October Marks two Weeks of Health and Wellbeing at Work

GB Health and Wellbeing Week Set for 17-21 October

This week marks Health and Wellbeing week here in the UK, featuring a variety of activities to help encourage and enhance everyone’s understanding of health and wellbeing. Major employers including Costain, Heathrow, the Metropolitan Police, Thames Water and Transport for London (TfL) have all committed to providing information in order to help other organisations promote the health and wellbeing of their workforce.

Focusing on improving occupational health and employee fitness, these founder members are encouraging employers to organise activities and events spanning the five days. Health and wellbeing strategies from Thames Water, Skanska and TfL can be found online, along with leaflets on cancer risks, mental clarity and healthy eating. Other member organisations supporting GB Health and Wellbeing Week include British Occupational Hygiene Society, IOSH and the Health and Safety Laboratory.

Getting involved

Health and Wellbeing week is centred around four key areas (or the 4 W’s):

• Worker – the impacts of ill health in the workplace and supporting those with health conditions or who are returning to work after absence
• Workplace – how to avoid ill health at work, from removing hazards to training staff
• Wellbeing – promoting a healthy lifestyle
• Wider community – encouraging wellbeing in the wider community

Wellbeing at work encompasses physical, mental and social health. Employees that are considered ‘well’ in these areas (i.e. physically and mentally able), are more likely to contribute in the workplace and be more engaged at work. Responsibility for health and wellbeing at work belongs to both employers and employees.

There are plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in activities over the course of the week, including executive exercises, team exercises, 5 days of messaging, collecting data on improvements, and sharing best practices.

An online resources page that offers free, downloadable material from some of the week’s founding members is also available here. Information about musculoskeletal disorders includes a TfL document on lower back pain and the importance of good posture, while a Skanska poster shows how the company categorises various job roles in order to keep its staff safe.

Astutis is backing Health and Wellbeing Week 

Astutis is getting involved in Health and Wellbeing week by encouraging staff to make healthy choices and sustain positive behaviour changes. As well as providing a health and wellbeing newsletter with a range of resources and information, we’ve swopped the biscuits for healthy snacks of fruit and nuts and on Tuesday 18th local yoga teacher Diana Brooks will be in the office for a lunchtime Yoga class. Staff will be participating in useful stretching and breathing exercises as well as being taught mindfulness techniques which can be employed over the course of the day.

Keep an eye on our blog for photos from the session and details on how you can incorporate the same techniques into your day.

Further Information

IOSH is promoting various resources this week, in particular its ‘Wellbeing at Work’ guide offers good advice and guidance on promoting health and wellbeing at work.

Our IIRSM Approved Stress and Wellbeing Toolkit allows employees to deal with their stress at work and feel more in control. resulting in a more productive workforce. For more information about our IIRSM Approved Stress and Wellbeing Toolkit, please click the button below.