1. Workplace Health Rachel Faulkner Workplace Health Coordinator
Health Promotion Service

2. Contents This presentation includes: Importance of Workplace Health
Costs
Benefits
National Update
Real Workplace Health Issues
Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Healthy Workplace Award
Support and Useful Resources

3. Why is Workplace Health important?
The workplace is a setting where many people spend the largest proportion of their time and therefore can play a key role in contributing to the health of their employees and in turn the health of their organisation!
Individuals may spend up to 60% of their waking hours in their place of work

4. A health promoting workplace:
Provides an environment which protects health
Provides opportunities and support for the promotion of healthy lifestyles
Organises work to promote good health

5. ‘What’s in it for you?’ Opportunity to look after your health!
Save Money
Retain Staff
Less time taken off sick
Attract new staff
Improve Morale
And much more……..

6. Benefits of a Healthier Workplace:
Increased productivity
Improved absenteeism and ability to return to work after illness
Enhanced reputation - Helping to attract and keep employees
Reduced workplace injuries
Improved work-ability among older employees
Creating a positive corporate image
Reduced industrial injuries
Improved morale and health of the workforce

7. Costs
In 2006 around 175 million working days were lost due to illness and it is estimated that the annual economic costs of sickness absence and worklessness is over £100 billion.
(Working for a healthier tomorrow, DOH March 2008).
Annually the average sickness absence is 3.7% (8.4 days per employee) and the average cost of absence per employee is estimated at £659.
(CIPD Employee Absence, July 2007).
Stress related conditions and musculoskeletal disorders are now the most common reported causes of sickness absence from work in the UK.
The cost of making reasonable adjustments to keep an employee who develops a health condition or disability will almost certainly be far lower than the cost of recruiting and training a new employee.
Alcohol misuse among employees in England costs up to £6.4 billion a year in lost productivity through increased absenteeism, unemployment and premature death (Creating a healthy workplace, Faculty of Public Health, 2006).

8. Key Facts
Physically Active Employees take 27% Fewer Days Sick Leave than Non-Active Employees.
If the Present Trend in Obesity Continues, by in 4 People Will Not Fit into A Standard Office Chair.
In the UK, 1 in 5 Accidents in the Workplace are Alcohol Related.
1 in 5 People Report Feeling Extremely Stressed at Work.
4 out of every 5 people develop back pain that lasts more than a day at some time during their life.

9. Work should be health enhancing!
No one should leave work at the end of the day, less healthy than they were when they arrived….
Work should be health enhancing!

10. National Update
Dame Carol Black Review & The Governments Response to Dame Carol Black's Review of the Health of Britain's Working Age Population. 
Improving Health and work: Changing Lives - November 2008. 
Key initiatives:
Electronic Fit Note
A National Education Programme for GPs
Health, Work & Wellbeing Coordinators
National Centre for Working-Age Health & Wellbeing
Business Health Check Tool-Kit
Occupational Help-Line for smaller businesses
A Challenge Fund

11. Real workplace health issues
Coordinator
Senior management support and commitment
Engaging employees – meeting their needs
What works
Champions
Communication

12. Coordinator Key to success of the project
overall responsibility rests with them
engage with management and employees
develop ‘innovative ideas’
communicate, communicate…
Motivate!

13. Management support ‘Buy in’ + support essential for success
Coordinator needs to:
Find out their key drivers e.g. sickness absence, retention, CSR
Ensure clarity and understanding of what is required
BEST WAY - develop and maintain regular contact and provide project updates and results, esp successes

14. Management support Management need to: be seen as supportive
demonstrate support and endorsement for project
encourage staff to participate
How…
promote activities
participate in activities with staff
allow flexible working time
recognise success

15. Champions Getting the right champions is vital!
Nomination from managers
Invitation from coordinator
Volunteers –
more interested
more successful

16. Recruiting Champions
More than 1 champion helps share responsibilities and increase capacity
Include people from different departments
Include people at different grades/ ages
Find out their interests
Give them recognition
Give them the responsibility

17. Champions How can the champion help the coordinator
Run the project + support throughout
Communication (vital)
raising awareness
encouraging staff
feedback to coordinator and managers
Sustainability of the project

18. Engaging employees Takes time, persistence and constant communication
Even more so with those ‘resistant to change’, ‘cynical towards project’ and with ‘hard to reach individuals and groups’
Make the purpose of the project very clear
Prove to employees that the project is not going to be a ‘flash in the pan’ and ensure them it is going to be sustainable

