff satisfaction.

Over 120 small businesses implemented some form of structured well-being initiative.

The initiative contributed to a regional policy proposal encouraging more support for psychosocial health in the workplace.