Delegates hear ideas for healthy innovations on a budget at REBA Employee Wellness Conference 2016
A tightening of purse strings doesn’t have to mean abandoning your employee wellbeing strategy, according to two very different organisations that shared their experiences at the Reward & Employee Benefits Association’s (REBA) Employee Wellness Conference in London last week.
Shepherds Bush Housing Association (SBHA) and Chester Zoo both outlined how cutting back on budgets had forced them to innovate in what they could offer employees – but said the process had brought its own benefits.
SBHA’s HR and payroll coordinator, Charlotte Dymock, said that despite public sector cuts, which have required the organisation to “deliver more for less”, it still offers employees a full health and wellbeing strategy within its modest annual budget.
“The cuts have caused us to really streamline our provision and take a few steps back to carefully question why we offered some of the benefits we did in the first place,” said Dymock.
SBHA continues to offer exercise classes, corporate gym discounts, healthy snacking options, a recipe-sharing forum and massages. It also provides its staff with annual mini health checks with an occupational health nurse, which half of the workforce took advantage of last year.
The organisation also emphasised more socially minded projects, which it hopes will help build teams and grow morale as well as enhance health. These include supporting sports clubs, offering free fruit at weekly TED Talks and organising ad hoc trips to lectures and museums.“Our wellbeing strategy is made up of physical fitness, social wellness and mental health, which are all interlinked,” explained Dymock.
All SBHA staff get two paid volunteering days per year, and the organisation engages with national charity and awareness campaigns such as ‘wear it pink’ for Breast Cancer Now, which takes place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Last year, it created a campaign called Don’t Wear It Under Your Hat to encourage employees to have open conversations about mental health. Staff were asked to wear vintage clothing and talk to one another about mental health while enjoying afternoon tea.
Working alongside existing public awareness campaigns was a message that also resonated with Chester Zoo. The business asks its 700 members of staff to get involved with LGBT History Month and runs a free choir, among other small-scale initiatives. “The best and most engaging things don’t have to be the most expensive,” said head of HR Jane Hubbard.