19. Engaging employees Employee needs Needs assessment/ survey
Champion and employee ‘working groups’ to bring forward ideas and needs
Formal and informal face-to-face contact with employees
Attending team/ department meetings

20. Engaging employees Encourage participation
Workplace champions – help to communicate, encourage peers and gain feedback from employees
Fun, innovative and social activities
Work with employees who show an early interest – get the project started, create early success – communicate success as widely as possible
Visible management support – management participation with employees, being flexible allowing staff to participate, recognition
Extend to family and friends – may encourage more employees to participate

21. Engaging employees
What works well? Team based challenges and competitions
Provides support and encouragement from colleagues
‘Friendly rivalry’ and competition helps to motivate employees
Can participate during the working day
Incentives
E.g. Pedometer challenge, team weight loss competitions
“The pedometer Challenge has been a fun way of interacting with work colleagues both male and female as well as keeping your own personal fitness level up.”

22. Engaging employees What works well? One-off/ taster events Cheap
Provide variety - appeal to wide range of employees
Time requirement low
Work well - in work time, on-site, offered free
Good to gauge interest for future activities
Lunchtime classes e.g. pilates, boxercise
Dance classes – ballroom, salsa, belly dancing
Tasters - rock climbing, surfing, golf, archery
Combining healthy activity with social events – ‘inflatable
human football’, ‘rounders tournament’

23. Communication
Constant communication, promotion and reinforcement needed
Coordinator, management, champions and employees
Helps to encourage support, commitment and participation

24. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Healthy Workplace Award

25. Cornwall & Isles Of Silly ‘Healthy Workplace Award’
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Award is a county standard of good practice and quality mark of health and wellbeing in the workplace. It has been produced following research in to effective and successful workplace health awards in Wales, Scotland and Plymouth.
There are three levels of the award – Bronze, Silver and Gold and 10 sets of criteria.

26. Cornwall & Isles Of Silly ‘Healthy Workplace Award’
Creating a Safe & Healthy Workplace
Health & Safety
Recruitment, Retention & Rehabilitation
Mental Wellbeing & Minimizing Stress
Back Pain & Prevention
Stop Smoking
Alcohol & Substance Misuse
Physical Activity including Active Travel
Healthier Eating including Healthy Weight
Choosing Well

27. Cornwall & Isles Of Silly ‘Healthy Workplace Award’
The aim of the award is to act as a toolkit to encourage employers to think about ways to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees.
The toolkit provides steps to achieve and improve in a wide range of health areas mentioned in the ten criteria.
The process enables focus on the current good practices in place within an organisation and assists in recognising priorities and providing solutions to addressing any highlighted issues specific to the company and the working population.

28. Support Available from HPS
Health Promotion Service can offer:
Support in working towards the ‘Healthy Workplace Award’
Free Smoking Cessation Support in the workplace setting
Shape Up – Weight Management Courses
Training
Stress in the Workplace
Alcohol in the Workplace
Resource Library - Free Information and resources
And more, please contact Rachel Faulkner for further information!

29. Useful Resources Health Promotion Training Booklet Stress Tool-Kit
Sod It & Sod It All Books
Shift – Life in the Office DVD
Men at Work – Haynes Manual
NICE Guidance
Promoting physical activity in the workplace
Workplace interventions to promote smoking cessation
Management of long term sickness and incapacity for work
Promoting mental wellbeing at work
Much more……

30. Workplace Health Resources – ‘A Healthy Business ‘needs’ a Health Workforce’
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has a series of resources for employers interested in workplace health programmes.
The resources cover physical activity, healthy eating and mental wellbeing and include a range of ideas, challenges and signposts, as well as an employee booklet, great giveaway items and fun packaging. 
To order call:                               Visit: bhf.org.uk/thinkfit
The BHF would welcome a suggested donation of £25 per pack.

31. Think fit! Physical activity G283 & G283h08
Think fit! - A guide to developing a
workplace activity programme (2005)
Think fit! Be active! A ‘how to do it’
guide to workplace physical
activity interventions (2008)
Say what they include – t-shirt, employee booklet and calendar

32. Think fit! Healthy eating G399
Think fit! - Eat well! A guide to
developing a workplace healthy
eating programme (2008)

33. Think fit! Mental wellbeing G400
Think fit! - Think well! A guide to developing a
workplace mental wellbeing
programme (2008)

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35. Thank you Any Questions? Workplace Health
Rachel Faulkner
Workplace Health Coordinator
Health Promotion Service