Let's talk about health
Gateway Family Services
Our health isn't something we like to talk about at work, is it?
Perhaps we feel it's too personal to bring into the workplace, or worry that it will be seen as showing weakness.
But there's no getting round the fact that health and work are inextricably linked.
And if you're an employer, it’s important to make sure your employees are in good health.
A 2017 report by The Centre of Economic and Business Research indicated that £18b per year was lost in productivity as a direct result of work absence in the UK.
In fact, the overall average absence cost is in excess of £600 per employee, per year.
What's more, short and long-term absences cite stress and mental health conditions as the cause of the vast majority of absences*.
By creating opportunities for your managers and employees to have conversations about things like eating healthily, managing anxiety and stress, building resilience and practising mindfulness, you could be helping to prevent problems further down the line.
Taking a pro-active approach and helping staff to assess and improve their own health regularly, rather than waiting until it's already impacting their work, won't just reduce the likelihood of sick leave and absence; it can also help with staff morale and productivity.
As regional leaders in providing health and wellbeing services to local communities, Gateway knows a thing or two about improving health outcomes for people.
That's why we've harnessed more than a decade's worth of health knowledge and expertise to design a range of flexible "workplace wellbeing" interventions for employers, aimed at helping them to keep their staff happy, healthy and productive.
You can choose from a range of workshops and activities to create your own bespoke health and wellbeing package, tailored to the needs of your workforce.
You could start with a fun Health Day, with facilitated workshops and activities like the Smoothie Bike Challenge to get everyone moving.
Or you may prefer the more one-to-one approach of Lifestyle Coaching, where Gateway's Health Coaches work individually with employees over several sessions to help them make lasting lifestyle changes.
(Our Lifestyle Coaching sessions follow our tried and tested Health Trainer model, which has successfully supported more than 14,000 people since 2006; 75% of whom not only reported an improvement in weight, blood pressure and BMI, and an increase in their levels of physical activity, but also reported that they felt happier and more confident as a direct result of Gateway’s support.)
Give Keith or Jemma at Gateway a call on 0121 456 7820.
P.S. By working with Gateway, you won’t just be improving the health of your employees; you’ll be improving the health of your city, too.
Gateway is a Community Interest Company and a not-for-profit organisation, so any excess is reinvested in the education, employment, health and wellbeing of the people we work with.
That means the money you spend with us could help to fund things like Healthy Futures, our social prescribing service, supporting people in South Birmingham who experience social isolation or poor mental health.