Thirty-four organisations from across Gloucestershire were proud to receive a well-deserved Workplace Wellbeing Charter Award at a ceremony held at the University of Gloucestershire recently.

The Workplace Wellbeing Charter is a workplace health, safety and wellbeing initiative which helps organisations work towards achieving high standards to support the wellbeing and quality of life of their staff.

Mary Hutton, Accountable Officer at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which hosted the event, said:

“Given that we spend approximately 60% of our waking hours at work, it’s important that organisations do what they can to provide healthy workplace cultures that support the wellbeing of their staff.

The NHS, like many organisations, has levels of health-related staff sickness, and we know that by 2030, about 40% of workers will be living with a long term condition, such as diabetes or a heart problem.

Evidence shows that workplace health initiatives can deliver a wide range of benefits to both employers and staff, such as reduced absenteeism and more open and communicative organisational cultures.

The CCG commissioned the delivery of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council, the Local Enterprise Partnership and Active Gloucestershire.”

The process of gaining accreditation covers several areas, including interviews with staff and an audit against eight standards: leadership, absence management, health and safety, mental health, smoking, physical activity, healthy eating and alcohol.

Sarah Scott, Director of Public Health at Gloucestershire County Council said:

“Work plays a key role in people’s health and wellbeing so it was inspiring to hear about how our local employers are supporting their workforces to make positive lifestyles changes.  These changes can not only improve the wellbeing and quality of life of individuals but also benefit local businesses and the wider Gloucestershire economy.”

At the celebration event, local organisations shared their experiences and how they were supporting the health and wellbeing of their workforce. Speakers included David Owen, Chief Executive of GFirst LEP, Sarah Scott, Director of Public Health and John Russell Director of Gloucestershire Healthy Lifestyle Service

Organisations which participated receive certification and recognition as an employer of choice, along with advice and recommendations about how to make improvements.