Improving entrepreneurs’ health and well-being
A new activity and research program
May 21, 2020
The Institut d’entrepreneuriat Banque Nationale – HEC Montréal (IEBN) has established an activity and research program to improve the health and well-being of Quebec entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, especially those working at startups.
The program is aimed at assessing issues and identifying factors related to health problems among startup executives, on the one hand. On the other hand, it will analyze best support practises, design tools and preventive solutions and share them with target groups.
These groups are mainly entrepreneurs in the School’s ecosystem, i.e., those involved in the support programs that are part of the School’s entrepreneurial hub (National Bank Accelerator, Rémi Marcoux Track, EntrePrism, etc.). Many of the activities will also be accessible to a wider audience in the HEC Montréal community.
The program will include a research component, with several bibliometric studies to be done. Professors Denis Chênevert, Luis Cisneros and Caroline Aubé will be handling this aspect, as well as Florence Guiliani, postdoctoral researcher at the Pôle santé and the IEBN.
The other major component involves creating awareness, prevention and intervention tools to improve startup executives’ physical and mental health.
One example is a planned virtual reality room at the School, which could be used for stress reduction activities. There will also be solutions for physical health problems, with activities including boot camps and sports or nutrition workshops.
The practices to be introduced are in line with the School’s existing efforts to make values such as kindness and respect for others key priorities in everything it does.
Note that the IEBN is carrying out this initiative with the financial support of the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation. The HEC Montréal Health Research Centre (Pôle santé) and Student Services are also partners, along with external players including incubators, experts and research centres in Quebec and elsewhere.
“This initiative will position our School as an influencer in the area of entrepreneurs’ health and well-being and shows how our expertise is recognized in this regard,” said Manaf Bouchentouf, Executive Director in charge of business support services for the Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Acquisition and Business Families Hub.