Innovation in Workplace Health

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What is Activate Your Workplace?

Why Activate your Workplace?

If you are responsible for people in the workplace, then you could take advantage of an innovative opportunity in workplace health.

Half of our waking hours are spent in the workplace, which consequently has a huge impact on our health. Similarly, an unhealthy workforce can impact on the workplace; the total cost of sickness absence to British business is £11.6 million. (CBI, 2004).

In addition to sickness absence, ill health is known to cost businesses through loss of production, low retention of staff and morale, decreased job satisfaction and industrial injuries.

Workplace health initiatives are well documented to have improved all of these factors, as well as internal communications and making staff feel more valued and loyal to their workplace.

‘Activate your workplace’ is a one year training and support programme that enables workforces to design, deliver and evaluate health initiatives to promote employee health and wellbeing. The programme is heavily subsidised by partner funding and therefore costs a reduced fee of £3,500 per workplace. The support and benefits of the project are far greater than the fee and include:

A budget of up to £1,500 to support intervention and project launch costs.

A £4,500 package from the Fitness Industry Association, including 30 free gym memberships and support from a fitness instructor.

A consultancy and grant package from Transport for London worth up to £20,000. This can be used to develop healthy travel plans, and support for implementing these, such as provision of pool bikes and showers.

Three workplace health training workshops and three outreach training sessions from our Outreach Coordinator, which will lead to the certification of a member of staff as a ‘workplace health champion’.

NHS support and facilitated access to services.

On-going support throughout the year and help with any queries that arise.

Assistance to carry out an internal employee health audit.

The opportunity to become a recognised  healthy workplace.

If you would like to be involved or find out more please contact The Centre for Workplace Health at St Mary’s University College. St Mary’s University College is an active, healthy workplace.

The Centre for Workplace Health, who are running Sport England's Community Investment funded workplace health project in London over the next year are currently recruiting workplaces to participate.

The reason for our funding of this project is due to the potential that workplaces have to promote sport and physical activity to the huge working population. Health is often a very attractive concept to workplaces and so the package is presented within the context of developing a healthy and active workplace and includes additional components such as smoking cessation, stress, diet and drinking.

There will be two intakes to the programme – in June and July and while the first intake is full there are still opportunities for another five or so workplaces to start in July. The Centre is currently working hard to fill these spaces (and things are looking quite positive) but it would be appreciated if you could assist in this process by sending the attached publicity materials to any workplace contacts you may have.

One of the aims of the project is to get a broad range (size and type) and spread of work places across the five Pro-Active  sub regions and so it may not be possible to facilitate participation by all interested workplaces in the pilot. However, if they are interested, at the very least, we’ll ensure they are kept updated about the progress of the pilot and ensure they get first opportunity to take part in the expected up sized roll out of the project from 2008.

Interested workplaces, should contact the Director of the Centre for Workplace Health, Monica Frost – contact details below:-

Monica Frost

Director

Centre for Workplace Health

St Mary's University College

Direct line: 0208 240 4204

E Mail:frostm@smuc.ac.uk