This year, the Better Health at Work Awards brought together 36 local organisations to celebrate workplace wellbeing. Not only did our team attend this special evening filled with discussions and activities, but we were also thrilled to bring home the Gold Award.
Better Health at Work (BHAW) is the biggest workplace health programme in England. Their goal is to create a safe space in the workplace where employees can openly discuss their needs and receive the appropriate support. This philosophy is the heart of the BHAW Awards – recognising companies that prioritise wellbeing and better health in the workplace.
The night started with a few words from Local Workplace Health Coordinator Craig Hodgson, who noted the record-breaking number of entries from Sunderland this year.
Their message resonated deeply – fostering a culture of respect, recognition, and belonging is paramount. But our efforts don't stop there. Autonomy, personal growth, meaning, and progress are also crucial values to cultivate in a healthy workplace, values that perfectly align with ours.
Our BHAW journey began four years ago, with a focus on building a preventative and supportive environment for employee wellbeing. This meant shifting from reactive solutions to proactive initiatives. Leadership plays a vital role in shaping the tone for mental health in the office, which is why we're proud to have three wellbeing team members as managers, leading by example.
Throughout 2023, to achieve the Gold Award's emphasis on community outreach, we actively partnered with charities like 4Louis and MacMillan Cancer Support, while also sponsoring local youth clubs and organising engaging health campaigns within the office.
Looking back, our partnership with local charities, youth clubs, and engaging health campaigns in 2022 and 2023 solidified our commitment. We're building on that momentum in 2024 with Daft as a Brush as our chosen charity of the year and a paid day off for volunteering available to all employees.
To promote healthy habits both in and out of the office, we offer a range of initiatives, including "Time to Talk Day," regular activities and discussions, fresh fruit, and paid gym subscriptions for everyone. Our team recently welcomed an additional Mental Health First Aider, joining the two others who offer onsite confidential support and guidance to their colleagues when they need it most.
Gaining our third BHAW Award is a great reminder that talking about mental health is just the beginning. Now that we've set our sights on Continuing Excellence, we'll be working on our three-year Better Health strategy and strengthening our commitment to employee wellbeing at every turn.